Walking is a great form of exercise which the large majority of people can do. It requires no special equipment or training, it’s free and you can fit it into your day whenever it suits you best. The health benefits read like an advert for some new wonder drug or health supplement – and they can be obtained with no more than minor changes to your daily routine.
A target of 10,000 steps daily is often quoted as being the magic number required in order to achieve the health benefits on offer. That’s roughly equivalent to a distance of between 4.5 and 5.0 miles for the average person. It does sound like a fair old walk – but it’s a lot easier to achieve than you might imagine. Besides, when you think about the possible health benefits, it’s worth a little extra effort.
Modern living can be somewhat sedentary – so many people will, in the absence of remedial action, fall short of the recommended 10,000 steps a day target. In order to find out what your daily average step count is, you might want to consider getting yourself a pedometer. These can be picked up for just a few dollars nowadays, and a pedometer will not only tell you how many steps you take but how many calories you burn and the distance you cover.
Once you know the average number of steps you take on a daily basis, you should seek out ways to make up any shortfall between your daily average and the 10,000 step target value. There are any number of ways to do this – just be sensible and start off slowly, there’s no need to do it all at once.
If you have enough time in your daily routine to fit in a dedicated walk then that’s ideal of course. However, if you can’t manage this, then there are many other ways to increase your daily step count. At lunchtime take a ten or fifteen minute stroll around the block instead of sitting in front of your computer. Get off the bus one or two stops early and finish your journey on foot. Leave your car at home and walk now and again – or, if that’s not possible, then park your car in the far corner of the parking lot so that you have further to walk to the entrance.
Make the most of modern technology by walking and talking when you’re on your mobile phone. A fifteen minute telephone call can give you the opportunity to get in somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 extra steps. There are many other opportunities to get your step count up – and they soon mount up.
If you’re over forty, if you have any medical conditions, or if you just haven’t exercised for some time, then it would be a good idea to seek the opinion and advice of your doctor before you start any new fitness regime. However, walking is a low impact, low injury risk workout which will, as long as you exercise a little common sense, deliver significant health benefits. Before you know it, you will be feeling better, enjoying higher energy levels and shedding pounds.
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