1. Cost-Effective Approach to Fitness
Walking can be part of a great fitness program that costs nothing and the rewards are boundless. All you have to do is open your front door and walk out wearing comfortable clothes and a good set of walking shoes. But, don't stop there. Look around, take in the elements and say, "hi" to your neighbors. Let your eyes catch the brilliant colors of the flowers and neighborhood squirrels. Next thing you know, your overall attitude lifts, and you feel happier and refreshed.
2. Slow and Steady
Start walking slow and steady--don't walk hard. Walk for about 15 minutes, turn around and go back. It's that simple. Make sure you do this walk every single day. After a week, add five minutes to the walks each week until you can walk for as long as you'd like to. Each time you walk, concentrate on good posture. You want to work toward a natural walk with long steps, while keeping your body tall. You head must be up with eyes looking ahead and shoulders down, relaxed and comfortably back. The stomach muscles and buttocks need to remain tight.
3. Staying fit to Walk
You need to approach your walk like a fitness program where you focus on the fundamentals of staying fit. Make sure you drink ample water in advance, throughout and after each walk. Include a proper warm up with stretches before and after, and with a cool down. Always begin the walk at an easy, slow pace, and then pause and do a couple of warm up stretches. Then continue to walk the allotted time end to end. Gradually finish the walk with a nice cool down stride. Make sure you stretch when you're finished your daily walk. Stretching is key to feeling great and preventing any kind of injury.
4. Whistle While you Walk
Play your favorite music or find a special track just for walking. You can even find songs that match your walking pace. Go to a music store and ask about slow, medium or up-tempo tracks. The variety of music is endless, from marches to pop to swing and jazz, even country.
5. Make it a Routine
Make your walking as part of your everyday life. You need to walk daily, minimally five days out of the week, so your routine becomes second nature. Once your walking routine is a part of your life, set some short- and long-term goals. If you need to lose weight, set weekly or monthly goals and chart them. You can even find a partner or group to walk with once or twice a week to keep you motivated.
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