Many people would not think of something as mundane as walking as a viable way to work out. After all, it’s a low impact, low intensity, low injury risk way to workout. There’s no need for training or special equipment. You know how to do it already – as a matter of fact, you most likely do it every single day.
However, you shouldn’t let familiarity breed contempt. You don’t need to embark upon an exercise program suited to an Olympic athlete in order to gain some very significant health benefits. There are numerous benefits provided by this simple exercise technique – one of which is weight loss.
Walking can reduce the probability of heart disease and stroke. It can help reduce cholesterol levels and also relieve hypertension. As it is a weight bearing exercise, it can increase bone density and help to build muscle. It can help to increase the operating efficiency of the heart and lungs. The probability of contracting certain types of cancer can be reduced as a result of walking regularly. It can even help to combat anxiety and depression. Recently conducted research in the UK suggests that walking as little as 8 miles on a weekly basis can help to stave off Alzheimer’s disease. As mentioned above, it can help you to lose weight, get into better shape and feel much better overall.
That’s a long and impressive list of benefits. It reads like a press release for some new miracle drug or health supplement rather than a mundane daily activity! There’s no need to “go for the burn” or adopt a “no pain, no gain” mentality. You just need to do a little more walking than you normally do, and keep doing it on a regular and consistent basis, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you reap the rewards.
There are many opportunities for you to walk further and a little more often. You can fit it into your schedule at a time to suit you. Leaving your car in the garage and walking to the shops, work or school is a good start. However, if that doesn’t work out for you then just take your car anyway but park it in a faraway corner of the parking lot so that you have further to walk to reach the entrance – no need to feel guilty. If you travel by bus or subway, then get off a couple of stops early and finish your journey on foot. Walk up the stairs instead of using the lift. Take a walk during your lunch hour. When you’re talking on your mobile phone, walk around a bit. There’s no shortage of ways to build walking into your day.
It can be difficult to monitor your progress if you are fitting walking into your daily routine in a series of short bursts as described above. A pedometer may prove to be a good investment. It will record your results in terms of the number of steps taken, the total distance covered or the number of calories burned. This can be a good way to keep your motivation high.
An mp3 player is another good accessory for you to consider. You will find that the time and the miles just fly by when you’re listening to your favourite music.
Toning shoes are a recent development in the fitness footwear market, and you may be able to benefit from this. Brands like Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Fit Flops sandals and Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes all make use of scientifically designed soles which raise the amount of work performed by your lower body muscle whilst walking. This can assist you to tone and trim your lower body – just by walking about.
So, if you would like to shed a little weight, then walking to lose weight is a very good choice. It will also provide you with numerous other health benefits – many of which are even more important than losing weight.
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