Walking For Weight Loss And Fitness
Posted on Jun 30, 2009 under Flatten Stomach, Lifetime Fitness | No Comment
If the very thoughts of having to exercise as part of your weight loss and fitness program brings you feelings of horror, then take heart, walking may be your answer,
When we think about exercise, we usually associate it with the entire body being involved. Therefore, the notion of walking for weight loss, as a component of a lifetime fitness program, is not generally considered. But, by not incorporating walking in a weight loss or fitness plan, you might be missing out on a natural aid to reaching your goal.
To maintain any regular exercise designed for a weight loss program, without it developing into a chore, it is advantageous to actually take pleasure in doing it. Walking to lose weight is a pursuit that can fit that bill. You are out in the fresh air, seeing more of your environment, meeting people, keeping any possibility of strain or injury to a minimum, and most significantly these days, it requires virtually nil expenditure.
So, how can a mild exercise like walking benefit fitness and weight loss? There has been exploration and various studies, into walking, carried out over a period, and it has been established that this kind of exercise can be a contributing feature in reaching lifetime fitness. Walking can assist in bringing down your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, tone down depression, and build up immunity. It can even lend a hand to reduce problems sparked off by heart disease, arthritis, cancer and osteoporosis.
Like with any other lifetime fitness program, a walking for weight loss session should to commence with a number of warm up stretching exercises. Spend about 15 to 30 seconds on gently loosening each part of your body. Wear clothing that is unrestricting and feels comfy. Most importantly, make sure that you take a bottle of drinking water with you.
It is important that you do not overdo it at first, so if you are a novice, begin your walking plan with 30 minutes a day for 3 days per week. You can after that, raise this to 5 days a week as your fitness level grows.
So, how quickly should you walk? Start off walking for a brief distance at a steady rate and, after that, slowly build up to as brisker pace that you are comfortable with. A good gauge of your speed is to be able to carry out a chat at the same time as walking without becoming breathless.
Having the correct stance when walking is vital, so have your head high, keep your shoulders relaxed and arms next to your body. Look straight forward with your chest out, allow your arms to swing naturally and breathe in harmony with the exercise. Perform your walking with a rolling motion from heel to toe. To burn all the more calories, swing your arms all the more as you walk.
I have already referred to your clothing being comfy, but it is more desirable to dress in the right attire for walking. Shoes are very important and should have shock absorbers incorporated as well as a soft contour to help the heel to toe rolling movement. You can of course, buy custom made walking shoes if you so wish. To avoid any blisters appearing, soft comfortable socks are a good idea.
It is essential to protect yourself from the effects of the sun whilst walking, so a hat comes in useful here. If the sun is not out when you set off, carry a hat with you in case it appears during your walk.
Other walking accessories you might like are a pedometer to keep track of the distance you have walked or a calorie burn counter to measure just how effective your walking for weight loss program is.
As much as walking can be a pleasurable activity, if you always walk alone along the same route, a little boredom may become an issue. Avoid this by occasionally inviting a friend along and/or vary your route to have a change of scenery. Another possibility is to join a walking club.
There are other benefits to be had when walking for weight loss and fitness ***such as inducing such skills as problem solving and creative thinking. Sorting matters out in your mind when walking seems to happen naturally I find. After a while, walking becomes a kind of meditative period. In addition to lifetime fitness, you also get to escape your everyday busy work life and enjoy the beauty of nature that walking outside allows you to do.
So what are you waiting for? Go on, get walking for weight loss.