Why walking?
Benefits
Walking, which beats the stuffing out of doing nothing, is likely the simplest place to start moving. The vast majority of us walk, I am just saying that we need to step it up a notch and walk deliberately. There are a multitude of physical and psychological benefits to be gained from walking.
Walking is a no impact way to burn extra calories. 250 to 300 minutes per week works out to be 36 to 43 minutes each day. That is, if you walk with purpose seven days a week. I have a puppy, so I take lots of walks at 20 to 35 minutes each. I clear four miles a day with this pup. This puts me in the pocket of between 6,000 and 10,000 steps daily for weight loss.
Weight loss notwithstanding, there are other benefits to be gained. Heart health through sustained light cardio has several health effects. It lowers your resting blood pressure, for one. It strengthens your heart without massive strain. If you’re just getting off a couch or sedentary lifestyle this is easy to make a habit of without stressing your system. Mayo Clinic studies show that moderate walking also reduces your risk of strokes and heart disease.
We are doing this with the goal of weight loss. This is a two part approach. The first being walking is burning extra calories. As such, these calories are not stored as fat. Pair this with a reasonable diet and you make strong progress.
Strong progress in weight loss is not dramatic changes in a short period of time. Your goal should be one to two pounds lost per week. With a solid diet plan and daily walking this is a reasonable rate to lose weight.
Walking is far easier on your joints than many other exercises. It is a low impact exercise. That is, one foot is on the ground at all times. Walking also lubricates the joints. It moves synovial fluid into and through the joints.
Even though walking is low impact it also strengthens both bones and muscles. This means more mobility as we age. It also lowers the risk of breaking bones. Good things to have, these densities.
There are more benefits than physical gained in this. Exercise brings about several mental and emotional benefits. It can lower depression symptoms through stress relief and the production of endorphins. Together, this lowers anxiety.
The increase in blood flow increases oxygen in the brain. This blood flow and oxygen boost improve memory, focus, and long term cognitive function. In short, walking helps stave off some age related brain issues.
Some folk can sleep just by laying down and closing their eyes. Many of us cannot enjoy that skill. Walking is the first step in increasing daily physical activity. This increase aids in falling asleep at night. .
Accessibility
Walking something we all do. This makes it highly accessible. No gym fees needed, just several blocks or a track to use. Footwear is a consideration. I use hiking boots in lieu of sneakers. I find them more comfortable. I also walk at 280 pounds. My background as a powerlifter has granted me this weight. Hiking boots handle my weight better than sneakers. There are, though, several arguments for the use of sneakers. Weight and stability being key features.
Since you will cover miles at a time be certain to select the best fit footwear for you and your goals. A simple search online will get you the most current list of top rated sneakers.
How much walking
We have touched on how long you need to walk in each session. 36 to 41 minutes each day of the week or 50 to 60 minutes of walking five days a week. It really is not that much.
While I average 13,500 steps per day and clear 4 miles you have different length legs. Shorter legs will require more steps to get the mileage while taller athletes will have lower step counts.
Generally, the health news leans to the 10,000 steps per day level. I support the time spent. How many minutes you do per day, hours per week, matters. You should have the goal of moderate to fast walking for the duration of your time goal.
Start with time or pace goals that are reasonable for you based on your doctor’s opinion. Do not start from nothing without talking to your doctor.
