More and more people are beginning to realise just what a great way walking is to exercise. It’s an enjoyable, low impact, low injury risk exercise with the possibility for the introduction of a social element as well. It’s the perfect exercise for anyone who is new to exercise or who just hasn’t worked out for some time.
It doesn’t need any training or special equipment and you can fit it into your day whenever it’s most convenient for you. It’s also a very cost effective method of exercising. There are no monthly gym fees to pay, so it won’t cost you a fortune to get in shape.
Just as with other physical activities, you will use up additional calories when you are actively engaged in walking. However, the really good news is that you will also increase you metabolic rate. What that means is that you will burn calories faster throughout the day, whatever you’re doing. If you’re sitting reading a book, surfing the internet, watching TV - or even while you’re fast asleep - you will burn calories faster than if you weren’t exercising.
Regular walking activity offers many health benefits over and above weight loss. Walking will lower the probability of heart disease and stroke. It can be an effective way to lower blood pressure, it can strengthen your lungs and it is even effective against anxiety and depression. The risk of contracting certain variants of cancer is also much reduced for regular walkers. Walking will provide you with more energy and will help you to sleep better. The full list of health benefits is too long to include in full. Walking is like a miracle drug.
You can make your walking exercise routine fun by turning it into a social activity. Instead of sitting in front of your computer, why not go for a walk with some colleagues during your lunch hour - or you walk around the local park, or even just your neighbourhood, with family and friends in the evening after work. If you want, you can just walk your dog.
Listening to your favorite tunes whilst you walk will make the time and the miles pass much more quickly. If you don’t already have one, investing in an mp3 player might be a good idea. Be careful not to turn the volume up too high and pay attention to traffic, especially if you’re in a busy location.
Fitness footwear technology has seen some interesting new developments of late. You can now choose from a wide selection of “toning” footwear such as Fit flops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups shoes, Masai Barefoot Technology shoes and Reebok Easy Tones exercise shoes. These all claim to increase the efficiency of your walking exercise program by making your lower body muscles work a little harder when you’re walking. They achieve this by using special soles, which either mimic the effect of walking on soft sand or which generate an element of microscopic imbalance which makes your leg and butt muscles work a bit harder.
If you find it hard to keep your motivation up, then a pedometer might be a good idea. An Omron pedometer is accurate to within 5% and will display your progress in terms of steps taken, distance covered or calories burned. There seems to be general agreement amongst health professionals that walking 10,000 steps each day will deliver a whole host of health benefits - including weight loss. Wearing a pedometer during the day will not only help you to keep track of your progress, but will prompt you to seek out new ways of boosting your daily step count.
