If you look at all of the potential health benefits provided by walking, you will soon realise just what a positive impact walking for exercise can have. Increased lung capacity, reduced blood pressure, less risk of heart problems and stroke, less risk of depression and even lower risk of contracting certain types of cancer. Factor in weight reduction, higher energy levels and generally feeling better and you begin to see just how beneficial this exercise form can be.
Consider also the fact that you can fit walking into your daily routine whenever it suits you and the fact that there are no expensive monthly gym membership fees, and you have to ask why don’t more people make walking a part of their exercise regime? It’s also worth remembering that, apart from a pair of comfortable shoes, you don’t need any special equipment, training or expertise to get a regular walking workout.
Possibly people may not be including walking in their exercise program because they simply aren’t aware of the many potential benefits to be gained by doing this. We still have something of a “no pain no gain” mentality and this might make it seem implausible that a low impact workout such as walking could have such a positive impact.
However, the evidence is irrefutable. There are some truly excellent benefits available by incorporating walking into your exercise program. The key thing is consistency – exercise needs to be taken on a regular basis. It should, ideally, form a part of your daily routine.
And there is no shortage of opportunities to do this. Maybe you could leave the car in the garage and walk to the office? Use the stairs instead of the elevator every second time. At lunchtime, go for a short 10 or 15 minute walk around the block. Small changes can have a huge positive impact if carried out routinely.
Of course, the fact that the effort required is so small may be part of the problem. Many people may find it hard to believe that they will achieve such a high value of benefits based upon such a small investment of time and effort. One possible way to overcome this, should you find yourself in this category, would be to use a pedometer. Use this every day to record the number of steps you take, the distance you cover and the number of calories you burn.
It should soon become obvious that small changes to your daily routine – walking instead of taking the car from time to time – can have a major impact on your fitness and health. Raising the visibility of your walking workout benefits may well be all the encouragement that is necessary to ensure that you exercise daily and reap the rewards available to you in terms of health, fitness and general well being.
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