Physical activity is not only exercises in the gym, but also various, “smaller” activities performed every day, such as walking. Walking is often overlooked as a form of exercise, and it can also help improve our health or help burn excess calories.
Walking is one of the easiest activities to undertake – walking is simple, no special preparation or special equipment is needed, and at the same time it is one of the easiest ways to increase your activity and improve your health.
What are the benefits of taking regular walks?
Walking for 30 minutes each day has many health benefits. Here are the most important of them:
– walks help strengthen muscles,
– contribute to lowering blood pressure,
– help to burn unnecessary calories,
– prevent diseases in muscles and bones,
– reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis,
– improve the work of the brain and heart,
– thanks to exposure to sunlight, they increase the synthesis of vitamin D in the body.
Additionally, walking helps to improve overall well-being. Especially during walks among greenery and in the sunshine, stress and anger are reduced, which improves the mood for the rest of the day, and improves the quality of sleep at night.
How to start?
Put on any shoes that are comfortable and do not cause blisters, dress appropriately for the weather: in winter to keep you warm, in summer properly ventilated, when it rains, protect yourself from water. If you start taking longer walks regularly, you can invest in walking shoes for more difficult routes.
Before the walk, it is a good idea to stretch and warm up a little. Start the walk at a slow pace, and also slow down at the end of the walk. Start with routes in your area that are within your reach, and then increase the distances as you progress. The same goes for your pace: start at a leisurely pace, then increase your speed as you get in shape. Intertwine a brisk walk with a slower pace, then extend these faster intervals. Add mounds to add variety and intensity to your walks. After the training session is over, calm down your body with 5 minutes of easy walking.
You can achieve the best results when walking briskly, but if you have not been very active before and are exhausting brisk walking, gradually increase your distance and pace.
Everyday life of a stroller
As with any physical activity, the best results can be achieved with regularity. Make walking a part of your daily life. Walk on the way to work and to the store. If they are too far, swap at least part of the way to work for a walk – if you are traveling by public transport, you can get off a few stops before your destination and walk the rest of the way. Instead of parking in the nearest parking spot, park further and walk to your destination. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. When you have free time, go for a walk with friends or family.
How to make your walk pleasant
Listening to music or a podcast while walking will help take your mind off the effort and make your time more pleasant. Music will also help you keep the rhythm and help you walk faster. It may be surprising how quickly time passes as you follow the beat of your favourite tunes.
It is also worth planning an interesting walking route. You don’t have to go to the countryside or to the mountains for a satisfying walk. There are many places in cities and towns that are worth visiting during a walk: parks, historic trails, riverside paths, parks and forests. Maybe the walks will be a pretext for you to get to know the surroundings of your place of residence better.
Technique
The undeniable advantage of walking is that you do not need any special skills, much less a lesson. The most important thing is to walk naturally, but if you are striving for the perfect stride, a few tips may help you:
– Try to maintain an upright body posture with your chin raised, eyes facing forward, and shoulders straight. Keep your back straight, stomach flat, chest open.
– Keep your arms close to your body, bent at the elbow.
– As you progress, try to lengthen your stride.
Let?s go for a walk!
Walking offers great opportunities: you can adjust the pace and intensity of the walk to yourself, you can walk alone or in the company of friends, on a treadmill or outdoors, in the city or in the countryside. Walking is a safe exercise that is very easy to perform and requires only comfortable shoes. At the same time, it brings great health benefits. Already 30 minutes of walking a day helps to keep the body in good condition and improves mood.