Walking is a fun and easy way to keep fit – most anyone can do it! And it’s an activity you can do wherever your travels take you. Even at a moderate pace of three miles per hour (for at least 30 minutes on most days), walking will strengthen the heart, improve circulation, combat depression, boost the immune system, improve sleep, prevent osteoporosis, prevent and control diabetes, and help control weight.
Walking provides less impact to the joints than running, which makes it a great activity for a new exerciser or an injured one. And you burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as running a mile – it just takes you longer to walk it!
Here are some ideas to make your walking workout more of a challenge:
1. Change the surface. Walking on sand or soft grass can make your workout a little harder as the muscles are challenged and used in a different way.
2. Walk faster. Walking too slow won’t get your heart rate up. Picking up the pace increases the intensity of the walk.
3. Try interval training. Add short bursts of speed or an occasional steep hill or a staircase to your walking workout. This increases the intensity and your calories burned.
4. Use your arms. Swing your arms to keep the intensity up. Holding light weights as you walk is not a good idea but you can consider wearing a weighted vest. This keeps the weight closer to your centre of gravity, and avoids joint overuse injuries created by swinging weights. You can also involve the arms and upper body more by using walking poles, like Nordic Walkers do, to benefit the upper body and increase your calorie burning.
5. Cross train. Try other activities to involve other muscles, keep your body challenged, and alleviate boredom. Hiking, step aerobics, bicycling, skiing, are just some of many ideas.
Your footwear should be suited for walking to lower injury risk and ensure you’re getting all the benefits of the activity. Shop for a walking shoe you can easily bend and twist at mid foot. With each walking step, the foot should be allowed to flex as you roll from heel to toe. Walkers have more impact at the heel, so the shoe should have more shock absorbency in that area.
Running shoes are not designed for walking. The bulkier bottom of the running shoe is designed to absorb higher impact than walking. When walking, there is less clearance of the foot from the ground, so the thicker bottom of a running shoe may drag causing you to stumble at faster walking speeds.
Avoid wearing your hiking boots for long-distance walking. Boots offer necessary support for the hiking trail, but they do not provide forward motion features and lack the lightness and flexibility needed for street use.
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Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publication and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics.