Walking Your way To Good Health

Walking has long been considered to be one of the more beneficial things we can do to extend our lives and health. With a form of exercise as easy as walking, you would think that more people would join in. While certainly more people are walking on the whole, a great many people that could be are not. Why is this? Most of the time, it is simply because they do not have a plan. This article will lay out a plan that most anyone can do, and show you how to get the most bang for your walk.

As with any walking or exercise regimen, it is important to first consult with your doctor and make sure you are healthy enough. Please check with your doctor before attempting this walking regimen.

The first thing you should do is to gauge your current walking ability. That is, how far can you walk without stopping? How fast can you walk without becoming winded? These are important factors in figuring out an effective walking regimen. Consider your initial walk to be a baseline for your plan.

Head out to a measurable walking area such as a track, and walk as far as you can at regular speed. Make sure you warm up first by stretching and loosening up the muscles. At regular speed, walk for as far as you can. When you do get tired or winded, then you should mark down the distance that this occurs. On a separate occasion, go out and test your walking speed. A good distance is to walk a mile, and do it at a good clip. Time yourself for this walk.

Now that you have a couple of baselines, you are able to set up a walking regimen that can work for you. A good start up regimen with walking is to walk about four times per week. If you walk effectively, and get your heart rate moving, then four times per week is a great start. Two of these walks should be quick walking, and two should be more distance oriented. Take your baseline speed number, that is how long you can walk quickly, and add a couple of minutes each time you walk. As for distance, you should walk an extra tenth of a mile, each time that you walk.

It is important to schedule this walking regimen and that you do not depend on just “finding the time” to walk. If you do the latter, you will quickly see that the time does not materialize out of the air. You have to plan for it.

Another key to success is to make sure that you bring along plenty of water, and that you do not walk during the heat of the day. Walk early in the morning or in the evenings. The last thing you want is to give yourself a heat stroke while trying to improve your health. Get yourself a mile counter, as well as a pulse monitor. These are highly effective at monitoring what you have done, and will help you stay focused on the goal.

There will come days when you are unable to keep your schedule. It is important during those times to try to find the walking throughout the day. Instead of taking elevators, take the stairs. Instead of riding to the diner from work for lunch, walk the two or three blocks. There are plenty of opportunities to walk if you seek them out. Give yourself as steady of a regimen as possible as your body will get used to it.

Once you are in a walking regimen, then you should constantly be challenging your best. You can always up your goals if you find yourself walking faster and farther. Do not try to overdo it in the beginning, however, or you could injure yourself.