Just Walk!

Are you a regular walker?

I ask this because there are so many benefits that come from a regular walking program, especially if you’re trying to drop a few pounds.

Walking is by far one of the best ways to rev up the metabolism and get your inner engine burning fat more efficiently. You will no doubt stay in better shape and burn more calories. It’s also been proven that walking lessens the chance of becoming diabetic, it lowers the body mass index and also body fat.

We’ve all heard the experts over the years recommend people walk 10,000 steps a day. Do you know how far that is? Would you believe that’s equal to around five miles. Over an entire day, we take a lot of steps, but when you tell someone that they need to walk about 5 miles every day, it really seems overwhelming. In truth though, this is absolutely needed! We as an overall population sit down more than ever before. This means that the steps we used to get just walking around at work or at home half also been cut. So walking five miles a day seems to be needed even more.

Now the average runner runs five miles in about 40-50 minutes, so you can imagine how long it would take for you to walk five miles. Again, this just seems to be so overwhelming. So this is what we need to do…

Let’s simply try to do better than we have been doing up to this point. I’d love to make you go out and walk or run five miles every single day, because your health depends on it, however, you and I both know that’s just not gonna happen, is it? So let’s start with something better than what you’ve been doing.

If you are sedentary and have not exercised or done regular activity in over one year, simply start with a brisk walking program for 20-30 minutes four times per week. You can walk 2 hours out of the 168 hours there are in an entire week. DON’T TELL ME YOU CAN’T DO THAT! If that is what you are thinking, you are simply wasting your time reading this, and I’m wasting my time writing this to you.

However if you want to make one simple step towards better health, a walking program for 30 minutes four times per week is probably second on the list behind changing your eating habits. So doing this would be a fantastic start. I highly recommend sticking with this for at least one month, then by that time it will be time to bump it up to either a walk/jog combination or to add more days to your regimen.

If you have been in a regular walking program for a while now, at least one month, it’s time to step up your game to the next level. Move your walk into a walk/jog routine. It’s amazing how much better you will feel just moving from a walking program to a walk/jogging program. Your heart and lungs feel so much more open and healthy and you feel so much better throughout the whole day. Honestly it makes all the difference in the world. AND I DON’T WANT TO HEAR “I CAN’T RUN!” If you’ve been on a regular power-walking routine for at least one month, there is no reason in the world you can give me to not give a short walk/jogging program a try. After a month of good walking, you have built up your legs and joints enough to do at least one minute of jogging every few minutes. Just do it! You’ll be fine!

There are so many benefits of walking. It’s not just to get from point A to point B! Some of the major benefits of walking are that you decrease your risk of heart attack, helps you control your cholesterol, helps manage your weight, your risk of stroke is lowered, and my favorite is that it keeps your stress levels low. Just by being outside and looking up at the blue skies alone will decrease your stress. Do this for at least 30 minutes and you feel tons of stress leaving your body, every time!

So how do you get started?

That’s easy, put on some comfortable shoes, open your door, and just start walking. Here’s another hint I have for you… Try to never look down. Look up and see what’s going on in the world.

EASY WAYS TO STEP IT UP...

Use the furthest entrance into your workplace from your parking spot or bus stop, and walk through the building to your work area.

Don't stand, pace - when waiting for the bus, waiting at an elevator, etc. pace around in circles rather than just standing.

Park in the far back of the parking lot and walk further to the door.

Get off the bus a stop or two before your usual stop and walk the rest of the way.

Circle the room when waiting for meetings to start.

Take the stairs rather than the elevator, especially for one to three floors, both up and down.

When making a phone call, stand up and pace around as you talk.

When people want to meet for lunch, suggest you walk to the restaurant or take a walk after the meal.

Walk to the TV to change channels instead of using the remote.

During TV commercials, get up and walk around the house.

When doing errands, park in a central location and walk to your store destinations.

Return the shopping cart all the way into the store after grocery shopping.

Never drive through - get out and park and walk into the bank instead.

Walk the dog much longer.

When waiting for a train, plane or bus, secure bags and walk around.

Instead of going to a matinee, visit a park or museum.

Chad Cannon is the owner of Shaping Concepts Fitness Training Center in Bluffton, SC.