If running is too high impact and swimming just isn’t your thing, walking is a simple and easy activity that still has many benefits. Believe it or not, simply walking around your neighborhood or even in the local mall at a brisk pace can have aerobic benefits on your body – without the stress on your muscles and joints that running can have.
The health benefits of walking are similar to those of running and swimming and other aerobic exercises, especially when done intensely. These are benefits that will help you lead a healthier, happy and longer life. Just by simply going out and walking your dog, walking to the grocery store or walking around the block several times, you can start to lose weight. At the same time, your body will start to lower your bad cholesterol that harms your heart and start to raise your good cholesterol that helps protect your heart. This effect of walking at a brisk pace will help you avoid getting heart disease and help you avoid having a heart attack or stroke.
Walking has even been shown to help reduce the chances of certain types of cancers like breast cancer. And if your doctor has told you that your blood pressure is too high – just go take a walk several times each week, and you’ll help bring that blood pressure down. If stress is causing you problems, or is one of the causes of your high blood pressure, walking can help with that too. Walking is a relaxing activity shown to help reduce stress and anxiety.
At first, don’t worry about how fast you’re walking, just start by getting yourself out there and getting into a routine. Then the more you walk and the longer your distance is that you walk, you can start to increase your speed. Try to aim for more than three miles per hour - that’s just one mile for every 20 minutes. You’ll really start to see the positive effects of walking once you can get to 3.1 miles per hour or more, since that’s the pace when walking starts to mimic the same health effects as jogging. But it’s still easier on your body.
To help burn some more calories, swing your arms as you walk. Not only will this get your upper body involved and help raise your heart rate some, it will help you walk faster. Also, be sure to visit your local sports store to purchase the right kind of shoes for walking. They have shoes specifically designed for those who walk for fitness and recreation.