Kathryn L Davis - Fitness Walking Everyone

Fitness Walking
Everyone

3rd Edition

Kathryn L. Davis
Winthrop University

2013 by Hunter Textbooks Inc.

ISBN 978-088725-352-2

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Preface
To The Third Edition

This book is the latest version of my career-long effort to promote physical education activities for healthy lifestyles. Fitness walking has become a very popular fitness activity across the United States as a way to exercise for disease prevention, for leisurely lifetime activity, and for obesity prevention. Fitness walking class sections have emerged and thrived at many colleges and universities across the nation. This book has been specifically written for college level fitness classes, but it has great applicability to K-12 physical education programs and teachers. This edition has been updated to include more recent technologies and information to be helpful for the reader. Fitness Walking Everyone will assist walkers of any age and gender to learn the necessary skills and concepts for a lifetime of walking enjoyment.

Since the first edition was published in 1997, the obesity epidemic has intensified particularly for children. Half of obesity can be attributed by poor nutrition, but the other half is directly related to a lack of exercise particularly moderate to vigorous exercise. Fitness walking is an enjoyable type of exercise that anyone can do easily, and it fulfills one of the components of health-related fitness: cardiovascular endurance. The other four components are discussed in detail in the chapters on muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. These are the four additional components that should be incorporated into any fitness walking program. In addition to the five components of fitness, the contemporary concept of wellness is defined and discussed in relation to fitness walking. This edition also retains many of the teaching ideas and explanations of the walking techniques of the first edition, including descriptions of several walking programs to guide beginning walkers in starting a personal walking program.

A chapter is included at the end of the book to provide teachers with some ideas and methods for teaching fitness walking in schools and colleges. As in the first edition, several learning aids are included in the Appendices as supplementary materials for the text. After discovering the many benefits of walking, it is obvious that fitness walking can make a significant contribution to a healthy lifestyle.

AUTHORS NOTE: In an attempt to be gender equitable, the pronouns he/she will be used in the first half of the book, and she/he will be used in the second half of the book.

Dedication

To the memory of my aunt,

Aurelia Davis,

who dedicated her life to teaching
students with special needs.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the following people for their gracious contributions in preparing this book:

Terri Alphin, Harold Barnes, Cheryl Davis, Tom Harless, Cerine Hill, Lora Jones, Ginny Leath, Ricky Livingston, Sarah Martensen, Nikki Martin, Eric McBride, Timothy Murphy, Betsy Murray, Nicole Omiatek, Chris Pegues, Nicole Rhodes, Harrie Schoots, Robin Suka, Peggy Upchurch, Mary Vicente, and Barbara Weathington.