Walking Is A Great Way To Lose Weight
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise that you can take part in, and it’s an activity which the majority of us do on a daily basis anyway. It needs no special equipment, there are no expensive monthly gym fees to pay and you can work it into your daily schedule whenever it’s good for you. If you look at the potential health benefits of walking you might be forgiven for thinking that you were looking at an advert for some new wonder drug – but they are very real and easily obtainable with no more than a few minor changes to your daily routine.
Most health professionals suggest that a target of 10,000 steps a day is desirable in order to obtain the numerous health benefits available. For most people that will be equivalent to a distance of a little under 5 miles. It does sound like quite a long way – but it’s easier to achieve than you might imagine. Bearing in mind the potential health benefits on offer, finding a way to fit walking into your day is well worth the effort.
It’s quite likely that you may be some way under the recommended 10,000 step level. If you’re not sure how many steps you currently take then it might be a good idea to get hold of an Omron pedometer in order to find out what your daily average is. You can find these at fairly low prices these days – but be sure to pick one which uses a double axis sensor as these are more accurate.
Once you know what your average number of steps is each day, you should look for opportunities to make up any discrepancy between your daily average and the recommended 10,000 step value. There are any number of ways to do this – just be sensible and start off slowly, there’s no need to do it all at once.
If you can find time in your daily routine to fit in a reasonably long walk then that’s perfect. If that’s not feasible for you then don’t worry – there are plenty of other ways to increase your step count. Leave the car at home and walk to school, the shops or work. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Get off the bus a couple of stops before your final destination and finish your journey on foot.
Take full advantage of modern technology and pace around when you’re on a mobile phone call. You can fit in an extra 1,000 or 1,500 paces during a fifteen minute phone call. There are any number of opportunities to build walking into your daily schedule – and they soon add up.
Another way to take advantage of modern technology would be to wear a pair of the new style of exercise shoes which are specially designed to increase the amount of work your lower body muscles do whilst walking. Skechers Shape Ups, Reeboks EasyTones and Fit Flops sandals are all examples of this style of exerciseshoe.
If you haven’t exercised for a while, if you are over forty years of age, or if you have any pre-existing medical conditions then you should talk to your doctor before starting any new fitness regime. However, considering that walking is a low impact workout which carries a very low injury risk, it should provide you with many health benefits. You will be feeling better, enjoying increased energy levels and losing weight before you know it – and you won’t need a pedometer or a set of scales to tell you how well you’re doing. You will not only see the results but you will feel them as well.