If a daily walk could be bottled into prescription form, there is no doubt that it would be the most prescribed drugs in the world! Walking has been associated with controlling your blood pressure, decreasing your risk for heart attack, boosting your “good” cholesterol (HDL), lowering your risk of stroke, reducing your risk for type 2 diabetes, as well as managing your weight. And the list goes on and on and on!
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, adults aged 18-64 should do 2 hours and 30 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity. Moderate intensity exercise is a level of activity that noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate. You may perspire some, but you will still be able to carry on a conversation. In other words, you can talk, but you can’t sing. If you are breathing too lightly, increase your pace, and if you can’t catch your breath, slow down. Remember also that, you do not have to do all your walking at one time, if you would like to break it up into three 10 minute sessions or two 15 minute sessions, you will get the same benefits as if you walked for 30 minutes without rest.
And last but not least, try to keep it interesting. One is the reasons walking is such a popular exercise for so many, is that you can do it almost any place at anytime without any special equipment. So the next time you have 10-15 minutes to kill before you have to go do one of the countless errands that I am sure you have to do, take a quick walk. Or the next time you are at the grocery store- park as far as you can away and then take an extra couple of laps around the inside perimeter of the store. You will be happily surprised to see how many places you can sneak in those extra steps! Happy walking!
For more information on why walking is so beneficial, or how to start your own walking plan, check out the American Heart Association’s website at : http://startwalkingnow.org