Is Walking The Best Kind Of Exercise You Can Do?

Walking may truly be the perfect exercise

Walking may truly be the perfect exercise. This activity is easy to do, has a very low impact on the body, provides a great overall workout, and even has many benefits for your heart. Best of all, walking does not cost any money, it does not require a high degree of skill or training, and it does not require any expensive equipment. You just need some comfortable footwear and then you can be out of the door and exercising in minutes!

There are a lot of benefits to be had from walking. It can increase your lung capacity, strengthen your heart, relax your muscles which are tight from stress, improve your stamina, help you shed some extra pounds, and it can be done by people of all ages. If this is not reason enough to lace up those sneakers and hit the road, consider this: physicians credit walking with having the ability to lower blood pressure, lower bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, raise good (HDL) cholesterol levels, lower the risk of developing type two diabetes, and even build bone strength.

If you want to get the most benefit out of walking then here are some tips to help you out. The most important consideration is your footwear, they should be comfortable, provide some cushioning to keep your walk as low impact as possible, and fit correctly. It is a good idea to wear loose fitting clothing too, so you can move easily and it allows air to circulate. By dressing in multiple layers of clothing then you can better regulate your temperature. That means when you start off your are warm from what you are wearing, and then as your body heats up from walking then you can take layers off to make sure you are not too warm.

Just as with other forms of exercise, it is a good idea to stretch prior to beginning your walk. Take about five or ten minutes to warm up your muscles, stretch, and walk slowly in place. This will help to reduce the amount of stress your muscles are placed under, which will reduce the risk of pulls, strains, and even cramps. Once you have completed these steps you are now ready to start walking. Take your time and start off slowly; it is not a race and maintaining proper posture and movement is important. When you have completed your walk, finish with some gentle stretches and a few minutes of walking slowly in place.

As you progress in your workouts, gradually increase your pace, but monitor your heart rate regularly so you don't push yourself too hard. It is recommended that beginners undertake a short, fifteen minute walk about two times per week. Gradually increase that to 30 minutes of walking per session, and start to increase the frequency until you can do it about 5 times per week. I know that sounds like a lot, but once you start to get fitter then you will really start to enjoy your walks as they make you feel good and allow you to get some fresh air.

Don't let winter mess up your progress, often people will just stop when it starts to get cold, but if you are getting good results then it might be time to buy a treadmill so you can go for a walk no matter what the weather is like. Using a treadmill will also help to keep you safe when it starts getting dark early, walking in the dark by yourself is not a good idea. I don't think using a treadmill is anywhere near as enjoyable as actually getting out into the fresh air, but if it is the difference between that and not doing any walking then I will do it.

by: Katie Weston

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