Steps to good health

Eighty-one-year-old Margaret Torrence has been an active person. With a schedule of walking, summer swimming, exercising at the YMCA and line dancing, she doesn't sit still.

"I'm 81 and I want to keep going," the Harrison resident said. Torrence walks three miles around the Highlands School District track about twice a week.

However, even a fraction of that time spent walking could mean a longer life and less heart disease and illness over those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle. That's according to a University of Pittsburgh study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers asked more than 2,700 people ages 70 to 79 to walk a quarter-mile as quickly as they could -- roughly equal to walking up and down all the aisles of a typical grocery store -- to determine their degree of physical fitness. About 400 people in the study were not asked to walk because health conditions put them at risk for problems.

That one-time walk served as a predictor of future health, researchers found. Of those who attempted the walk, 86 percent completed it.

For six years, researchers followed the group and found that those who completed the walk had a mortality rate almost half that of those who stopped or didn't participate. They also were less likely to get cardiovascular disease and almost three times less likely to have a disability that limits their movement.

Of those who completed the walk, the people who walked it faster had a better outlook.

"All things being equal -- same age, same sex, same medical history, same smoking history -- the person who walked a minute faster on the test had a 30 percent lower risk of mortality," said lead author Dr. Anne B. Newman. Newman is a professor of epidemiology at Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Pitt's School of Medicine. "We think that is the fitness factor, and that's something people can do something about." For Torrence, walking at the track is a safe and easy way to get outside and also keep track of how much she was walking.

"I think it's good for me," Torrence said. "I'm a very scheduled person, and I'm a widow, so it's just myself. I can follow a routine because I have to just take care of me, that's all."

John L. Malarik, 70, of Springdale, used to walk the Springdale High School track with his wife, Claudette, but decided to take it indoors once the Pittsburgh Mills mall opened in nearby Frazer.

Malarik said he likes being outdoors, but inside the mall, walking isn't so dependent on the weather.

"There's a lot of advantages," Malarik said. "You see people you know, so there's the social aspect, and, of course, you're keeping an eye on the latest sales in addition to dusting the cobwebs off."

The Malariks are part of the Mills Milers Program offered at the mall through the Alle-Kiski Medical Center. One lap around the inside mall loop equals two-thirds of a mile.

"The walking program is a very important part of staying fit," Malarik said. "I prefer to wear out rather than rust out.

"I feel that if a person is capable of walking and doesn't do it, they're kidding themselves," Malarik said. "They need to give it a fair try and enhance their fitness."