Walking is a popular way of maintaining weight, getting fit, and staying in shape, and that’s great news. Why? Because you've had plenty of practice. These suggestions from Sears Imported Autos will help you establish an exercise walking routine:
- Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat. It’s that simple. There are ways to make your walks more effective, but the essence of establishing any exercise routine is doing it. So do it.
- Wear comfortable shoes designed for walking or running. Walking long distances at an enhanced pace without proper footwear will result in foot injuries. It will be ironic when you are unable to walk at all because you decided to walk for exercise in high heels.
- Keep your walking shoes and workout clothes in the car. Take advantage of a 45-minute break by walking off the waffles you ate for breakfast.
- Set a goal. Walk with a purpose. Are you overcoming an injury? Trying to simply keep up an active lifestyle? Are you depressed (walking helps overcome anxiety and depression)? Perhaps you need to quit smoking? Maybe you just want to check out hotties on the track while getting in shape? Setting a goal will improve performance.
- Amplify your workout by walking with a pedometer. A pedometer allows you to count the number of steps you take while exercising or while carrying out daily tasks. Pedometers track progress and provide accountability. Pedometers, in addition to measuring steps, can track heart rate, pace, calories burned, and the time of day. Some models have panic buttons for emergency situations.
- Walk with a pedometer. According to an MSNBC study, individuals who walk at least 10,000 steps per day enjoy greater emotional health and increased energy level and weight loss. The same study reports that individuals with pedometers increased their walking by 23 percent over those without pedometers.
- Schedule a time. It doesn’t matter what time of day you walk (unless you live on the Equator, in which case, morning or night is recommended). The more consistent the time, however, the more likely you will follow through on your exercise goals.
- Plan a walking route. It doesn’t matter where you walk (unless of course your path crosses a war zone, tiger infested jungles, or a garbage dump). It does, however, matter that you have a pre-planned course.
- Plan another walking route. Walking the same path every day gets old and your body will learn to adapt. Be sure to challenge yourself with new routes, preferably ones that don’t involve dodging bullets or scampering from rats.
- Walk with a friend. People quit on themselves all the time. It's easy. It's considerably more difficult to quit on a friend though. By finding a walking buddy, you have someone other than yourself to be accountable to and to celebrate reaching your goals together.
