Reasons You Should Include Walking Into Your Daily Schedule
Increasing numbers of people are starting to realise what a great way to take exercise walking is. It’s an enjoyable, low impact, low injury risk exercise with the possibility for the introduction of a social element as well. It’s the ideal exercise for anyone who is new to exercise or who hasn’t taken regular exercise for a while.
It doesn’t require any special training or equipment and you can do it wherever and whenever you like. It’s also a very cost effective way to exercise. There are no costly gym membership fees to pay, so getting in shape won’t cost you a fortune.
As with any form of exercise or physical activity, you will burn extra calories when you are actually walking. However, the really good news is that you will also increase you metabolic rate. What this means is that you will use up calories more rapidly during the course of the day – whatever you’re doing. If you’re surfing the internet, reading the newspaper, watching your favorite TV show – even if you’re sleeping – you will burn calories more quickly.
Regular walking activity offers many health benefits over and above weight loss. Walking will lower the probability of heart disease and stroke. It can be an effective way to lower blood pressure, it can strengthen your lungs and it is even effective against anxiety and depression. The probability of contracting certain forms of cancer can also be reduced by walking on a regular basis. Walking will give you more energy and help you to sleep better at night. The full list of health benefits is too long to include in full. The list of benefits available from walking reads like an advert for some new miracle drug.
One good way to make sure your walking sessions are fun is to make it a social event. Instead of sitting in front of your computer, why not go for a walk with some colleagues during your lunch hour – or you walk around the local park, or even just your neighbourhood, with family and friends in the evening after work. If you like, you can just take your dog.
When you’re listening to your favorite tunes, the miles and the time will simply fly by. An mp3 player is a good investment if you don’t already own one. Be careful not to turn the volume up too high and pay attention to traffic, especially if you’re in a busy location.
There have been a number of advances in fitness footwear technology recently. You can now choose from a wide selection of “toning” shoes such as Fit flops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups shoes, Masai Barefoot Technology shoes and Reebok Easy Tones exercise shoes. These all claim to increase the amount of work done by the muscles in your legs and butt and increase the efficiency of your walking workout. They generally have special soles which either replicate the effect of walking on soft sand or produce an element of imbalance which forces your lower body muscles to work harder.
If you have a job keeping your motivation up, then you might think about getting hold of a pedometer. An Omron pedometer is accurate to within 5% and will display your progress in terms of steps taken, calories used or distance covered. Health and fitness professionals seem to be in general agreement that if you can walk for 10,000 steps on a daily basis, you will unlock a number of different significant health benefits – including, but certainly not limited to, weight loss. Carry your pedometer with you throughout the day and you will soon be actively looking for ways to boost your daily step count.