Some Ways To Make More Of Your Walking Workout

Because walking is considered to be the easiest, least expensive, and safest way to work out many people begin with this type of exercise but later decide that they want to continue with walking but they need to make it more challenging.  There are many ways to do this:

Change Your Pace:
This is a simple way to challenge yourself while walking and it can be done at any time.  If you typically walk a mile in 15 minutes then try walking it in less time.  You will find that even this little change can increase your heart rate and challenge your body.

Change Your Terrain:
If you typically walk on a track or on sidewalks consider taking a walk in areas that include hills or even try a simple hike.  Changing the motion of your body and the way your muscles work can add quite a bit your walking workout.

Add Weights:
Adding weights to your walk is as simple as wearing ankle or wrist weights.  These are light-weight, cloth bands that are filled with sand and easily and safely worn around the wrists or ankles.  You may be surprised when you first try walking with weights what a difference a few pounds can make to your workout.

Use All of Your Muscles:
You will find that you expend more energy if you swing your arms while walking and swinging your arms naturally increases your speed.  Keep the movement natural and don’t clench your fists.  Your body should not have to think about what it’s doing.

Walk Further:
Don’t be afraid to add distance to your walking routine but make sure that you do it gradually.  If you currently walk a mile try adding a quarter of mile to your walk until you feel comfortable with the distance and then continue to add a quarter of mile until you have reached your distance goal.

Walk More Than Once a Day:
If you are currently walking 30 minutes a day but feel that you might not be able to handle a 60 minute walk you can try doing two 30 minute walks during your day.  If you walk 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening you have accomplished your 60 minute goal and your body doesn’t care that it was spread out.

These are simple and inexpensive ways to get more out of your walking workout without adding extra stress to your body.  Many of these changes will bring about results on their own but you can also combine these ideas in order to have a greater impact on your outcome.

Remember to always have the correct footwear for the type of walk you are doing. HERE is a good place to start if you need good walking shoes.