Summer Shape-Up: Interview With Leslie Sansone, Michelle Stanten
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That graphic means it's time to talk CNN's Summer Shape Up. And we're going to talk walking today. It really is one of the most popular ways to lose weight if you're looking to shed a few extra pounds. We want to turn to a couple of experts on walking for fitness. Leslie Sansone is the creator of "In-Home Walking," a program for walking inside your own home. Yes. And Michelle Stanten, fitness editor for "Prevention" magazine and a certified group fitness instructor. They join us right now. Leslie is in Pittsburgh. Michelle joins us live from our New York bureau. Ladies, thanks so much for joining us this morning.</s>LESLIE SANSONE, "IN-HOME WALKING": Good morning.</s>MICHELLE STANTEN, "PREVENTION" MAGAZINE: Good morning.</s>ROBERTS: Hey, let's get right into this and talk about it. It is one of the most popular ways for people to lose weight, walking. It's not so much running on the treadmill or going to the gym, it's pretty much walking around your neighborhood or even in your own home?</s>SANSONE: That's right. If I could, I'd like to start and tell you, you know, walking is the most popular exercise all over the world and it does get you in your best shape. Because it's an exercise you can do for a lifetime. And I've created a program that you can do right in your home. You don't need a treadmill. You don't need any special equipment other than your VCR. You can pop a video in, choose one mile, two mile or three mile. And so you've got convenience and comfort and safety with your walks.</s>ROBERTS: And, Michelle, if people want to get out, though, and enjoy a little summertime breeze or walk around the neighborhood, that's a good way to do it, too, isn't it?</s>STANTEN: It's an excellent way to do it. And walking is a very popular activity because it's easy, it's convenient. You don't need a lot of equipment. A good pair of walking shoes is all you need to get started. And one of the mistakes I think people make is that they think they need to do a lot when they first get started. But just getting out there for five or 10 minutes each day will help you build that as a habit.</s>ROBERTS: Leslie, what about people who get these videos and they put them in, but they're in the house anyway, so the couch isn't too far away, the refrigerator isn't too far way, even the bedroom is just down the hall? I mean how do we keep people motivated to stay in front of the TV set and keep walking for three or four miles?</s>SANSONE: That is a great question and I love the information that a little bit goes a long way. You can pop our videos in, do five or 10 minutes of this walking in place. We use our arms. We call on more muscle during our walk. So, you know, I think it's a really more motivational way. Sometimes a walk on a treadmill can be a little boring. Sometimes you can't get outdoors because of the weather conditions, especially right now. The heat really is not very safe for people to be outdoors. A lot of people feel funny exercising outdoors. They don't want their neighbors watching them get in shape. So what we love about our walks is they're private. When you're ready to take a walk you pop a video in and you can, again, do a nice short walk. A one mile workout is one of the most powerful things for good health. So...</s>ROBERTS: Michelle, you -- I'm sorry, Leslie. I didn't mean to cut you off.</s>SANSONE: That's OK, go ahead.</s>ROBERTS: Michelle, real quickly, you had mentioned before you want to make sure that you have the right shoes before you get started in a program in this. What else do you need? I mean should some people consult with a doctor before they start with some programs or can they get right out there?</s>STANTEN: You always want to check with your doctor before starting any type of exercise program. But walking is something that we do naturally. Our bodies were built to walk. So just by increasing the amount of walking you're doing each day can provide huge health benefits. A great motivator and a great way to track your progress is using a pedometer. We've had lots of success with readers who started wearing a pedometer and setting a daily goal of how many steps to take. That way you can take your steps while you're at work, by taking some walks during the day, taking a walk in the evening, in the morning, and checking your step count to make sure that you're hitting your daily goal. And it's a great motivator. We've had people on eight week programs who have lost 12 pounds, five inches. They've lowered their cholesterol. So that simple little device is a great way to stay motivated.</s>ROBERTS: And ladies, give us your best advice on when you need to change out those walking shoes. I mean when do we know? When the shoelaces start to fall out? Or can we get a little extra tread out of them?</s>STANTEN: Please do it before then.</s>SANSONE: Yes.</s>STANTEN: Roughly, you want to change those shoes out about every 500 miles. Once you start to see that your shoes are breaking down, they're way past that. They should have been replaced. Or if you start to notice any kind of aches or pains.</s>ROBERTS: And Leslie, you agree with that?</s>SANSONE: I do. Also, you know, if you are exercising three, four, five times a week, I can tell you, you've got to change those shoes maybe quarterly, four times a year.</s>ROBERTS: And Leslie, real quickly, if people want to find those walking videos, where can they find them?</s>SANSONE: Oh, thanks so much. Lesliesansone.com. You can get all the information about in-home walking.</s>ROBERTS: All right, ladies, thanks so much for joining us.</s>STANTEN: Thank you.</s>SANSONE: Thank you.</s>ROBERTS: We really appreciate your insight into this. Take care.</s>STANTEN: Thank you. Stanten>