September 4th, 2010 
admin Increasing numbers of people are starting to realise the benefits of walking as a way of taking exercise. It’s easy to do – in fact you do it every day without even thinking about it. It’s a low impact workout that requires no special equipment, expertise or training. It’s suitable for a broad age band – which might explain why it has such a low “drop out” rate. You can do it wherever you like and you can slot it into your day whenever it’s most convenient for you.
If you would like to lose a few pounds, then it is an extremely effective way to do this. Certainly, watching your calorie intake – how much you eat and drink – is important, but dieting alone is not the most effective way to achieve weight loss. If you combine dietary control with regular exercise you will achieve much better results. This is not just due to the fact that you burn calories by exercising, but also because regular exercise actually raises your metabolic rate – the speed at which you use up calories. The result of this is that, even if you’re not taking exercise – sitting reading a book, typing on your computer or talking on the phone for instance – you will burn calories at a faster rate and this will help you to lose weight.
The health benefits which walking is capable of delivering are numerous. It can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It can be an effective way to lower your blood pressure level. It can help to improve your cholesterol levels. It can help to lower the probability of developing diabetes. It can even help to reduce the probability of developing certain variants of cancer. It will boost your energy levels and leave you feeling less fatigued throughout the day. It will help you to sleep better at night. It combats anxiety and depression. Recent research in the UK suggests that it might even be effective in fighting off Alzheimer’s disease.
That’s got to be enough motivation for you to consider including walking in your exercise program. As mentioned previously, you don’t need any special equipment. A good pair of comfy shoes is all that’s required to get started.
One piece of kit that might be useful for you – although you don’t strictly need it, especially not when you’re just getting started – is a pedometer. This will help you to record your progress and they can be set to display in terms of calories burned, number of steps taken or distance covered – whichever is most meaningful for you and helps to keep your motivation level high.
Before walking the implementation of the regime – or a new exercise for that matter – is a good idea to consult with your doctor, especially if you have not taken exercise for some time, or if you have any disease. It’s true that walking is a low impact mode of taking exercise, which carries a very low injury risk – but it is still exercise and performing a few warm up stretches before you start – and then again once you’ve finished – is an excellent way to ensure that you avoid any sprains or strains and get the maximum benefit from your exercise program.
If you do find it hard to keep your motivation up, then consider using an Omron pedometer. You can also take advantage of the latest advances in exercise footwear technology by using specially designed shoes – such as Fit flops sandals – which increase the amount of work your lower body muscles perform whilst walking normally. This will maximize the efficiency of your walking exercise routine.
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