Walking is a form of exercise that can be undertaken by almost everyone. It’s a low injury risk, low impact workout that has a low drop-out rate in comparison with other types of exercise. You can slot it into your daily routine as and when it suits you best. You don’t need to find time to squeeze in a trip to the gym – which means that you have no monthly membership fees to pay.
There are plenty of opportunities to incorporate walking into your daily routine. Leaving the car at home and walking to work or the shops is always a popular suggestion. However, if the distances involved make that an impractical idea, then you could take the car as usual and park it in the far corner of the parking lot – which will maximize the distance that you need to walk to get to the entrance. If you travel by bus or subway, then you could get off one or two stops before your destination and complete the last leg of your journey on foot. Taking a short ten or fifteen minute walk during your lunch break is yet another opportunity to incorporate walking into your day.
These relatively small changes to your daily routine can, if applied consistently, provide you with some very significant benefits. Walking can reduce the risk of heart problems and stroke as well as helping to reduce blood pressure levels. It can help to combat anxiety and depression and it will help you to sleep better. It can even lower the risk of certain types of cancer – and recent studies suggest that it may help to avoid Alzheimer’s disease. Regular walking will give you more energy and leave you feeling less tired during the day. Walking on a regular basis will also help you to lose weight – which for many people will be one of the most attractive benefits.
That’s an incredible list of benefits for an activity which can be performed by the vast majority of people and which requires no equipment apart from a pair of comfortable shoes. If you want, you can get special exercise shoes which will increase the effectiveness of your walking workout – but a stout pair of shoes that don’t give you blisters is all that’s really needed.
One piece of inexpensive equipment which you may find useful – but which isn’t strictly necessary – is a pedometer. These can be worn on your belt or tucked away discreetly in your pocket and will display your results in terms of the number of steps taken, the distance covered or the number of calories burned. You may find it easier to stay motivated and keep walking consistently when you have some data to work with.
If you don’t already own one, then an mp3 player might be something else to consider. It’s not strictly necessary – but the miles and the time will pass much faster when you’re listening to your favourite tunes.
It’s almost incredible to think that such small changes in your daily routine can produce such significant health benefits for you. Make walking an integral part of your daily routine. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll feel the benefit.
Discover how Fitflops exercise shoes can boost the effectiveness of your walking workout. They are specially engineered to increase the amount of work done by the lower body muscles when walking. Both women’s and men’s Fitflops are on offer in a wide range of colors and styles.
categories: exercise,health,fitness,workout,lose weight,walking,weight loss