Walking For Health
People have different reasons for starting an exercise program. Maybe you have gained a little extra weight over the winter months, are feeling sluggish or finding you aren’t as flexible as you once were.
If you haven’t exercised in a while, you may be wondering where to start. One of the safest and easiest places to start is with a walking program. Walking is a very simple way to do an aerobic workout that not only helps you lose weight, helps you to also tone and trim your body, reduce stress and help alleviate the pain and stiffness in joints.
Walking Is a Great Exercise
1. Look for a place to walk that is safe and preferably fairly flat to begin with (you can add hills as you become more fit). Walking on a level surface puts less stress on you hips and low back. Wear comfortable clothes and good sturdy walking shoes. You don’t need to buy expensive ones, just look for ones with good support and fit your feet.
2. If you will be walking outside, make sure to wear clothing that makes you visible to traffic. You can purchase reflective vests or other protective gear at biking or other athletic shops. Dressing in layers is also advisable. If you don’t like walking in all types of weather, consider walking in a mall or some other covered area.
3. Take a few minutes before and after your walk to stretch the muscles in your legs, hips, back, arms and neck to help prevent injury. Once you begin to walk, take quick, short steps, resisting the temptation to lengthen your stride to go faster, as this will put unnecessary stress on your café muscles making them fatigue quickly.
4. Bend your arms at the elbow and swing your arms in the typical opposite arms, opposite leg pattern (that is, when the left leg is going forward, the right arms is swung forward at the same time).
How much walking is enough?
To begin with, walk about 30-45 minutes a day most days of the week at a “talking” pace (able to talk comfortably while walking ). As you become more fit you can increase your time and pick your speed up to a more “purposeful talking” pace (a bit of an effort to talk while going at this pace).
Before begin your walking program, schedule an appointment with Dr. Archer for a chiropractic checkup to ensure that you are ready to begin an exercise program and get off to great start!
