cover image Walking

Walking

John Pleas. W. W. Norton & Company, $12.95 (158pp) ISBN 978-0-393-02446-3

Former codirector of the Vanderbilt University Weight Management Program, Pleas prescribes walking as the core physical activity for moderately and massively obese people. In a chatty, sometimes self-consciously cute style, he outlines here several walking programs, varying in intensity and duration, that will benefit young and old, slim and fat readers at different levels of fitness. This solid, comprehensive guide offers a brief history of walking; effectively addresses frequent questions asked by novices and skeptics; and provides simple tips on indoor and outdoor walking, safety, shoes and clothing, walking aids (pedometers, maps, charts and other motivators) and developing a daily routine. There are also self-tests of fitness, stretching and flexibility warm-up and cool-down exercises and technical advice on breathing, walking style, foot care, posture and preventing injuries. Pleas's enthusiasm is infectious as he details the physical and psychological benefits that far outweigh the exercise's minimal expenditure of time, effort and money. (April 27)