Start WalkingWalking is the NUMBER ONE way to get active, be fit, and feel healthy. It’s easy. It’s affordable. And walking is always there waiting for you to don your sneakers and head out the door.

To walk you don’t need to join a fitness club!

To walk you don’t need to buy specialized expensive equipment!

To walk you don’t need to make your schedule fit the activity!

To walk you don’t need an expert to teach you!

Walking is freedom! When you walk you can go anywhere to see and experience the world from a whole new perspective. And you should! The world is out there waiting for you to explore it! Not through a window as you zoom through traffic; get out there and walk! Explore side streets, back roads, and trails. The options are limitless. You’ll see new things, meet new people and experience new health!

The benefits to walking far outweigh any excuse you can think up!

  • Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Walking strengthens your heart and lungs!
  • Lengthen your life expectancy. Walking means being active. Active people experience a higher quality of life for longer!
  • Reduce your blood pressure. Over time, the activity of walking aids to reduce stress on the heart decreasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
  • Decrease your body fat. Walkers develop muscle where fat used to reside.
  • Lower your risk for diabetes. Walking helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
  • Increase your coordination and balance. When you walk regularly you developed greater control of your body motion.
  • Reduce anxiety and depression. Endorphins released during walking stay with you for hours after you stop assisting you to feel good for longer.
  • Lower your stress level. Walking is an easily accessible means to release your stress.
  • Strengthen your muscles. Walking develops your muscles that otherwise are underused.
  • Increase your metabolism. Walkers develop more muscles which translates to more calories needed to operate your body.
  • Strengthen your bones. Walking helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the chance of injury.
  • Reduce fatigue. Walking provides a temporary burst of energy that can last for several hours.

When you start a walking program, or do anything that increases your activity level, the payout is grand! The benefits of walking encompasses all aspects of your physical and mental well-being making you more capable of meeting the challenges of life. You can change your future just by walking every day!

BEGINNING

Starting a regular program of walking to your life doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as easy as walking for 5 minutes in one direction and then turning around to return to your starting location. Before you know it 10 minutes of walking has been accomplished. It’s that simple!

Here are some tips to consider as you introduce walking to your life.

  1. Consult your doctor before beginning any physical fitness program! Keep your doctor in the loop with your plans – he can be a great ally and can monitor any medical condition that you have!
  2. Invest in a great pair of shoes to walk in! Visit a footwear specialist to find a shoe designed to work with the way you walk. That striking blue sneaker may look good on your foot, but it may not give the support that your foot needs. Consult the experts and let them guide you to the correct shoe for your foot. What they recommend may not match your shorts, but your feet will thank you.
  3. Wear comfortable, season-appropriate clothes. You want clothes that move well with your body as you walk – no binding or chafing. Layering your clothes makes it easy for you to adjust to changing temperatures while you are out walking.
  4. Find a walking buddy. The beauty of walking is that you can walk alone, but generally a walking buddy will help to keep you motivated and accountable. It is much easier to get out the door when you know someone is waiting for you.

WalkTHE PLAN

You are embarking on a life-changing activity! The goal of the foundation program is to create the habit of walking regularly. This added activity will positively impact all aspects of your life. Check out benefits for a sampling of how walking will help YOU!

NOTE: This program assumes an inactive lifestyle with minimum mobility. If you are more physically capable, start with a longer, but manageable time until you develop the habit.

STEP ONE Developing the habit. It is important that walking becomes a part of your routine. First you need to commit to walking every day – seven days a week. Next acknowledge that it takes 21 days to create a habit. During this initial three week period, you need to be particularly focused on ensuring that you have a walk each day. Once it becomes a habit it is much easier to get out the door!

Schedule a walk for every day of the week. And walk everyday! Don’t skip your walk. Choose a time when you aren’t rushing to some other commitment and can focus on you! Walk at a moderate pace; on a scale of 1 to 10, you are working at a level of 4-5.

Walk for a minimum of 10 minutes continuously – walk out for 5 minutes and back for 5 minutes. If you are capable of walking longer, it is sometimes better to keep the time investment down until you create the habit. Once you are regularly heading out the door, you can increase your time.

Mark your walks on a calendar. It is important that you see your success build over time and the activity of recording your walks serves to remind you of the commitment you have made to improve the quality of your life.

STEP TWO Extending the time. Walking is now a habit in your life. Your body looks for its daily walk and you’re beginning to see the benefits of walking. You can easily tackle the 10-minute continuous walk so it is now time to increase the time you walk each day. You can do this in 1 minute or 5 minute increments. The key is to be consistent and to work within the reality of your abilities. Walk out for 6 minutes and then return to the start for an additional 6 minutes. Don’t do 30 minutes one day and 10 minutes the next because you overdid it on the previous day. Each day, or week, according to your ability, increase the time of your daily walk until you are walking a minimum of 30 minutes continuously, seven days a week.

STEP THREE Increasing the Challenge. You’ve developed the endurance and now it is time to increase the challenge. Replace one 30-minute walk each week, with a longer 1-hour walk.  Ideally do this on the weekend or a day with fewer commitments. You want to be able to enjoy the walk and not feel pressured. Walk at a moderate pace; on a scale of 1 to 10, you are working at a level of 4-5.

KEEP MOVING

You are over scheduled. You have commitments all day long that keep you challenged. You sit at a desk all day and then drive kids from one after-school activity to another. You’re tired and cranky and hard pressed to find time for a bathroom break, much less a walk! And you think that there is no way that you can be out there walking! GUESS AGAIN!

STRATEGY #1 If you can’t schedule blocks of time to walk, strap on a pedometer and measure your activity throughout the day. Each step you take you are rewarded with the click of your pedometer that reminds you that you are being active. To increase your daily pedometer count, here are some ideas to keep you moving:

  1. Use stairs and avoid the elevator at all costs.
  2. Walk to meetings. The taxi to take you 10 blocks doesn’t really save you time when you have to sit in traffic. Take a fresh-air break and walk to the meeting. “But I use that time to prepare.” You’ll think better away from distractions and if you take co-workers with you, you can prepare for the meeting as you walk!
  3. Park far away from your destination. Heading to work or the shopping mall, park at the furthest possible point in the parking lot gives you some extra steps.
  4. Get off at the bus stop several stops before your destination and walk the rest of the way.
  5. Take your groceries in one bag at a time.
  6. Take the long way to the washroom.
  7. Sideline your ride-on mower and use a push lawn mower.
  8. Walk around the soccer field during your child’s game.
  9. Circle the grocery store one extra time to ensure that you have everything.
  10. Throw out your remote control – use the buttons on the television set.

STRATEGY #2 If you can’t fit in a 30 minute walk, break up the total walking time into manageable chunks. Try a 10 minute walk before you start work and a 20 minute walk at lunch time. This is also an easy way to increase your daily activity beyond 30 minutes; if you add another 20 minute walk after supper you’ve increased your daily walking time to 50 minutes!

STRATEGY #3 If your excuse is you need to spend time with your family, then bring your family. Strollers, tricycles and bicycles make it easy and fun for your family to participate in your walking time. And this quality family time away from the television is a painless way to teach your child to be active – a habit that they will carry with them for life.

STRATEGY #4 Schedule walking appointments. Frequently our downfall is in not planning. Schedule time for you to go for a 30 minute walk. And then honour it! Would you schedule an appointment with your doctor and then just not show up? Of course not. You do what is necessary to adjust your schedule to ensure that you make the appointment. Are you less important than your doctor? Of course not. You are a valuable person and need to take time for you; so that you are the best you you can be!