Small Steps, Big Changes

The numbers are in and they aren’t exactly good. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 66 percent of Kentucky’s population is overweight, a third of us didn’t do a lick of physical activity during the month the CDC’s survey was taken.

Our bodies deserve better. Baptist Health Medical Group family medicine specialist Jonathan Walters, MD, offers up an easy, three-step plan to go from your couch to a 5K (or any-K) by the New Year.

Step 1: Start with a walking regimen, three days a week, with a goal of 30 minutes per day. Walk at a pace that makes it difficult to hold a conversation at the same time.

Step 2: Step up your walking to five days a week.

Step 3: Once you can walk without pain or chest discomfort, start jogging. Increase the intensity (speed) over the next few weeks. Check out helpful jog/walk program and apps.

Set a personal reward for when you reach your goal, such as an outfit you want to fit into or a vacation you want to take.