How To Walk More & Increase Overall Fitness
Sometimes we all have to trick ourselves a little bit to get what we want, like less weight, lower blood pressure, and better overall health. Since walking is one of the recommended ways to make so many of those health goals work, a few tricks might be in order to make sure we stay with it.
Up your quota of walking destinations.
If you really think about it, there are probably quite a few errands that can be done on foot. Hide your car keys and walk to the gym, the druggist, or the park. Or walk over to the office down the hall instead of emailing. And then add a few more weekend walking efforts like flea markets, open houses, art or car shows.
Create some new buddy talking time.
When you and your friends all feel maxed out with the usual work and family schedules, reserving walk time together will give you a little extra time to talk too. Plus, someone in the group will take the lead and be certain to remind the others to be there.
Discover the fun of walking with your child.
Negotiating traffic and yelling instructions as you drive really can’t be considered quality time. But with a little planning, a walk could be a time to go slower and leave all of those schedules behind, as you collect leaves, trade confidences, and really hear what your child is saying, or not saying, about his world, his fears, his thoughts.
Feeling drowsy in the morning or wound up at night?
Find out how a short walk before the work or home routine starts, can wake you and your attitude up. At night, find out how a walk after work can help you wind down and sleep better.
Find out why dog walkers go further.
Current reports say a good walking goal is 25 minutes daily. Researchers at Michigan State University say dog walkers are 34 percent more likely to hit that target. They also said their research showed that having a dog increases the owner’s chances of being involved in additional physical activities.
If you have friends with dogs, or your dog is already a certified member of the family, then you probably already know that dog owners tend to know more people on the block. For older members of the community it can be a way to get out of the house every day and log in more outdoor time to up their Vitamin D sunlight exposure.
Whatever tricks you use to keep on walking, your body and your health will thank you.