Thursday 19 July 2012

Walking For Exercise…how to get started




We use walking every day for our basic movements. We can gain health benefits from walking if we walk up to the recommended 10,000 steps and above each day for exercise. This requires discipline and planning. Follow the tips below to start walking for exercise.

Set reasonable progress expectations

Start your walking exercise slow, aiming for shorter distances. You can increase the distance and intensity as you progress and as your fitness level increases. Writing down your goals and success may serve as motivation to help you achieve your aim and monitor your success.

Find a good location to walk

The best places to walk should have a minimal traffic aside having a flat terrain and smooth surface. You can start within your neighborhood but if it is not convenient you may look for another location. You can use the high school nearest to you, go to sports centers and the beach. If you prefer indoors you can use exercise equipment like a treadmill set to a slow speed to walk.

Set a reasonable time

Deciding on how many minutes you walk will help you keep your focus. Don’t bother about how short the time and distance is at first because they will definitely increase as you gain fitness and your motivation increases. Do not break, keep moving until you reach your set time.

Walking is fun

You can make walking fun by listening to music while you walk. Listen to music that motivates you. Walking should be a way to have fun and unwind. However be careful not to get carried away and lose focus.

Increase your time, speed and intensity

After walking for some time now, it is time for you to increase your walking time, speed, distance and intensity for a greater achievement. Your fitness and stamina levels must have increased by now and you expect to be going higher. It is noteworthy that at times you cannot meet up to what you did the previous day, so do not lose sleep over it. Set the goal and keep to it and you will be surprised how fast you will reach your goal. After reaching your first set time, keep increasing your time slowly. Keep alternating between low and high speed, reducing your rest period for higher and better achievement. Remember you must exercise patience.

Your mental attitude matters

Walking is a mild exercise that does not require vigorous physical exertion. This means that you will likely be cable physically to walk for long hours without tiring out, because you will not get the same fatigue that results from a more vigorous exercise. Therefore don’t expect to get a quick result from walking. You should develop the slow and steady wins the race mental attitude.





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