The many advantages of walking as a way to take exercise are being recognised by more and more people. It’s a low impact, low injury risk workout that you already know how to do – in fact you do it every day without thinking about it. You don’t need any special equipment and you can do it wherever and whenever it suits you. Walk in the street, in the park, on a treadmill – slot it into your schedule whenever it suits you best. It’s also an exercise which is suited to a wide range of people – that’s probably why it has such a low drop out rate.
If you’re trying to lose weight then walking is ideal. Keeping an eye on the amount of calories that you take on board is great – but dieting alone is not a very efficient way to shed the pounds. The combination of dieting with regular exercise will give you much better results. First of all, you will burn calories whilst you exercise – and that’s good. But secondly, regular exercise will actually raise your metabolic rate – the rate at which you burn calories. Even when you’re not exercising the rate at which you burn calories will be higher and this will help to deliver good weight loss results for you.
The benefits to be had from walking are numerous. It can increase your lung capacity, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke and also help to lower your blood pressure level. It can lower bad cholesterol levels whilst raising good cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of developing two types of diabetes and even reduce the risk of developing certain forms of cancer. It will help you to sleep better at night and is effective in combating anxiety and depression. It will give you more energy and you will feel less fatigued throughout the day.
That’s got to be enough motivation for you to consider including walking in your exercise program. As mentioned previously, you don’t need any special equipment. A good pair of comfortable shoes is all you need to get started.
If you want to monitor your progress, a pedometer is a useful device. It will monitor your progress and display your results in terms of distance covered, number of steps take or calories burned – whatever is most interesting for you and keeps your motivation up. An mp3 player might be another good investment if you don’t already have one. The mile will pass more quickly if you’re listening to your favourite tunes as you stride along. However, neither of these are strictly necessary to get started. Just make sure your shoes fit well and don’t give you blisters and you’ll be all set.
Before you embark on a walking exercise regime – or any exercise programme for that matter – it’s a good idea to seek your doctor’s opinion, especially if you haven’t exercised for a while or have any medical conditions. Walking is certainly a low impact, low injury risk mode of exercising – but it’s still exercise and a few stretches before you begin – and again when you’re finished – will help to make sure that you avoid any strains or sprains and get the most out of your exercise routine.
Discover how Fitflops exercise shoes can increase the effectiveness of your walking workout. They are specially engineered to increase the amount of work done by the lower body muscles when walking. Both women’s and men’s Fitflops are available in a wide range of colors and styles.