Many health and medical advisers suggest that 10,000 steps a day are all that is required in order to obtain the significant health benefits on offer. That’s approximately four and a half to five miles for the average person. It sounds like a fair old distance – but it’s very much easier to achieve than you would think. Bearing in mind all the potential health benefits, it’s worthwhile making the effort to walk just a little further each day.

Of course, we live in a society which is increasingly sedentary – so it may very well be that you currently miss the recommended 10,000 daily steps (possibly by quite some way). If you’re not sure how many steps you currently take then it might be a good idea to get hold of a pedometer in order to find out what your daily average is. You can pick these up pretty cheaply these days – but be certain to choose one which has a double axis sensor fitted as these tend to be more accurate.

Once you’ve established exactly how many steps you average per day, you should look for ways to make up any difference between your daily average and the 10,000 step target. There are many different ways to do this – but be sensible and build up gradually – don’t try to do everything all at once.

If you can set aside time each day for a dedicated walk then that’s great. However, if that’s not a practical proposition for you then there are plenty of ways to fit walking into your day. Go for a ten or fifteen minute walk during your lunch break. Leave the car at home and walk to work, or get off the bus a couple of stops early and complete your journey on foot.

Make the most of modern technology by walking and talking when you’re on your mobile phone. A fifteen minute telephone call can give you the opportunity to get in somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 extra steps. There are many other opportunities to get your step count up – and they soon mount up.

Be sure to seek the advice of your doctor before you commence any new exercise routine – especially if you have any medical conditions, haven’t exercised for some time or are over forty years old. However, because walking is a low impact workout which carries a very low injury risk (as long as you’re sensible), you should begin to receive a number of health benefits if you walk on a regular basis. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly you see and feel the results.

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Walking is one form of exercise which the majority of us perform every day. It is, therefore, a very important factor in determining the overall health and fitness level of an individual. If carried out on a regular basis, walking has the potential to provide many health benefits. It can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as reducing blood pressure levels. It can help combat anxiety and depression. It will help you to sleep better at night – and you will have more energy and feel generally better. It can reduce the risk of contracting certain types of cancer. Recent research suggests that it may even help to avoid Alzheimer’s disease. And of course, it will burn calories, build muscle and help you to lose weight.

All that you need to get started is a good comfortable pair of shoes. There’s no need for any special equipment and you can fit walking into your day as and when it suits you. If you can walk for 30 minutes a day, 3 or 4 times a week, you will soon start to see – and feel – results. If you can gradually build up to 10,000 steps a day – roughly equivalent to 5 miles – you will really notice a difference. You will feel better and look better.

If, having gradually increased the distance and time that you walk for each day, you would like to get more out of your walking workout, then you could try Nordic walking. Nordic walking is a fairly recent development which originated in Finland when skiers wanted a method of keeping fit in the summertime and a means to prepare for the winter skiing season. Basically, it involves walking with adapted ski poles. It’s a bit like skiing without the skis – or the snow.

There are two main advantages to Nordic walking. Firstly, it utilises the upper body and promotes activity in muscles which are not normally heavily used during normal walking activity. Secondly, it reduces the load on the lower body muscles and joints.

These two factors result in even further benefits in comparison with conventional walking. There is a 20 to 40% increase in the rate of energy expenditure – and the additional upper body movement promotes agility and flexibility.There is less stress in the lower body muscles and joints as a consequence of reduced lower body loading. For some walkers, the use of poles might have safety benefits – and this could allow people recovering from injury or illness to get a higher intensity workout than would otherwise be possible.

Whether you go for Nordic or conventional walking, the prospective health benefits are very worthwhile for you. Before you start out on any new exercise program you should seek the advice of your doctor – especially if you haven’t exercised for a while or if you have any medical conditions. However, if you’re sensible and start off gradually, then you will be able to gain some very real and significant health benefits by walking.

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The health benefits of walking are many and varied. It’s actually hard to believe that so many benefits are obtainable from such an easily accomplished, low impact, low injury risk workout. Consistency is the key – regular low level exercise is very much better than sporadic bursts of intense physical activity.

Walking for half an hour a day, three or four times a week, on a regular basis, will provide you with results that you can both see and feel. If you can gradually increase to 10,000 steps each day – which is the equivalent of somewhere between four and a half and five miles for most people – you will really start to reap the rewards. Five miles may sound like a lot – but it’s much more achievable than you might think.

There are any number of opportunities to get a little extra walking in each day. If you have the time to schedule in a thirty minute or one hour walking session then that’s ideal. However, if that’s not possible for you then don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to increase your daily step count.

Leaving the car and walking to work or the shops is an oft repeated piece of good advice. If that’s not a practical proposition for you due to the distance involved then take the car as normal – no need to feel guilty. Just park in a faraway corner of the parking lot so that you can have a slightly longer walk than normal to the entrance. If you travel by bus or metro then maybe you could get off a couple of stops in advance of your destination and complete your journey by walking.

Take a ten or fifteen minute stroll around the block at lunchtime. You’ll have more energy, and you’ll be more mentally alert, throughout the course of the afternoon. Make the most of modern technology by walking around when you’re talking on your mobile or cordless phone. One fifteen minute phone call can allow you to fit an extra 1,000 steps into your day.

If most of your walking is fitted into your day on a piece-meal basis, then you might want to consider getting yourself a pedometer. These can be worn discreetly on your belt or carried in your pocket. A pedometer will let you monitor your progress in terms of the number of steps taken, the distance covered or the number of calories burned. Tracking your progress in this manner will help you to stay motivated and will encourage you to seek out ever more innovative ways of incorporating walking into your daily routine.

Discover how Fitflops exercise shoes can boost the effectiveness of your walking workout. Try using an Omron pedometer to track your progress and help you to stay motivated.

There are many of opportunities to include walking in your day to day routine. Leaving the car in the garage and walking to the shops or work is an oft-repeated suggestion. If the distance involved means that this isn’t an option for you then take the car as normal but park it in the corner of the parking lot that’s furthest away from the entrance. If you travel by subway or bus, then consider getting off a couple of stops before you reach your destination and completing the last section of your journey on foot. Go for a short ten or fifteen minute walk during your lunch break. These are just a few examples – you can probably think of plenty others.

These, fairly minor, changes to your daily routine can, if applied on a regular basis, give you some very significant health benefits. Walking can help to lower blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of heart problems and stroke. It will combat depression and anxiety as well as helping you to sleep better. It can even reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer – and recent research suggests that it might even help to avoid Alzheimer’s disease. Walking regularly will leave you feeling less fatigued during the course of the day – you will have more energy in general. And of course, regular walking will help you to lose weight – probably one of the most attractive benefits for a lot of people.

That’s a long and impressive benefit list for an exercise which anyone can do and which requires no special equipment. All that you need is a comfortable pair of shoes and you’re good to go.

One piece of inexpensive equipment – which isn’t strictly necessary but which you may find useful – is a pedometer. This will help you to track and record your progress – which might help you to stay motivated. You can wear pedometers on your belt or just carry them discreetly in your pocket, handbag or briefcase. They can display your results in terms of the number of steps taken, the number of calories burned or the distance covered – whatever is most interesting to you.

An mp3 player might also be worth thinking about if you don’t already have one. Again, it’s not something that’s strictly necessary – but you will probably find that the time and the miles pass more quickly when you’re listening to your favourite music.

It’s amazing to think that such small changes to your routine can provide you with such huge health benefits. Why not take the first steps to looking better and feeling good by making walking an integral part of your daily routine? The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll reap the rewards.

See how Fitflops exercise shoes can boost the effectiveness of your walking workout. Try using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress and help you to stay motivated.

categories: exercise,health,fitness,workout,lose weight,walking,weight loss