Walking for Fitness Tips

13 Tips for fitness walking

1. As you walk allow your arms to swing naturally.

2. Be sure to breath deeply from time to time to avoid getting into the habit of shallow breathing. You can do this by consciously expanding your belly as you breath in.

3. When you first begin walking; stick to the flats until you are comfortably walking for 30 minutes.

4. After you become accustomed to walking and are looking for ways to increase your workout intensity you can do this by adding intervals and extending your time walking on the weekends.

You can also increase the intensity of your walk workout if you swing your arms more vigorously or carry weights.

5. Another way to increase intensity is to put hills into your walking route. 

Pick different routes and vary the intensity, length, and duration of your walks.

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6. Warmup before a walk and cool down after. Be sure to include time for stretching.

7. Take water if you will be gone for awhile.

**WARNING** Although it is recommended you drink well when you exercise you may not want to start supplementing your 30 minute walk using a sports drink like Gatorade.

A bottle of Gatorade Performance Series has 310 calories in it and your caloric expenditure will only be around 150 – 200 calories.

This means you could potentially GAIN weight.

A sports drink is only useful or necessary if you are sweating enough to need to replenish your electrolytes.

8. Pop in your ear buds and listen to music or what I really enjoy is listening to books. Nothing like a riveting mystery to get your feet moving. As a walking safety tip please keep the volume set so you can hear what is going on around you.

9. Keep track of your progress. You don’t need a fancy journal but by being able to actually see that you’re improving will be greatly motivating.

10.By scheduling your walks you are more likely to do them. After awhile you will have formed the habit and be lacing up and out the door without having to think about it.

11. Another walking safety tip; be wary of the dark. Early mornings and late evenings can be difficult for drivers to see you on the road so wear bright, reflective clothing. It’s a good idea to have a flashlight to light your path so you don’t step onto or in something that could trip over.

12. Wear a hat in the cooler weather and a sweatband in the warmer weather.

13. Walking isn’t just for beginners either, its a great way for everybody to slip in a few minutes of added calorie burning time.

Anytime, anyplace.