Walking For Beginners
Walking is such an integral part of living, akin to breathing and sleeping, that we take it for granted. Moreover, we tend to view walking as a mundane function that we perform rather than a tool with many useful features. Before beginning a walking regimen, then, the first step you will need to take is to change how you think about this underutilized skill that you possess. You would do well to internalize the knowledge that walking regularly can improve your overall health, help you lose weight, and increase your self-esteem and sense of wellbeing.
Beginners Should Start Out With Baby Steps
It is probably best to ease into this new endeavor, particularly if you're out of shape or easily discouraged. So to begin with, try walking around your neighborhood for about ten minutes at whatever speed you're comfortable with. No matter how slow you walked, the exercise will have been good for you. More importantly, you will have overcome the mental inertia that has been preventing you from taking action up to this point.
Once you've decided that walking has some real potential, you can gradually increase your walking time, distance and pace. To get the most health benefits out of walking, ultimately your goal will be to walk at a pace that qualifies as aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes, three to five times a week. As a rule of thumb, the aerobic exercise threshold is reached when your walking makes you almost too out of breath to speak easily. When you reach that point, your walking speed will be between three and four miles per hour.
If you are not always able to devote a half hour or more to walking, as a beginner you should be aware that there is scientific evidence that many short periods of aerobic exercise will have comparable results as fewer more sustained aerobic workouts. So walk whenever you have time without stressing out because you're not always able to get in as much exercise as you think you should.
Walking around your neighborhood can be enlightening. You may gain a new appreciation for your neighborhood, or you might decide that it's time to move. You'll certainly get to see your area from a different perspective. As much as you may enjoy these walks, your neighborhood is just one option.
There are only so many routes you can take from your front door to explore your surroundings, so after a time you may begin to get bored and start looking for other walking venues. Is there a nice park or a high school track nearby? How about a lake with a walking path, a gym with an indoor track or a treadmill, or a mall that allows mall walking? The question of where to walk shouldn't be an obstacle. That is a logistical problem that can be solved with relative ease.
Walking needn't always be a solitary activity. Many beginners find it easier and more enjoyable to keep up their walking routine by walking with others, at least some of the time. With a little thought you can find lots of ways to keep your walking regimen enjoyable and healthful.
Useful Tips For Beginners
Beginners Tip 1 - Warm up your muscles slowly by walking at a normal pace for the first five minutes.
Beginners Tip 2 - When walking for weight loss, people who faithfully track caloric intake and usage are statiscally more likely to stick with their overall program and have better long term results.
Beginners Tip 3 - Walking at a 3-4 mph pace burns between 90 and 150 calories per mile, depending upon your body weight and metabolism rate.
Beginners Tip 4 - Four laps around a track equals about one mile.
Beginners Tip 5 - One mile is more or less equivalent to 20 blocks in New York, 16 blocks in the Midwest, and 10 blocks on the west coast.
Beginners Tip 6 - It takes 15-20 minutes for the average person to walk one mile at a moderate to brisk pace.
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