Walking For Exercise

Many people are unaware that walking for exercise is thought to be the best form of aerobic exercise. An estimated 65 million men and women are walking for exercise. There are a variety of reasons for this. Some have previous injuries that preclude them from strenuous forms of exercise. Others want to get the health benefits from walking for exercise while avoiding the gym.

Cardiovascular fitness is strengthened by walking. Walking increases endurance, strengthens muscles in the lower body and burns fat..Walking for exercise also helps to reduce stress. That means, if you have a stressful meeting, you can take ten minutes to walk a bit and reduce the stress caused by the meeting. In addition to the other health benefits.

A study of nearly 3,000 men aged 71 to 93 showed that those who walked approximately two miles a day had half the risk of heart attack than those that only walked a quarter mile a day. The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health conducted a study that showed women that started a walking program ten to fifteen years previously were more likely to stay active and had fewer documented cases of heart disease than women that were less active.

Treadmills are a good idea in using walking for exercise. A treadmill will keep you moving at a regulated pace, many have a readout that approximates the number of calories burned by walking at that pace for that amount of time. Treadmills also cause less impact on your knees. Furthermore, treadmills allow you to exercise in a climate controlled environment. This will allow you to exercise when the weather will not allow you outside and avoid the pollution that may be encountered outside.

Waterwalking, such as in a pool or at a lake or beach, is an excellent exercise. The resistance added by the water increases the intensity of the workout. Additionally, the water provides extra support to lessen the risk of injury during your workout. Walking two miles an hour in thigh high water burns the same number of calories as walking three miles an hour on dry land.

Race walking, known as striding in its non-competitive form, you will keep your lead foot on the ground as your other foot pushes off the ground. The knee of the front leg will remain straight as the body passes over it. Walking in this manner keeps one foot supporting the body at all times. This greatly reduces the impact per step; subsequently the injury rate is very low.

Walking quickly, approximately 5.5 miles an hour, can be as good a workout as running 6.5 miles an hour. A study conducted by the University of Colorado compared people race walking with those running. Everyone exercising at the same intensity made comparable gains in their cardiovascular fitness. During this study, the runners missed an average of 11 days of exercise due to injury, while the walkers averaged only one and a half days lost due to injury.

The following are some guidelines to follow to help you in using walking for exercise:

• Walk slowly for five minutes to get body warm before accelerating to your workout pace.

• Maintain good posture. Stand erect, with your eyes focused in front of you. Pull your stomach in.

• Walk using the heel-toe method. Your heel should touch the ground before your toes touch the ground. As you push off with your trailing foot, lift your knees as high as you can.

• Swinging your arms back and forth will help you to burn five to ten percent more calories and provide a muscle toning workout for your upper body as you walk.

• End your walk in the same fashion that you started it; decrease your pace to a stroll to help your body to cool.

Walking for exercise is the ideal way to keep yourself healthy without spending a fortune on a gym membership or on home exercise equipment. You can do it! Good health to you.