Walking - A Very Effective Way To Improve your Health
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Walking is a low impact, low injury risk method of exercising which is a great solution for many people - at a variety of different levels of fitness and over a broad band of ages. No special equipment is needed - all you require is a pair of comfortable shoes and you’re all set. If you look at the potential health benefits of walking you might be forgiven for thinking that you were looking at an advert for some new wonder drug - but they are very real and easily obtainable with no more than a few minor changes to your daily routine.
The majority of health professionals recommend a target of 10,000 steps daily in order to obtain the numerous health benefits achievable. That’s roughly four and a half to five miles for someone with an average stride length. It does sound like quite a long way - but it’s easier to achieve than you might imagine. Bearing in mind the potential health benefits on offer, a little extra effort to fit walking into your day is well worth your while.
It’s quite likely that you will be somewhat lower than the recommended 10,000 daily steps. If you’re not certain how many steps you currently take then it might be a good idea to get hold of an Omron pedometer in order to find out what your daily average is. You can find these at fairly low prices these days - but be sure to pick one which uses a double axis sensor as these are more accurate.
Once you know what your average number of steps is each day, you should look for ways to make up any discrepancy between your daily average and the target 10,000 step value. There are numerous ways to do this - but be sensible in the beginning and take it easy - there’s absolutely no need to do everything at once.
If you can find time in your daily routine to fit in a reasonably long walk then that’s perfect. If that’s not possible for you then don’t despair - there are numerous different ways to get your step count up. Leave the car in the garage and walk to the shops, school or work. Take the stairs instead of the lift every now and again. Get off the subway one or two stops early and walk the last leg of your journey.
Use modern technology to your benefit by walking around when you’re talking on your cordless or mobile phone. You can fit in an extra 1,000 or 1,500 paces during a fifteen minute phone call. Opportunities to build walking into your daily schedule abound - and small changes soon add up.
Another way to take advantage of modern technology would be to wear a pair of the new style of exercise shoes which are specially designed to increase the amount of work your lower body muscles do whilst walking. Skechers Shape Ups, Reeboks EasyTones and Fit flops sandals are all examples of this style of fitness shoe.
If you have any medical conditions, if you haven’t taken regular exercise for a while, or if you’re over forty years old then it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor prior to embarking on any new fitness program. However, walking is a low injury risk, low impact form of exercise which will, as long as you are sensible and build up slowly, provide you with many positive health benefits. You will be feeling better, enjoying increased energy levels and losing weight before you know it - and you won’t need a pedometer or a set of scales to tell you how well you’re doing. You will be able to both see and feel the results.