Exercise Physiologist Shares Insight for Walking Stories

Throughout December, Coordinator and Instructor for the Exercise Science, B.S. program Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., was quoted multiple times in Women’s Health fitness articles about walking.

On December 2, Rothstein’s insight was featured in a story about how wearing ankle weights can increase workout intensity, with Rothstein advising that while weights can help “up the burn,” walkers should be aware that they can also affect natural walking gait, causing more momentum when swinging the foot forward. To minimize injury risk, he advises users to make sure they can walk normally while wearing the added resistance and gradually increase weight by no more than ten percent with each adjustment. The article also appeared on AOL.com and Yahoo.com.

On December 9, he was quoted in the articles “How Many Miles Should You Walk a Day for Maximum Health Benefits?” and “Power Walking Amps Up the Health Benefits of a Daily Stroll—Here’s How to Do It Right.” Rather than counting steps or miles, Rothstein encourages readers to focus on getting the CDC-recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise per week, which means that walks will need to be challenging. To do this, he recommends increasing speed or incline, varying walking surfaces, wearing weights, or incorporating faster-paced intervals. When power walking, Rothstein advises that it’s important to keep an eye on posture. “You shouldn’t be leaning forward,” he says. Instead, keep your head over your chest and shoulders, avoid rounding at the spine or hinging at the hips, and aim to take more steps vs. longer ones. The stories also appeared on AOL.com, Yahoo.com, and MSN.com.