If you’re looking for a way to take exercise on a regular basis, then you can’t do much better than walking. The majority of us do it – to a greater or lesser extent – every day. You don’t need any special kit or equipment – just a comfortable pair of shoes. You can fit it into your daily schedule whenever it’s most convenient for you – and since there are no monthly membership fees to pay, it’s a very cost effective way to exercise.
The health benefits of walking are many and varied. It’s actually hard to believe that so many benefits are obtainable from such an easily accomplished, low impact, low injury risk workout. Consistency is the key – regular low level exercise is very much better than sporadic bursts of intense physical activity.
Walking for thirty minutes, three or four times weekly, on a regular basis will soon generate results that you can feel and see. If you can build up to 10,000 steps daily – that’s between four and a half and five miles for the average stride length – then you will really start to reap the rewards.
There are any number of opportunities to get a little extra walking in each day. If you have the time to schedule in a thirty minute or one hour walking session then that’s ideal. However, if that’s not possible for you then don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to increase your daily step count.
Leaving the car in the garage and walking to work or school is sound advice. However, if the distance involved is too great then take the car as usual – but park it in the far corner of the parking lot so that you have further to walk to get to the entrance. If you travel by bus or subway rather than car then you could get off a couple of stops early and finish your journey on foot.
Take a ten or fifteen minute stroll around the block at lunchtime. You’ll have more energy, and you’ll be more mentally alert, throughout the course of the afternoon. Make the most of modern technology by walking around when you’re talking on your mobile or cordless phone. One fifteen minute phone call can allow you to fit an extra 1,000 steps into your day.
If most of your walking is fitted into your day on a piece-meal basis, then you might want to consider getting yourself a pedometer. These can be worn discreetly on your belt or carried in your pocket. A pedometer will let you monitor your progress in terms of the number of steps taken, the distance covered or the number of calories burned. Tracking your progress in this manner will help you to stay motivated and will encourage you to seek out ever more innovative ways of incorporating walking into your daily routine.
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