Tips to Walk Your Way Fit
By Sara Butler
If you’re looking for a great way to get in shape and you’re new to fitness, then look no further than good, old-fashioned walking! It’s easy to do and aside from a proper pair of walking shoes, you don’t need any special equipment to do it. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a few tips in your walking arsenal to help you get started and see results. Here are a few of our favorite tips!
Write It Down
When you start a new fitness regimen, it’s often helpful to write down why you’re starting in order to stay on track. You will be tempted from time to time to skip a workout, but if you have your goals written down it’s a lot easier to remind yourself why the workout is important and keep on track. Your written goals and the reasons behind them will help to serve as motivation in times you don’t feel like getting moving.
Understand the Benefits
If you know all the health benefits of walking, then it can help to keep you going! Walking benefits your heart, your muscles, your bones, and your joints. It also can help to increase your lifespan, helping you to possibly live longer and healthier.
Walking can also help to improve your self-esteem, helping you to feel better about the way you look and the way you feel. It’s a win-win!
Set a Goal
Any walking you do during the week is a great thing, but how often and how long you walk for has a big impact on how much you get out of it. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends you walk for at least 150 minutes each week at a moderate activity level.
So, you should set a weekly goal and try your best to stick to it. As you see your fitness improve, adjust your goal according and challenge yourself a bit, adding more time gradually.
Break It Up
How you get your walking workout in is up to you. You can do on a daily walk or go for a longer walk four or so days a week. If you want to, you can even go on several shorts walks a day. Whatever works best for you as long as you log the time.
Challenge Yourself
A walk should make you feel as if you’re being challenged. The pace you walk at should be at an appropriate level for your fitness, the terrain, your age, and your weight. No matter how fast you go make sure to move at a pace that gets your heart pumping. You can hold a conversation but not moving so slow that you can sing a song. Feeling warm is a good indication that your heart rate is elevated and you’re moving at a good pace.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Albuquerque, N.M.