Walking for Exercise
and Anti-aging Fitness
I’ve devoted an entire page to walking because walking for exercise is probably the best and easiest way to get fit. There are articles written in health magazines every month telling us how great walking is. It’s easy on the joints. There’s no pounding like jogging gives us. No expensive equipment is required. And anyone can do it. Here are some anti-aging walking tips.
- Wear good shoes. Make sure that your shoes have good arch support. If you aren’t sure, stop by an athletic shop or gym and ask. Having proper shoes will protect your knees, back and joints.
- Stand up tall when you walk. Don’t slouch. Keep your head up and stride with purpose. Start out slowly and increase speed.
- Use an iPod or MP3 player to pace yourself. Put a slower song on first for a warm up. Then add several faster songs. How many is up to you. I put on several then finish with a slower song for the cool down. If you walk to the music, you’ll automatically speed up for your workout and slow down for your cool down. When the music is finished – so are you.
- Stretch when you’ve finished walking. Stretch your calves and hamstring muscles. Stretch your thigh muscles. This is important to keep your leg muscles flexible. And an all overstretch will feel great!
- Start slowly. If you’re not in great shape, plan to walk for only a few minutes. Then, each day or every few days add another minute or two and pick up the pace. Soon, you’ll be walking several miles and easily walking for 30 minutes.
- Do you work outside the home? Take your shoes with you and walk during your lunch hour. Don’t forget your socks. If there is a park or rural area nearby, it’s a great way to get some fresh air and vitamin D as well as relieve stress. Studies have shown that walking in an area with trees improves a person’s sense of well-being.
- Don’t have time to walk for 30 minutes? Then try to squeeze in as much walking throughout the day as possible. Sometimes I purposely park at the end of the parking lot and walk (quickly) to the store or office. It’s not much, but every little bit helps.
- Keep a record of your walking. Write down the days you walk and how long. If you know how far, that’s good too. Get a pedometer that counts steps and keep track of that instead of miles. Try to walk at least 10,000 steps in a day.
I hope that these tips will help you to join the many people who use walking for exercise. Just remember, this is not a stroll. It's fitness walking. Visit the
Fitness Walking Guide
for more in depth information. (Will open in a new window.) Make walking a part of your anti-aging program.
Return from Walking for Exercise to Exercise Advice
Return from Walking for Exercise to Effective Antiaging Tips (Home)
|
