The Main Benefits Of Walking

If you’ve put on your warmest jacket and watched every weather report, you know it’s getting colder here and the seasons have changed in Calgary, Canada. That doesn’t mean it’s time to sit inside by the fire and spend the next few months sedentary. You need more activity than just a daily workout. You can get that extra boost to your fitness with the simple act of walking. Whether it’s in the summer or the winter, there are benefits of walking for both your physical and mental health.

Experience the world around you and all of nature when you walk.

There’s so much more to the world to see than just the screen on your TV or computer. Walking exposes more of the world to you than you’d ever get from staying inside on the couch. Even taking a ride in the car doesn’t allow you to enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of the outdoors. Walking comes with many health benefits, besides the amazing view you don’t get when you’re riding in a car. While it may be slower to get from point A to point B if you’re traveling on the open road, you might be surprised at how much faster it is if you’re traveling in the big city.

Walking is a good way to ease into exercise.

Are you out of shape and not ready for the workout Olympics? Not everyone is ready for a half hour to a forty-five-minute grueling session. Walking is a great way to begin your quest for fitness, endurance and consistency. You can schedule a time every day to walk and stick with it to develop that workout ethic. Start with a short walk, one that you can easily accomplish. Don’t forget, you not only have to walk to your destination, you have to get home, too. If you are completely out of shape, time your walk. At the end of five minutes, turn around and walk home. Do that three times a day.

Make your walk brisk or create a high intensity interval training—HIIT.

Did you know a brisk walk might be better than a run? That’s right, you’ll be less prone to injury and according to one major study, it might actually be better than running. The studies tracked both runners and walkers and found that when it came to good health, those who walked had better health. So if you’re sedentary, you don’t have to run, just get up and start walking. If you adjust your speed, walking as briskly as possible for a minute and then alternate with a minute of slower or recovery speed, it becomes a HIIT workout.

• While you might start by walking, it shouldn’t be your whole program. You need total body fitness, which includes the upper body and walking won’t do that for you. Walking can be a supplement or starter.
• Osteoporosis can be disabling and walking can help prevent it. It’s a weight bearing exercise that helps build bone density, while also burning calories. You can aid in your weight loss efforts with a walk.
• As you get fitter, walk faster and go further. You’ll start building endurance and lowering your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol from day one. Make your pace as brisk as possible.
• If you can’t get through a whole session from my videos, supplement with walking. Do as much of the workout as you can, but at least ten minutes. You get as much benefit from three ten minute sessions of workout as you do from thirty minutes straight. Supplement with walking.

For more information, contact us today at Jari Love