Top 10 Walking Trends of the Decade

This has been a big decade for pedometers. Researchers have gotten out the word that pedometers are great fitness motivators, and everyone from the Surgeon General to the Secretary of Health and Human Services was wearing one by 2005. Technology has also allowed the pedometer mechanism to be smaller, silent, and more accurate in a variety of positions. You don't have to wear them clipped to your waistband anymore. Just carry your iPod nano in your pocket. But avoid the cheap/free pedometers as they still use the old, noisy inaccurate hairspring mechanisms.

In the 1990's, walking was the top fitness activity. It remained so throughout the 2000's. The Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association reports on fitness and sports trends and showed them continuing to give the 1-2 punch, with almost 77 million walkers and and 27 million treadmillers. Compare that to 24 million runners. Treadmill sales continue to be the top for fitness machines. Throughout the decade, treadmill sales mirrored the rise in new housing starts. People were buying bigger houses and equipping home gyms. With the housing bust in 2008, treadmill sales declined but remained the top among fitness equipment.

"There are no more runners," said John Bingham at a marathon race directors conference. "I don't call it a race, it's an event. I don't call them runners or walkers, I call them participants," said Les Smith of the Portland Marathon. Overall participation in marathons kept growing and growing throughout the decade. The biggest growth are in people who combine running and walking throughout the event, and those who are ticking it off their "bucket list." The half marathon distance became increasingly popular, with many marathons adding it as an event for slower runners and walkers. While purists worried that marathons are no longer elite events, most cheered the motivation they give for people to get in shape to participate.

I'm a map freak. This has been a super decade for people like me. I can use MapMyWalk.com or other apps to draw and measure and map my walking route before I leave home. I have GPS in my car to direct me to where I'm going for my walk. I have GPS with maps in my cell phone. I can log how far and fast I'm walking, with elevation gained, and it all uploads to a web site where I can study it in detail later. Now what possible excuses can we have for getting lost?

Nordic walking - walking with fitness walking poles - is big news and big business in Europe. Trails, resorts, and vacation packages are being built for nordic walking. I walked on dedicated nordic walking trails in the Alps where you could check out a timing chip and record your time. In the USA, small steps forward were taken as the Portland Marathon added a Nordic Walking division to their 10K Mayor's Walk, but few joined in. Nordic walking burns more calories per mile while toning the upper body and relieving strain on the joints.

More and more, the gadgets you use communicate with a computer. In some cases, they only talk to the computer and don't even have a read-out you can view offline. My favorite computer-linked pedometers have a display you can use to keep track of your steps as you walk. But they also upload to a full-featured web site where you can view your steps, distance, calories burned, and in some cases a map of your walk. Some sites let you track your food choices and are a full-featured weight management system. Others just let you see how far you have walked each day.

Back in 2000, the guidance we heard for walking was "drink, drink drink - drink before you are thirsty." But it turns out that this advice was getting slow runners and walkers into trouble with hyponatremia - water intoxication. Women and walkers were especially obedient to the advice to keep drinking, which dilutes body salts and can result in a very dangerous condition and even death. Marathon medical directors now say to trust your thirst signal and drink once you are thirsty rather than pushing liquids. The best advice is to weigh yourself before and after a long walk to see if you are getting it right -- you should weigh exactly the same if you are replacing your body fluids at the right rate.

The decade saw a huge swing toward bottled water in disposable bottles. This then led to huge disposal and recycling problems. Sustainable living advocates began to lobby against bottled water. At walking events throughout the decade, we saw great demand for bottled water and use of disposable bottles by walkers. By mid-decade the word was getting out. But then a new concern arose over bis-phenol A (BPA), used in making some kinds of clear, rigid reusable water bottles, leaching into the water. Manufacturers such as Lexan moved swiftly to produce BPA-free water bottles.

It's a puzzle. While high-priced marathons and half marathons and charity walks continue to grow, the free (or very cheap) non-competitive volkssport walks continue to lose customers. I began my walking life in volkssporting and will continue. The events are generally very low-key without the big hoopla of a 10K run/walk. Volkssporting is just what the doctor ordered to combat inactivity and obesity, and it is a true local, grassroots program of non-profit clubs. The international organization, IVV, saw major turmoil during the decade. The decline reflects the aging club leadership and participant base.