What Benefits Can A Walking Workout Deliver?

It would be very easy to discount walking as a way of taking exercise. After all, it’s a low intensity, low impact, low injury risk method of working out. You don’t need any special equipment or training. It’s something that you already know how to do – you probably do it every day, to some extent at least.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to let familiarity breed contempt in this case. There’s no need to start out on an exercise program suited to an Olympic athlete in order to achieve some very important health benefits. The list of benefits which this simple exercise can provide is lengthy – and it includes weight loss, an important consideration for many people.

Walking can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It can lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. Because it is a weight bearing exercise, it can build muscle and increase bone density. It can help to increase the operating efficiency of the heart and lungs. Regular walking can also help to reduce the risk of contracting certain types of cancer. It can also help to fight anxiety and combat depression. Recent studies in the UK suggest that walking as little as eight miles a week can help to combat Alzheimer’s disease. As previously mentioned, it can help you to shed a few pounds, get in better shape and feel a whole lot better in general.

That’s a long and impressive list of benefits. It reads more like a publicity campaign for a health supplement or new wonder drug rather than a description of a mundane daily activity! There’s no need to get into a “no pain, no gain” mindset – or to “go for the burn”. The most important thing is that you only need to do a little more walking than normal – but you need to do this on a consistent and regular basis in order to lose weight and get the health benefits previously mentioned.

There are many opportunities that you can take to walk more. You can fit it into your schedule at a time to suit you. Leave your car at home and walk to work or the shops is a commonly proffered piece of advice. However, if that isn’t workable for you then use your car anyway but park it in a remote corner of the parking lot so that you have to walk further in order to reach the entrance. If you travel by bus or subway, then get off a couple of stops early and finish your journey on foot. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Go for a short walk at lunchtime rather than sitting in front of your computer. You can even walk around when you’re talking on your mobile. There are numerous opportunities to walk a little further each day.

If you are fitting walking into your daily schedule in short bursts, as described above, it can be hard to keep track of your progress. You may find that a pedometer is a good idea. It will let you keep tabs on your results in terms of the distance walked, the number of steps taken or the number of calories burned. This is a good method to keep your motivational level high.

An mp3 player might be something that you would find useful. Listening to your favorite music as you walk along will help the time and the miles to pass that much more quickly.

Toning shoes are a recent development in the fitness footwear market, and you may be able to benefit from this. Brands such as Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Fit Flops sandals and Reebok Easy Tones all incorporate special soles which raise the level of work that your lower body muscles perform whilst walking. This can help you tone and trim your lower body – just by walking.

So, if you want to lose some weight, then walking to lose weight is an excellent solution. It will also provide you with numerous other health benefits – many of which are even more important than losing weight.