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“Walking” doesn’t have to mean “walking laps around a track.” It
might mean taking a walking tour of our city, going for a
walk with a friend to talk things over for a while, walk
through our fabulous zoo, our local parks, or explore parts
of your neighborhood you’ve never seen before.
For the hard-charging fitness lovers, walking is a way to break
up intense workouts with active recovery. Getting in motion
helps your body recover by increasing blood and lymphatic
flow around muscle tissue, but a gentle movement like
walking is easy on any aching joints or pulled muscles, and
it won’t make a problem worse!
But does walking really “count” as exercise? It most definitely
does!!
Thirty minutes of walking: improves blood sugar control in
diabetics; improves blood lipids and inflammation markers in
otherwise sedentary participants. Walking also improves
chronic pain, reduces the risk of knee osteoarthritis, and
improves motor function and quality of life in multiple
sclerosis and cancer patients. Walking also has mental
health benefits – it’s not just about your body.
It’s true, walking doesn’t burn as many calories as jogging or
more intense exercise. Exercise is helpful for weight loss
because it burns calories. But, burning calories isn’t the
only reason to exercise.
What exercise does do is improve metabolic health, reduces
inflammation, keeps your brain happy, and provide other
“fringe benefits.” Walking does that just as well as any
other form of exercise.
The one thing walking won’t do is build muscle; if you want that,
you’ll have to do some strength training. But if you’re
using walking as a recovery tool, you’re probably already
doing that, and if walking is your gateway exercise, the
strength-building exercises can wait a month or two (if you
need it).
Even if you live for intense forms of exercise, don’t dismiss
walking as something you’ll do when you have grandkids and
not before. For fans of strength training and intense
cardio, walking is a very valuable recovery tool to give you
the health benefits of exercise while still giving your
joints time to recover and your muscles a rest after a hard
workout the previous day.
For exercise beginners, walking is the perfect way to start. It’s
a great way to get the benefits of exercise without running
any risk of overuse or injury, it’s available to anyone for
free, and you already know how to do it.
So if you don’t like the gym or shrink in horror at the thought
of jogging, why not just start with walking? No, it won’t
make you look like a fitness model overnight, but neither
will anything else, and walking is a whole lot better than
nothing at all!
Here are a few helpful hints that can get you moving, while
giving a better workout for your heart and muscles, plus
burn more calories:
Wear a “fitbit” or any type of fitness sensor. It’s like
having your own coach to keep you moving. Research shows
that people who wear wearable sensors walk about 2,000 more
steps per day. These sensors come programmed with a goal of
10,000 steps per day, but if you’re just starting out, it’s
unreasonable to aim for that number of steps right away.
Instead, slowly work your way up by increasing your daily
step count by 10 percent each week until you reach 10,000,
which is the number of steps recommended by the US. Surgeon
General.
When walking, roll through the ball of your foot and push
off with your toes. Get your calves and hamstrings
involved. Squeeze that booty!
Focus your eyes forward. When your head is raised, your
chest opens allowing you to take deeper breaths. Stand tall
and keep your shoulders lined up with your hips (no
slouching) and engage your core.
Pump your arms, make a loose fist and keep your upswing and
downswing above your belly button!!
Keep your strides short! Longer steps can cause your body to
bounce, causing potential joint injury!
Get a walking partner! A walking buddy provides
accountability!
Sign up for a race, or charity walk, or create a walking
group!
Are you ready to get off the couch?? Are you ready to step
off the sidelines of your life, turn the corner and enter
into a world filled with limitless possibilities? If you
answered yes, your life is about to enter a new and exciting
chapter. Get prepared to reap the benefits of walking!!
Don’t talk about walking, Do It!!!
Angela R. Steward
Owner & Head Instructor
FABULOUSLY FIT *GEM*
1855 S. Reynolds Rd., Suite C, Toledo, OH 43614
Classes: Mon 9am, Tues – Thur 6pm, Sat
9am & Sun 3pm.
Email: Fabfitu@yahoo.com
Cell: (419) 699-9399
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