Walking is a great form of exercise with many different health benefits.
- Improve cardiovascular endurance or aerobic capacity
- Improve activity tolerance
- Improve heart health
- Help control and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Help prevent/control diabetes
- Help improve bone density
- Mood improvement and stress reducer
- Improve mental focus
Walking as a form of exercise is easy to implement. The only equipment you really need is a pair of walking shoes. You want to make sure that you have a supportive pair of walking shoes. If it has been awhile since you have purchased walking shoes, I recommend that you go out and purchase a new pair. It may be helpful to go to a specialty store have someone help fit you for an appropriate shoe.
So what should you strive for if you’re never really been active? You might have to start pretty low level and walk for five, maybe ten minutes and see how you’re doing with it. If you have been more active in doing other forms of exercise, and then strive for doing a 30 to 45-minute walk at least 2 to 3 times a week but on a daily basis is awesome. If you simply made the change of doing a 30-minute walk everyday for the next year and you didn’t change any other habits, you would burn enough extra calories to take off 18 pounds.
Get outside and go for a walk. It’s a great form of exercise with many health benefits. If you’re having any aches and pains or problems that are preventing you from walking, partner up with the physical therapist to help you get back to a walking program that works for you.
