Walking is a fantastic way to take exercise – and it’s a form of exercise which most people can take part in and enjoy. There’s no requirement for any special equipment, it costs practically nothing and you can slot it into your daily routine whenever it’s most convenient for you. The health benefits to be obtained from walking read like an advert for the latest miracle drug – and you can get them with fairly minimal effort.
Many health and medical advisers suggest that 10,000 steps a day are all that is required in order to obtain the significant health benefits on offer. That’s approximately four and a half to five miles for the average person. It sounds like a fair old distance – but it’s very much easier to achieve than you would think. Bearing in mind all the potential health benefits, it’s worthwhile making the effort to walk just a little further each day.
We do live in an increasingly sedentary society – so it’s quite probable that you take fewer than the recommended 10,000 steps a day. A good first step – if you’ll pardon the pun – might be to get yourself a pedometer so that you will know how many steps you take in the average day. You can find these at fairly low prices these days – but do be sure to get one with a double axis sensor as this will provide you with a more accurate reading.
Once you’ve established exactly how many steps you average per day, you should look for ways to make up any difference between your daily average and the 10,000 step target. There are many different ways to do this – but be sensible and build up gradually – don’t try to do everything all at once.
If you can set aside time each day for a dedicated walk then that’s great. However, if that’s not a practical proposition for you then there are plenty of ways to fit walking into your day. Go for a ten or fifteen minute walk during your lunch break. Leave the car at home and walk to work, or get off the bus a couple of stops early and complete your journey on foot.
Make modern technology work in your favor by walking around whilst you talk on your cordless or mobile phone. You can squeeze in an extra 1500 steps during a fifteen minute telephone call. Opportunities for fitting walking into your day are plentiful – and they soon add up.
If you’re over forty, if you have any medical conditions, or if you just haven’t exercised for some time, then it would be a good idea to seek the opinion and advice of your doctor before you start any new fitness regime. However, walking is a low impact, low injury risk workout which will, as long as you exercise a little common sense, deliver significant health benefits. Before you know it, you will be feeling better, enjoying higher energy levels and shedding pounds.
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