Step Up!
First, let’s talk about some of the benefits of walking! Walking is a form of exercise available to most people. You don’t need equipment other than a pair of shoes, and you can do it indoors or outdoors! Also, your walking pace can be adjusted to fit any fitness level.
Walking for regular activity can help reduce your risk of common health problems as well such as:
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Depression
150 minutes of exercise a week is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This can be broken up in many ways, but a good goal is 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. If walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes is too much for you, or if you’re short on time, try breaking it up into a few 10-minute walks each day!
Adding any regular movement to your routine is beneficial, so start where you can and increase the amount step by step!
10,000 steps a day is viewed mainly as the magic number, but your individual goal may vary depending on your fitness level. Here are ten ideas for fitting more walking into your daily routine to hit your goal!
- Take the dog for a walk, join a friend while they walk their dog or offer to walk someone’s dog!
- Try listening to upbeat music while walking.
- Include family or friends and go for a walk/hike together.
- Go places in person instead of ordering online.
- Take a walk instead of sitting if you’re early for an appointment or waiting for a flight.
- Schedule workday walks by putting a reminder in your calendar.
- Choose parking spots further away from the entrance.
- Walk to work or your weekend errands, if possible.
- Take the stairs; going up and down is beneficial!
- Drinking more water, which requires frequent bathroom breaks, and choosing a bathroom further away also adds a few extra steps!
