Unlikely exercise burns calories


Wednesday, March 4, 1998	Unlikely exercise burns calories By MARY JORDAN Collegian Staff Writer Every day students walk to and from class, yet many don't realize the amount of exercise they receive and the number of calories they burn. "(Walking) just becomes such a daily thing that you don't think about it as being exercise," said Katie Hussey (freshman-international politics and international studies). Compared to other forms of exercise, walking is easier on the joints and it burns calories, said Michael Morse, kinesiology professor. For example, if the average male student weighing 165 pounds walked from the corner of Bigler and Curtin roads to the HUB, which is about half a mile, and it took him about 8 minutes, he would burn 45 calories, said Bob Ricketts, kinesiology professor.
Students walking down the Mall near Carnegie Building get exercise while moving to and from class. Walking is a daily activity that burns calories without seeming like exercise, professors said. (Collegian Photo/Christopher M. Mortensen - click for full size image)	Likewise, a female student, weighing about 130 pounds walking from the corner of Bigler and Curtin roads to the HUB, taking 8 minutes, would burn 30 calories, said Helene Monthley, kinesiology professor. Men and women differ in the amount of calories they burn because of the difference in their body structures, Monthley said. "The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn," she said. The number of calories burned depends on the speed and time it takes one to walk from one place to another, Ricketts said. The average student walks a mile in 15 minutes, he added. "If you walk to class every day, you'll be more fit than someone who takes the Loop every day, but not as fit as an intensive walker," he said.
`Collegian Graphic on Walking and Calories`	If the average pace of walking is 15 minutes per mile, a 165-pound man could expect to burn about 6 calories per minute, Ricketts said. In addition, walking 20 minutes per mile will burn roughly 275 calories per hour and walking 12 minutes per mile will burn about 585 calories per hour, Morse said. Aside from burning calories, increased benefits can be obtained from adding weight to a backpack, especially at the torso area, Morse said.
Students walk down the Mall from Pattee Library. But secretly, these students are also getting great exercise by walking, according to professors. (Collegian Photo/Christopher M. Mortensen - click for full size image)	Walking on campus or walking on a treadmill at a fitness center produces the same effect, said Chris Ankeny, weekend manager of Body Works and Fitness Center, 127 Sowers St. Staying active, no matter what you do, is the key, he said. "Everyone needs to find what they enjoy so that they'll stick with it," Ankeny said. The benefits of walking are lowered blood pressure, strengthened bone structure and reduced anxiety and depression, Morse said. Ricketts added burning calories and potential weight loss to the benefits of walking. To gain the positive effects of walking, one must note that walking 20 to 40 minutes at an intensity rate of 60 percent of the maximum heart rate three to five times a week produces a training effect, Ricketts said.