Walking - its so easy. And so cheap. You dont need any expensive equipment like golf clubs or raquets, you dont require a membership of a club, and you dont need fancy clothes like you do in tennis. all you require is a good pair of keds, and accesibility to a park. So why are you sitting at your desk? Get out there and hit the road! But first, read on to make sure youre walking right, so your efforts are not in vain and you get the maximum benefit. 1. Pick up the pace. Dont just stroll around the park as it doesnt really help. Of course, any kind of walking, slow or fast, is better than nothing at all but if you want to see some results in your health or weight, you will have to walk faster. 2. Walking faster doesnt mean taking bigger strides. Its always better to take short, quick steps instead of long strides. The next time you see a walkathon on television, observe the way the competitors are walking. Their steps are short and quick. Thats the way to do it. 3. Try not to hunch or slouch. Your posture matters, as the straighter you walk, the more oxygen is entering your lungs, so remember what your mama said and - back straight! Pull your stomach in, and push your pelvis very slightly out. Now thats catwalk perfect! 4. Ever watched a Jane Fonda video? She keeps reciting one thing throughout. "Dont forget to breathe." Thats right. Breathing doesnt mean taking shallow breaths. Take a deep breath - feel the oxygen fill up your lungs, and exhale. Now youre getting the hang of it! 5. Instead of swinging your arms back and forth, keep your elbows tucked in with your hands perpendicular to your body and parallel to the floor. Bounce them slightly up and down, and back and forth as you walk. 6. Dont push with your heels. Push with your toes. In this articleShould you walk with weights?Increased fitnessWeight lossStrengthen the heartWhen should you walk?Walking shoesShould you walk with weights?A lot of people do carry weights in their hands while walking, but weights dont really help unless you really swing your arms vigorously. So if youre carrying weights but not really making the most of them, the result will only be that get tired faster, and will walk less. In addition, you may experiece higher blood pressure and joint pains. Thus, its best to skip the weights, especially if youve got a history of heart trouble. If you must work with weights, do so after youve finished walking. Identify your goal Increased fitness If maintaining your fitness level or increasing it slightly is your goal, you dont need to go overboard with your walking. About half an hour on a daily basis or approximately 5 times a week should suffice. Walk briskly, but not too fast. It is not required. Walk at a pace where you are comfortable keeping up with conversation.Weight loss Are you walking to reduce? If a slimmer you is your goal, you would need to speed up. Walk fast, and for a longer time. Try and increase your duration by a few minutes everyday. If you walk ten rounds, increase it by around ten steps everyday till you reach eleven rounds, and then twelve and so on. Make sure you walk at least five times a week.Strengthen the heart If you are looking at gaining aerobic and cardiovascular benefits from walking, youll have to increase your pace drastically. Walk fast, with quick, short steps, and hands bent at the elbows in front of your chest. As with every aerobic workout, do a few stretches before starting to walk.When should you walk? The morning is unquestionably the best time to go for a walk. The earlier you can get out, the better. Try and catch the sunrise. While one of the best parts about walking is that it is an outdoor activity, the disadvantage is that this means you will be inhaling a lot of pollution, especially if you are living in a country like ours! You dont want to increase your fitness at the cost of your lungs, do you? Avoid the pollution and carbon monoxide by stepping out early, when pollution levels are at their lowest. If you are simply NOT a morning person and must go in the evenings, then make it a point to walk in a park or in a pollution free locality, far from the traffic. Steer clear from roads.Walking shoes Remember, the only investment youre going to make in this activity is a pair of walking shoes, so they might as well be good ones. Splurge, and get the best. Shoes specifically designed for walking are not just marketing gimmiks - they really do help. And ten years down the line your knees will thank you. Make sure they are flexible by twisting them around before buying them, and the minute they get old and frayed, get yourself a new pair.
Walking - it's so easy. And so cheap. You don't need any expensive equipment like golf clubs or raquets, you don't require a membership of a club, and you don't need fancy clothes like you do in tennis. all you require is a good pair of keds, and accesibility to a park. So why are you sitting at your desk? Get out there and hit the road! But first, read on to make sure you're walking right, so your efforts are not in vain and you get the maximum benefit.
1. Pick up the pace. Don't just stroll around the park as it doesn't really help. Of course, any kind of walking, slow or fast, is better than nothing at all but if you want to see some results in your health or weight, you will have to walk faster.
2. Walking faster doesn't mean taking bigger strides. It's always better to take short, quick steps instead of long strides. The next time you see a walkathon on television, observe the way the competitors are walking. Their steps are short and quick. That's the way to do it.
3. Try not to hunch or slouch. Your posture matters, as the straighter you walk, the more oxygen is entering your lungs, so remember what your mama said and - back straight! Pull your stomach in, and push your pelvis very slightly out. Now that's catwalk perfect!
4. Ever watched a Jane Fonda video? She keeps reciting one thing throughout. "Don't forget to breathe." That's right. Breathing doesn't mean taking shallow breaths. Take a deep breath - feel the oxygen fill up your lungs, and exhale. Now you're getting the hang of it!
5. Instead of swinging your arms back and forth, keep your elbows tucked in with your hands perpendicular to your body and parallel to the floor. Bounce them slightly up and down, and back and forth as you walk.
6. Don't push with your heels. Push with your toes.
A lot of people do carry weights in their hands while walking, but weights don't really help unless you really swing your arms vigorously. So if you're carrying weights but not really making the most of them, the result will only be that get tired faster, and will walk less. In addition, you may experiece higher blood pressure and joint pains. Thus, it's best to skip the weights, especially if you've got a history of heart trouble. If you must work with weights, do so after you've finished walking.
Identify your goal
Increased fitness
If maintaining your fitness level or increasing it slightly is your goal, you don't need to go overboard with your walking. About half an hour on a daily basis or approximately 5 times a week should suffice. Walk briskly, but not too fast. It is not required. Walk at a pace where you are comfortable keeping up with conversation.
Weight loss
Are you walking to reduce? If a slimmer you is your goal, you would need to speed up. Walk fast, and for a longer time. Try and increase your duration by a few minutes everyday. If you walk ten rounds, increase it by around ten steps everyday till you reach eleven rounds, and then twelve and so on. Make sure you walk at least five times a week.
Strengthen the heart
If you are looking at gaining aerobic and cardiovascular benefits from walking, you'll have to increase your pace drastically. Walk fast, with quick, short steps, and hands bent at the elbows in front of your chest. As with every aerobic workout, do a few stretches before starting to walk.
When should you walk?
The morning is unquestionably the best time to go for a walk. The earlier you can get out, the better. Try and catch the sunrise. While one of the best parts about walking is that it is an outdoor activity, the disadvantage is that this means you will be inhaling a lot of pollution, especially if you are living in a country like ours! You don't want to increase your fitness at the cost of your lungs, do you? Avoid the pollution and carbon monoxide by stepping out early, when pollution levels are at their lowest. If you are simply NOT a morning person and must go in the evenings, then make it a point to walk in a park or in a pollution free locality, far from the traffic. Steer clear from roads.
Walking shoes
Remember, the only investment you're going to make in this activity is a pair of walking shoes, so they might as well be good ones. Splurge, and get the best. Shoes specifically designed for walking are not just marketing gimmiks - they really do help. And ten years down the line your knees will thank you. Make sure they are flexible by twisting them around before buying them, and the minute they get old and frayed, get yourself a new pair.
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