Walking is probably one of the most accessible forms of exercise. It doesn't take any equipment --- or practice, for that matter ---to start walking. So, instead of reserving this activity to get you from one place to next, pick up your pace and use it as a way of getting more exercise into your daily routine. Plus, the increase in physical activity can often prepare the body for other athletic pursuits by slowly improving your fitness level.
Guidelines
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio five days a week. Moderately intense cardio is defined as any physical activity that raises your heart rate and causes you to perspire. With enough intensity, walking can easily fall within this category. You needn't, however, walk for 30 minutes at a time to improve your health. Taking a brisk 10-minute walk three times a day is also beneficial.
Benefits
Like any other form of exercise, walking does more than just improve your level of fitness. Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week can help lower both blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Walking improves the strength of your heart, which reduces the force needed to circulate blood throughout the body. At the same time, this type of physical activity boosts high-density lipoproteins, which remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and help prevent narrowing of the arteries. It can also reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Weight Loss
If you're walking as a form of exercise to lose weight, you may be better served with a different athletic pursuit. While walking does burn additional calories, the number is limited, largely due to its intensity level. Someone weighing around 155 pounds burns just under 150 calories walking at a pace of 4 mph for 30 minutes, whereas biking can burn almost twice this number in the same amount of time. This translates into a weight loss of one-third of a pound vs. two-thirds of a pound per week. This doesn't mean you can't walk to lose weight; results are more gradual.
Recommendation
Just because walking is easily accessible doesn't mean you shouldn't take precautions when hitting the pavement. It's just as important to find the right shoes for walking as it is for playing basketball or tennis. You should also make sure to warm up and stretch out before a walk.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines
- American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM Fit Society Page
- MayoClinic.com: Walking -- Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health
- MayoClinic.com: Walking -- Is It Enough For Weight Loss?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- Harvard Medical School: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights
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