Enjoy Better Health by Walking

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email this article to a friend

Walking is considered a low impact form of aerobic exercise with numerous health benefits. It is the body’s most natural exercise and one that most anyone can do and build upon. Here are some ideas for getting started and some benefits of walking:

Benefits of walking

Walking can help you:

• Lower bad cholesterol
• Raise good cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Trim your weight
• Manage type 2 diabetes
• Raise you mood level
• Increase fitness and strength

Make some Preparation before you walk

Select a good pair of walking shoes and wear the proper clothing

When you go to buy shoes make sure they are designed for walking. Comfortable well fitting shoes will make walking so much more comfortable. Also wear loose fitting clothes that match the weather conditions; layers if cold which can be adjusted as the body temperature rises. Wear clothing that allows perspiration to escape. Avoid dark colors in the evening or at dark; wear clothing that that can easily be seen by motorists.

Warm-up

Take a few minutes of slow walking in order give muscles a chance to warm up before they are stressed.

Stretching

once your muscles are warmed up spend a few minutes stretching them. Include hamstring stretch, the calf stretch, quadriceps stretch,  and side stretch.

Spend a few minutes slow walking to Cool down after walking

This reduces the stress on  your  heart  and  also  allows  your  muscles  to begin  to relax. It is also good to repeat some stretching exercises.

How to start your walking routine

• Start out slowly. Set a pace that is comfortable for you and one that does not over tax your heart. Walk only 5 to 10 minutes to begin a couple or three times a week and build up slowly to 30 minutes 5 days a week.
• Stand straight, keeping a good posture and try to relax your upper body as you walk.
• Monitor your heart rate as you walk. The best way to do this is to invest in an inexpensive electronic heart rate device. Adjust your walking speed to keep within your target heart rate zone.

Set your goal to reach a certain level

Any amount of walking has health benefits but to reach maximum benefits you need to reach from 30 to 60 minutes per day about 5 days per week, walking within your heart rate target zone.

Set your goals low to begin with so you will not become discouraged and quit. You are your own boss here so do what feels comfortable. You may want to start just walking 10 minutes when you can fit into your schedule and then increase a little as you go along. There is no need to try to reach the maximum all at once; just take your time.

It may help you to keep a written record on how long you walked and how far each day so you will have something to compare your progress with down the road. Some have started only able to walk a few minutes and have built up to an hour a day over time. Also if you feel that you need to stop and rest from time to time do it. You can use a device called a pedometer to measure the time and distance for you.

You will discover when you start a walking routine that there is always a temptation not to continue but don’t let this stop you…count the benefits. Remember it takes on the average 21 days to form a habit and after that it becomes a routine.

It is always great to have a walking partner. This will help you to stay motivated and also make it more fun. Walk somewhere where it is safe as well as interesting. You may also take different routes or different places for your walks to keep it from getting boring.

If things happen to keep you from your normal walking schedule as they surly will, don’t let it discourage. It is quire alright to miss days occasionally and if necessary just wait and get started again when you can. The idea is not to be hard on yourself; after all you are the one in charge here.

Once you get past the difficulties of starting something new that takes up some of your time, you will be very happy you did. Someone told of a funny cartoon they had seen: A doctor was talking to an overweight patient and telling him he needed to start a walking routine. The patient replied that it would be great but he didn’t have the time. The doctor replied, if you don’t have time to walk 30 minutes a day, do you have time to be dead 24 hours a day? We can make time for the things that are important to our health. I would advice though that you consult your doctor before you start your walking to get his advice.


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Jimmie Burroughs is the author of JimmieBurroughs.com ; get more tips on personal development: www.JimmieBurroughs.com

JimmieBurroughs.com is founded and maintained by Jimmie Burroughs Nashville, Tennessee. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2011 Jimmie Burroughs. All rights reserved