The Health Benefits of Walking as Exercise

We all live in a society which basically has eradicated any form of natural exercise which could be beneficial to us, especially walking. Think about it: We basically live in our cars! We run our errands by entering drive-through restaurants, post offices and what not. Our whole infrastructure is designed based upon the automobile and we are programmed to use it whenever possible. If you want to exercise you can drive to the gym. How ironic!

However, walking is an exercise most anyone can do. It does not cost anything and does not require special equipment. It is by far the easiest exercise and can be incorporated into any daily routine. You will realize health benefits walking 30 minutes a day, five times a week
You can start out slowly, adding a few more minutes to your walking routine every day. It might surprise you how many calories you burn by walking for exercise (To calculate how many calories are burned walking, use the formula below)!

Here are some more easy suggestions on how to exercise at work: Start walking the stairs at work. Take a walk during your lunch hour to relax.Take the dog for a walk. Park at the far end of the store parking lot and walk a little farther.

Recommended read: A little bit of Exercise Motivation

The nordic sport of pole walking or, as it is officially called, nordic walking is a sport very popular in Europe, but it's quickly becoming a fitness rage in the United States.

Here's a list of some walking benefits(in no particular order)

• Benefits your mobility, and increases your energy level


• Decreases your stress level


• Lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol


• Walking is a low impact exercise and minimizes joint stress


• Helps prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and stroke


• Benefits healthy weight maintenance


• Relieves back pain and arthritis


• Improves your sleep


• Walking benefits your sense of well-being


• It is a motivator, a "gateway exercise"; it gets your blood flowing and makes you want to exercise more

Walking regularly vs occasionally is important to reap the most benefits from a walking fitness routine. It is recommended that you walk at least 30 minutes a day, on five or more days of the week.

When walking just to relax, don't regard your walk as exercise, per se. Unwind and let your mind and body relax!

Enjoy the sights and sounds which surround you. Of course, it would be best if you can walk in a park setting to get the most out of this.

Take the time to take in nature: enjoy the landscape, the sound of wildlife and the fresh smells!
But if you enjoy people watching, a walk down Main St. would be just as good.

One of the benefits of walking is that it releases tension. You'll slowly let go of anxiety and worries, as you relax into a peaceful walking experience

Exercise is an important factor with any weight reduction effort. One of the benefits of walking is that it promotes a healthy weight, if done properly. So burn calories by walking!

Walking and weight loss go hand in hand! Walking is probably the safest, natural form of exercise there is. Most effective, when walking to lose weight, is to alternate between intervals of slow, moderate and fast speeds during your walking session. That gives you a good cardio workout that will keep your body burning calories long after you are done walking. This walking technique is called Power Walking.

Don't forget about warming up if your walk contains strenuous paces to prevent injury while working out

The secret to walking for exercise and weight loss is that you have to vary the intensity of your pace. If you are using a treadmill follow this 30 minute fitness walking schedule to help you with your weight loss efforts:

• Stage 1: Warm-up. Walk at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes at level


• Stage 2: Increase speed to 3 mph and raise your incline to 15%. Taking long strides, maintain this level for 2 minutes


• Stage 3: Reduce your incline to 1% and increase your walking speed to 4mph; maintain for another 2 minutes


• Stage 4: Slow down to warm-up pace for 1 minute


• Stage 5: Repeat stages 2,3 and 4 ; do this 3 times


• Stage 6: Walk at warm-up speed for an additional 5 minutes to cool down

Although a leisurely stroll through the park is better than no exercise at all, to reap most of the walking benefits you should consider these tips:

1. Vary your walking speed
Try the technique of Power Walking! Your walk should consist of several phases of varying speeds. You should start with a couple of minutes of slow walking to warm up your muscles. Next fall into a moderate pace for a few minutes and lastly enter a burst of race walking. Try to really push yourself. Now alternate between intense and moderate a few times before finishing with a few minutes of slow walking, to cool down.

By using this walking technique you'll challenge your body and burn more calories during and after your walk. It is a good cardio workout which benefits your overall fitness level, as well.

2. Walking with Weights
To increase your calorie consumption during your walk even more, try taking a couple of weights along. A 1 or 2 pound weight is sufficient for this purpose. During your walk alternate the weight between your hands and perform a lifting motion while you walk. This exercise benefits your upper body while you walk and carries the same calorie burning characteristics as regular weight training does, meaning you are burning calories as a result of this exercise even after you have finished. A good alternative to walking with hand weights would be walking with ankle weights.

3. Vary your route when walking.
Walking on natural terrain is more beneficial than walking around a track at your local school. When walking irregular terrain, like inclines, you challenge your back muscles adding another part of your body to your workout. Walking natural terrain also keeps your walk interesting, as you encounter different sights.

To get the most benefits of walking and to make your exercising experience most rewarding, try to push yourself beyond just a mere "walk". Try and incorporate as many parts of your body into the workout and you will not only lose weight but also increase your level of fitness and well-being.

The following formula is adopted from 'Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running,' Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, Cameron et al, Dec. 2004: