Heart Health- The Benefits of Walking

While the combination of diet and exercise is important to maintain a healthy body, it is exercise that is the driving force towards fitness- because it tends to promote and elevate an individual’s overall sense of well-being.

Why Walk?

Walking is gentle, low-impact and can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. Walking is one of your body’s most natural forms of exercise. It’s safe, simple, doesn’t require practice, and the health benefits are many.

Health Benefits

Walking not only reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, substantially reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, makes managing your weight a lot easier, strengthens muscles, bones, and joints and improves sleep, it also stimulates the release of endorphins which exhilarate the mind and help bring you into a balanced state.

Walking has been found to have a higher compliance rate (i.e. number of people who stick with this form of exercise) than other physical activities because it can be easily incorporated into a busy time schedule, does not require any special skills, equipment (other than a good pair of athletic shoes) or facility, is companionable, and can be undertaken by individuals of all age groups.

Walking Accessories

• Shoes: Wear comfortable athletic shoes with a lot of support, including proper arch support, a firm heel, and thick, flexible soles that will cushion your feet and absorb shock. If you walk frequently, you may need to buy new shoes often. 
• Clothing: Your walking clothing should be lightweight and breathable. Also wear clothes that will keep you dry and comfortable. Look for synthetic fabrics that absorb sweat and remove it from your skin.
• Pedometer:  A pedometer is an instrument that measures exactly how far you’ve walked. You simply measure your stride, program the pedometer, and clip it to your belt.

Getting Ready to Walk

Here are some tips on how to start.

Warm-Up before Walking: Warm-up helps the muscles and makes them more flexible, which will make you less prone to injury.

Begin Slowly: Whatever fitness program you are involved in, it is important to start off slowly. If you begin too intensely, you are putting yourself at risk for a variety of different injuries. Begin with a short, ten-minute walk around the block. Keep a slow to moderate pace. Do this three to five times a week.

Focus on Posture: Posture is very important when it comes to walking. If you walk with poor posture, you could give yourself an injury and your body won’t receive maximum benefit from the workout. Be sure to walk with a straight back and relaxed shoulders. Try to elongate yourself from the ground up. Walk with your head up and your eyes forward at all times and focus on keeping your abdominal muscles and buttocks tight.

Increase in Increments: As you feel your stamina building, begin to increase the length of your workouts. Increase your walks by about five minutes every week. Work up to walks that are 30 minutes or longer.

Build Your Intensity: After a few weeks of walking at a moderate speed, build your intensity by pumping your arms or walking faster. Walking up hills and inclines is also great for adding to the intensity, and it will keep your walks from getting boring.

Cool-Down Stretch: Stretching after exercise can help you relax and balance tension on muscles that have just been exercised.

Set Realistic Goals: For example, walk for 10 minutes on your lunch break or participate in a fun walk with friends.

Keep track of your progress with a pedometer or walking journal: Keeping a record of how many steps you take, the distance you walk and how long it takes can help you see where you started from and serve as a source of inspiration.

If you are not currently engaged in any physical activity, now is the time.  Start slowly and work your way up.  No one is saying you have to run a marathon, but if you want to avoid future health problems associated with your heart, walking is the first step.