Walking For Good Health and Fitness

It's a beautiful crisp autumn day, you have twenty minutes to relax, why not take a walk? Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, it doesn't cost you more than the purchase of a pair of good walking shoes, and it can be done any time, by anyone. It doesn't matter if the gym is closed, if your bike has a flat tire, or if you can't find your jumprope...walking requires nothing more than you walking out your front door!

Walking helps to strengthen your heart, it's a great aerobic exercise for anyone trying to lose weight, and it's a chance to get some fresh air and sunlight (you need sunlight to produce vitamin D in your body). We tend to spend too much time indoors. A brisk 20 or 30 minute walk in the morning or with your husband in the evening is a great way to clean out your lungs and see your neighborhood once in a while.



There are lots of other incredible benefits to walking too. As with all exercise, it releases endorphins, which improve your mood. Unlike other exercises, though, there is no pressure on your joints or risk of tearing a muscle. You can incorporate walking into your daily chores (if the market is only 15 minutes away, walk there with a reusable canvas grocery bag, buy some fruits and veggies for the day, and walk back home...you walked 30 minutes today).

Walking is a great opportunity to enjoy listening to music, to catch up on the latest fiction novels by listening to a book on tape, or to spend time with a friend who walks with you. You can even encourage each other to get healthier together!



If you feel you just don't have the time to start right now, but aren't exercising and are out of shape, try to find ways to incorporate at least a bit of walking into your days. Even a small improvement in your health and a small weight loss may encourage you to finally commit to making it a daily habit. If you have to go to the library, walk there. Don't drive your children to the park, walk together. Don't drive the two blocks to the video store tonight, walk there. Make it an at home date with your husband after dinner...a nice walk, stroll through the aisles together to pick a movie, and a leisurely stroll back home. Why rush? As you walk together, you'll talk together and not even notice the time pass. When you walk with someone, you don't feel tired, you have fun.

Exercising is truly one of the greatest exercises. In my neighborhood, many couples walk together daily well into their senior years, and they look great. It's very social...there are even walking clubs in many cities. If you hit a patch of rainy days, you can finally make use of the treadmill that's been collecting dust by walking on that until the skies clear again. Who says you have to run or jog? Did you know that if you briskly walk five miles, you actually burn more calories than if you jog for five miles? And it's easier on your knees, and best of all, you don't feel so out of breath at the end, and don't perspire as much (you may run into someone you know...why not look as great as you feel?). You are more likely to stick to an exercise that you enjoy and doesn't cause you pain or inconvenience. Walking for many people fits the bill.

Read about the benefits of water!