Tag: walking

Walk Fit

Feb 25, 2015

Walking is a great addition to your current workout routine. It has a plethora of benefits and is a universal exercise. You can do it anywhere, and mostly anyone can do it, it’s free, it doesn’t require special equipment, and you can do it any time of day. By just adding 30 minutes of walking into your daily workout routine, you can change you! The benefits are countless.

It lowers blood pressure that can also be good for your cholesterol levels, and in turn reduces the risk of obesity. Walking is not only one of the best activities for your health and mental well-being, it can help you lose weight and keep it off. It will help your heart become more efficient and every day activities will become easier. You’ll sleep better, have more energy, and benefit from a little Vitamin D from getting outside.

Benefits of Walking:

  • It strengthens your heart. Regular walking reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.
  • It lowers disease risk. It slashes your risks of type 2 diabetes, asthma and some cancers.
  • It keeps weight in check. It helps you lose weight and keep it off.
  • It can help prevent dementia.
  • It can help prevent osteoporosis. As a weight-bearing activity, it helps strengthen bones.
  • It tones. A good walk help shape and tone your legs, giving definition to calves, hamstrings and lifting your glutes.
  • It tones your arms. All the regular movement you experience in your arms while walking will help tone your arms, shoulders and even upper back.
  • It boosts your vitamin D levels. A little bit of sunshine outside each day will put you in a great mood and help your bone health and immunity.
  • It gives you energy. A brisk walk with help boost your circulation and increase oxygen supply to every cell in your body.
  • It makes you happy. Regular moderate-intensity exercise is a great antidepressant. It helps reduce stress and anxiety. It can also be done with friends while enjoying a nice chat.

Even though you are already in a regular workout routine at the gym several times a week, doesn’t mean walking isn’t for you. The key to overall fitness is cross training, or participating in various activities, and walking is the perfect complement to any training regimen. By adding walking to your routine, you end up training opposing muscle groups and end up balancing out your strength and reducing the chance of injury. Also, if you are used to high impact activities, your body could benefit from taking it down a notch once in awhile and walking. You’ll get all the benefits of exercise without the wear and tear and giving your muscles time to recoup.

Add a walk to your daily workout routine. You’ll be able to cash in on all the additional benefits it has. Speak with your trainer and see when the best time for you would be to work that walk into your schedule. Sometimes, to get you moving during the day, first thing in the morning may be best for you. Or, if you feel a little sluggish and tired by mid-day, head out for a walk on your lunch. Start walking towards a healthier you!

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Fitness Walking – A Complement to Any Fitness Program

May 16, 2014

Walking for Fat LossI’ve been a personal trainer in Willow Glen for over 25 years.  In those 25 years I’ve suggested a lot of strength training and interval cardio workouts for my clients, because most of my clients come to me to help them get rid of unwanted body fat.  I’ve always felt that “plain old walking”, while valuable as a stress reducer,  just wasn’t enough to improve someone’s fitness level.

I’m going to change my tune on this.  Sort of.  I think walking can be part of a great fat loss program. I think we need to establish how and where walking  fits into a fat loss program, though.

 

 

First, let’s talk about the general benefits of walking:

  • Walking is an incredible form of exercise that can be carried out by most people.
  • It’s a low impact workout which carries a very low risk of injury.
  • It is an activity that requires no equipment (just good shoes, really!).
  • Walking is a great “entry” form of exercise for a new exerciser.
  • Regular walking can help improve some health markers such as blood pressure and blood glucose.

 

Now, let’s move on to how walking can be a valuable part of  a fat loss program.  Because walking is low impact, it’s a great form of recovery exercise in between the high intensity interval workouts I design for my clients.  It’s also a great form of recovery in between strength training days.  So, for my money, walking is the last piece of the fat loss puzzle.  Walking is the longer, lower intensity cardio exercise that you can do on your off days.  You don’t work out as hard, but you go for a longer time.  For me, this is where walking for fat loss is best used.

So, here’s my breakdown of where our efforts lie for the best fat loss program:

Nutrition first, strength training second, intervals third and finally …..walking.

If you’ve been walking  for awhile, you may want to try walking hills on occasion.  If you live near a hilly area, your basic fitness walk may turn into an interval training session as you huff and puff up the hills!

Whether fat loss is your goal, or you’re simply wanting to feel better, lace up your shoes and get yourself out for a walk.  It’s a solid way to support your fat loss efforts!

 

Committed to your success,

Becky

 

Tread Lightly

Mar 04, 2014

Treadmill exercise has been proven to be beneficial for all kinds of people, including at risk groups like older individuals and pregnant women. Some kinds of aerobic exercises do not suit pregnant women or older people, but walking is always recommended and a treadmill is ideally suited for this purpose. Cardio-vascular exercise derived from walking or running on a treadmill helps you to burn extra calories and will help you to lose weight rapidly if you exercise on a frequent and consistent basis. A treadmill adds consistency to your walking workout and you can set both the pace and duration of your session and increase this in order to achieve a progressive improvement over time. A treadmill can also help you to achieve your personal fitness goals.

If you like walking or have been advised to walk regularly, then the weather conditions outside can create problems. When the weather conditions are poor during periods of rain, wind, snow or unfavorable temperature it makes it unpleasant or impossible to walk outside. With a treadmill you don’t need to worry about the weather and you can continue with your regular exercise regime.

With the constant walking on a treadmill looking at the same wall and space, how do you overcome boredom and lack of motivation? Try using the treadmill trainer, an audio workout that you can download on your iPod or Mp3 player to listen on your headphones while you jog/walk on the treadmill. It is like having a mini trainer in your ears to motivate you and guide you every step of the way. Or, try choosing an upbeat music compilation of your favorite motivating songs. You can also pick a time and television show you just can’t miss and plan your treadmill workout during that time. You’ll be so engrossed in your program, you’ll forget all about the calorie burn and exercise you are doing at the same time.

With a consistent treadmill workout, you want to make sure you are preventing injury. Remember these key points when walking or running during your treadmill workout.

  • Avoid toe, heel and knee injuries by using good shoes. Replace old worn out shoes so they give you a good support and have proper shock absorption.
  • Don’t overdo it. Use the treadmill every other day, not every day. Don’t go too fast and take it slow.
  • Warm up. Make sure you stretch and warm up your muscles before getting into your exercise routine.

A treadmill can be an excellent addition to any workout. Use some of these suggestions to keep yourself motivated and injury free. Enjoy walking all year long during any temperature or weather conditions that are outside by doing your walking/running routine on a treadmill.

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Walk of Life

Oct 10, 2013

Walking is probably one of the best exercises for human beings. You can walk alone or walk with friends or your children. Walking is one exercise which has benefits galore and can be done by the young and old alike, you don’t need any specialized gym equipment and there isn’t a monthly membership fee. The benefits of walking include improved muscle strength and better balance. Walking will improve bone density and thus decrease your chances of developing osteoporosis. Because walking is easy, most people ignore the very real benefits and affects that walking has on the body and the mind.

To get the most of your walking, start off slowly and walk every second day. Start with about twenty minutes and gradually build up to 45 minutes to an hour five times a week. One of the advantages of walking is that you can do it anywhere, from a treadmill in a gym to out in the park. Remember you are exercising, so don’t dawdle along. Walk at a brisk pace. If you can’t talk with ease, you must slow down, as you are working your heart too hard. Walking will increase the blood flow in the entire body and also regulates the heart beat. This helps to keep heart diseases at bay as the heart is functioning normally due to the daily exercise it is getting.

Concentrate on your posture while you are walking and breathe through each step that you take. Walk tall, but don’t be too stiff. Hold your tummy tight and hold your head erect with your eyeline straight ahead. Your chin should be parallel to the ground. Strides should be long, but not over-stretched. Bend your arms at about 90 degrees and swing at waist level naturally with each step.

Benefits of Walking:

  • Stronger and bigger lungs
  • A stronger heart
  • A lower density of bad cholesterol
  • Better moods
  • Better management of your weight
  • Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes

If you want to walk for general health benefits, then you need to walk for at least thirty minutes a day at talking pace. For cardiovascular fitness, you will need to walk three or four days a week at a fast pace. Your breathing should be hard, but you shouldn’t be grasping for air. For weight loss, walk at least five days a week for forty five to sixty minutes at a brisk pace. You should hear yourself breathe, but you should still be able to talk.

By adapting walking as a daily form of exercise you actually are getting your body used to a pattern which helps to increase the body’s metabolism. When you have a higher rate of metabolism then the weight you gain is automatically under check as your body will use up all the calories consumed instead of storing them.

Walking also increases the blood flow to your brain, which helps as a stress buster. When a person is stressed out, the brain goes through dehydration and this leads to fatigue and tiredness. However walking helps in such situations by providing your brain with enough blood supply and this also helps you think clearly when you are going through stressful situations.

Make your walking workout fun. Try including a friend, child in a stroller, or partner they will help you stick to your program and stay committed.

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Take A Hike

Nov 04, 2012

Many people spend hours and hours in the gym because they believe that this is best way to get into shape. To a certain extent it is, however, there are a number of reasons why you may want to incorporate hiking or walking into your exercise regime. Let’s take a little look at a few of these reasons.As you can probably guess, hiking and walking are cardiovascular exercises. This means that this exercise gets your heart pumping and your lungs working. As a result, it will have a much greater effect on reducing heart disease and the chance of heart attacks. You will not get this same sort of benefit by weight lifting alone.

Walking is also fantastic for relieving stress. If you choose to walk in a beautiful area, you won’t even know that you are exercising! Walking is well known for releasing some of the ‘feel good’ chemicals such as adrenaline and endorphins. These help to boost your happiness levels, and of course make you feel less stressed. When you’re feeling over worked and stressed out walking can help clear your head while at the same time incorporate exercise into your busy day.

It can also be a social activity. You can go out walking with your friends and use that time exercising to catch up and trade stories. Just like running clubs you can also find walking or hiking clubs in your area. Joining these clubs is a great way to meet new people and improve your health. When you combine exercise with social activities it keeps you motivated to carry on with your exercise program.

I know I have already mentioned some of the benefits that hiking can bring, but let’s take a little look at them in even greater depth:

  • Improved Cardiovascular System, for example, your blood will flow better, heart will work more efficiently and your lungs as well. In short, you will be much fitter.
  • Improved Muscles. Hiking is great for building up the muscles, and is a fantastic break from the gym. You won’t be putting your muscles under too much of a strain either.
  • Combats various problems with the body. For example, the chance of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
    <li.One of the best methods for weight loss. In just an hour you can burn 370 calories, not a lot compared to some activities, but it won't really feel like a 'workout' and is a great starting point for people who haven't exercised before.

  • Great for sleeping better. Studies have shown that those who regularly engage in hiking tend to sleep better at night.

In order to feel the benefits of hiking or walking you don’t really need to devote much time to it. All that is required is around 30 minutes a day for five days of the week. Surely you can manage that amount of time? Trust me, incorporating hiking into your exercise regime could perhaps be one of the best decisions that you have ever made.

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