Walking is increasingly being rated as an excellent means of staying fit and healthy. It is natural form of exercise that we do every day to some extent. For those who consider it a form of exercise the risks of suffering an injury are low as long as you follow a gradual programme and don’t do too much too soon. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes with adequate support and shock absorption and a watch with a second hand if you want to measure the intensity of your walk by measuring the heart rate. The benefits that you derive from walking are dependant on many factors that include, how frequently you walk, the distance covered and the intensity of your walks.

While a half-hour amble through the park might do wonders to reduce your stress levels, it would not do much in terms of weight loss. However, a programme of regular brisk walking (six to eight km), combined with an energy-controlled, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet should cut some body fat.

Do’s

. Make your walks a priority. Unless you recognize them as an essential feature of your lifestyle, you will soon abandon them.

. Try to convince a friend to join you. You can motivate one another and chat while walking. Ideally, get your spouse to walk too.

. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes. Take the advice of well-trained staff at the shoe shop.

. Set yourself a goal and reward yourself when you achieve it. Positive reinforcement is strongly linked to success and sustainability.

. Monitor your progress, keep track of the distance walked, how long it took and what your exercising heart rate over a 10-second period is. Also measure your waist, hips and chest every month.

. Find an attractive variety of routes to avoid boredom. A food idea is to measure out a 3-5 km route, which you walk as fast as you can once a week.

. Read up on the benefits of regular walking, i.e. a decrease in your risk of suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression. This information will strengthen your resolve.

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Don’t’s

. Don’t expect significant weight loss in the first few weeks. Walking 3-4 times a week at a moderate to high intensity can result in fat loss, if combined with high carbohydrate, low-fat meals.

. Don’t walk alone in the dark and wear a reflective belt/clothing at dawn or dusk.

. Don’t miss sessions early on in your programme. In a few months, you will probably be addicted to it.

. Don’t overdo it. Many people start off totally fired up and think that mote is better and add in extra sessions. this leads to burnout and is not sustainable.

The Starting Point-

. Men over 40. women over the 50 and those with either a chronic disease or risk factors musk seek medical advice.

. Purchase a pair of suitable walking shoes, a watch with a second hand and a reflective belt.

. Measure out routes ranging from 2-5 km in a safe and attractive suburb.

. Do some baseline measurements as well as your walking sessions.

. Warm up for five minutes before starting out on your walk.

About the Author:

Ashley Green: for http://www.weightloss-health.com/muscle_building.html your complete and most comprehensive guide on Muscle Building.

Look out for highly effective women muscle building programs at Weight Training for Women- Workouts and Tips

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Walking is the best form of exercise to increase your health and fitness. It’s easy to begin, you can set your own goals and it’s free!

Whilst others may encourage you to join a gym you may lack the confidence to begin exercising in such a public arena. Walking for fitness will give you the flexibility to exercise wherever and whenever you want.

It’s great to have flexibility but initially you may find having a set schedule very helpful while you establish your walking routine. For the first three weeks set aside a definite time each day for your walking program. Write the schedule in your diary or daily planner and don’t let anything come between you and your daily walk. Why? Because too often exercise commitments are broken because you put someone else’s needs before your own. For 21 days you are going to put your own health and well being first. You must begin taking care of you! Starting now.

Starting your walking program is much easier than joining an expensive gym. In fact, the only equipment you’ll need will be a comfortable pair of walking shoes, although taking along a MP3 player and headphones can help you set a steady pace. Walking to music will encourage you to keep up your step and listening to inspirational or motivational speakers while walking can often encourage you to walk a greater distance!

If you are new to exercise begin your new fitness walking program slowly. Start with a daily 10-minute walk at a moderate pace before increasing to a 20-minute walk. By the end of your first week of walking you should be able to comfortably walk for 20 minutes.

During your second week of walking increase your distance and your pace. At the end of 14 days you should be walking for 30 minutes and you’ll be surprised at how much ground you can cover.

This might also be a good time to review your eating habits and establish healthy patterns. You will accomplish a lot more is you maintain a healthy lifestyle while establishing your life-changing and possibly life-saving walking program.

When you enter your third week of walking you may consider introducing a few hills or stairs into your daily walk. At the end of three weeks you’ll have established your walking pattern, you should be feeling much more energetic and start noticing some weight loss - especially if you’ve modified your eating habits during this period.

You can now continue your fitness program by walking at a smart pace for around 45 minutes at least three times a week. The benefits to your health will be enormous and ongoing.

Beginning a walking program can help you reduce your weight and reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, increase your bone density, reduce stress and benefit the joints. Walking keeps you active, increases mental alertness, boosts your energy levels and improves your overall well-being.

Walking off the weight may be just what the doctor ordered but remember to consult your doctor before beginning this or any other exercise program, especially if you are overweight and haven’t exercised on a regular basis for some time.

Alison Stevens runs a fitness walking program for baby boomers and maintains the website http://www.walking-for-fitness.com
and the blog http://fitnesswalking.blogspot.com to encourage others to begin their own walking program.

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Cross training shoes are a very versatile shoe. What ever your choices of exercise are, walking, weight training, Pilates, good cross training shoes will provide a good diversity of support toward achieving your goal. They are referred to as a mid range type of exercise shoe. They are not really created for any one specific type of extreme sport activity. For example, if you plan on doing a fair amount of running, you may want to buy a proper running shoe. If you plan to get a healthy mix of forms of exercises then cross training shoes are a smart choice.

Good training shoes should be able to meet all your needs. When looking for the best pair of cross trainers, keep your physical activities and physical needs in mind. Some shoes are designed with running and general exercise in mind, others are best suited for cardio or in weight training. Nothing to extreme or excessive of course.

There are many designs but most styles are created to accommodate a variety of needs. You will find several good cross trainers are mid-cut, not as flexible as a running shoe, and good with support. The support is usually shown in the way they design the sides of the shoes. A combination of leather and breathable mess is a good combination.

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