subject: How To Fit A Walking Workout Into Your Busy Daily Schedule [print this page] A walking workout is a fantastic way to exercise. Walking is something that the majority of us do - to a greater or lesser degree - on a daily basis. Apart from a comfortable pair of shoes, no special equipment is required - and you can slot it into your day whenever it's most convenient for you. There are no monthly gym membership fees to be paid - so it's also a very cost effective form of exercise.
There are so many health benefits associated with walking that it's almost difficult to credit that these are available from a low impact, low injury risk exercise format. Consistency is the key thing - low level exercise, performed on a frequent and consistent basis, is considerably better for you than intermittent bouts of intense physical activity.
Walking for half an hour each day, three or four times a week, on a regular basis, will soon produce results that you can see and feel. 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 numerous opportunities to walk a little more each day. If your schedule allows you to fit in a half hour, or even an hour, of walking daily then that's good. If that's not practical for you then there's no need to despair - there are many ways to ramp up your daily number of steps taken.
Leaving the car in the garage and walking to work or school is sound advice. However, if the distance involved is too great then just take the car as normal - 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.
During your lunch break, take a ten or fifteen minute walk around the block. It'll be better for you than munching a sandwich in front of your computer (you'll have more energy and be more mentally alert in the afternoon as well). Take full advantage of modern technology and pace about while you're talking on your mobile or cordless phone. During a single fifteen minute telephone conversation you can squeeze in an extra 1,000 steps. That's the type of multi-tasking that is genuinely beneficial to you!
If most of your walking activity is fitted into your daily schedule in a piecemeal manner, then you may want to think about getting yourself a pedometer - these are available starting at less than $10 these days. You can carry one of these in your pocket or attach it to your belt. It will allow you to monitor your progress in terms of the number of steps taken, the distance covered or the number of calories burned. Monitoring your progress in this manner might help to keep you motivated and will encourage you to look for other ways to include walking as part of your daily routine.
