Why Walking?
Over the years when my guilt about my unfit body reached massive proportions, I did some pretty stupid things, such as sinking large amounts of money into exercise equipment. These pieces, which ended up cluttering my bedroom and rec room, usually went unused after the first few days. The next year the stationary bike or the stair stepper or whatever ended up in a garage sale or was passed on to a friend who was touched by guilt over her unfit body. (This guilt can be catchy!)
Then I learned a simple, natural and less costly way to get fit. I started to walk on a regular basis for exercise. Amazingly, this works. I not only got fit, but I lost weight.
For all of you who have made getting fit your goal for 2007, take some advice from me: Start walking and you, too, will discover there are benefits to this form of exercise. These benefits include:
- It’s simple. All you need are your feet and good walking shoes. And we all know how to walk.
- It’s convenient. You don’t need to drive anywhere. Just walk out your front door and walk around your neighborhood. Even short 10-minute walks, three times a day will lead to fitness.
- It’s good for body and mind. For the body, it raises your metabolism which, in turn, burns fat. For your mind, it releases endorphins, which make you feel good.
- It’s gentle. It’s a low impact exercise so it won’t damage your ankles or knees. At the same time, it’s aerobic, which means it’s good for your heart, and it’s a weight-bearing exercise, which means it’s good for your legs.
- It’s effective. You can burn up to 100 calories for each mile you walk if you walk at a pace of four miles per hour. Walk 15 miles and that’s 100 calories burned; walk one hour and you’ll burn 400 calories.
There are a few other things I learned along the way when I began to walk. Having a good friend, one who walks at the same pace as you do, makes these fitness walks even more pleasant. And there are talking books. Taking one along on your walks provides you not only with entertainment but often with an incentive to walk longer. Just make sure you can hear approaching traffic and always be aware of your surroundings!
Comments
I love walking, although right now it might not make it above 0` today!
Posted by: Carol | February 5, 2007 12:02 PM