AboutScott Demaree Expertise I can answer questions about training, physiology, nutrition, technique, equipment and injury prevention. My background is not medical, so I will not be able to answer detailed questions about injury treatment. However, during 30 years of endurance exercise I have had a few injuries so I feel qualified to talk about things that have worked for me and others.
Experience I have been a long distance runner since 1978 and took up racewalking in 1982. More recently, I have worked as a certified personal trainer helping people with a wide range of exercise needs. Last year, I coached several people to successfully finish the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in Dallas (60 miles in three days).
Organizations American College of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, National Science Teachers Association
Publications Journal articles associated with my graduate work with me as the primary author were published in the Journal of Nutrition, Acta Physiologica Scandanavica. Additionally, I co-authored the chapter on exercise metabolism in ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 4th Edition. Finally. I co-authored a book for beginning marathon runners (Marathoning 101).
Education/Credentials I have recent Master's degrees in Exercise Science from Wichita State University and Nutrition from Texas A&M University.
Awards and Honors I won national championships in the 1986 100-Kilometer Racewalk and the 1989 24-Hour Run.
Expert: Scott Demaree Date: 6/19/2008 Subject: walking
Question I have started walking since all my chol test were high and i was overweight. I have been walking for 1 month now. I walk one mile everyday. when i started it took me 27 minutes now I am brisk walking a mile in 12 minutes, 11 if i jog a little. Is this enough or should i be walking 30 minutes. How many miles should i be able to do in 30 minutes, and is the 30 minutes fast or slow walking???????
Answer 30 minutes of more moderate walking would be a good target for you until you get in better shape. The times you mention are very good, but I worry that you have pushed your pace too much, too soon. After only one month, your tendons and ligaments are still adapting to the work you are asking of them. They take longer to adjust than muscles do, which is why the joints tend to get injured when people are too aggressive in their exercise programs.
A good plan might be to walk 1.5 miles in 30 minutes for a few weeks, then gradually increase your pace until you can do 2 miles in 30 minutes easily. Then, over several more weeks, increase your walking time to an hour in which you cover 3.5-4.0 miles. That is a very good exercise level to maintain and improve health. If you want to add jogging to your routine later, that is fine, but again, be cautious. Sudden or radical increases in exercise intensity or duration is never a good idea, even when your body feels capable of it. The last thing you want is an injury to stop you in your tracks!
