5 Walking Tips for “Take A Walk In the Park Day”

Tomorrow, March 30th, is National Take A Walk In the Park Day. You may think that walking isn’t a great workout, but you’d be surpised! Walkinghas some amazing health benefits that we can all benefit from. You can increase your cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your bones and boost muscle power and endurance by simply walking 30 minutes a day!

Did you know thatby walking just a little bit each day, you can reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. The best thing about walking is that it’s free, you don’t need any special training, and you can do it practically anywhere!

Walking Efficiently

To get the health benefits that come with walking, it’s important to ensure you are taking a brisk 30 minute walk each day. This means you are walking a bit faster than usual, resulting in your heart rate going a bit higher than usual.

If you find walking at a brisk pace of 30 minutes is too strenuous, break it up! For instance, you could do three 10 minute intervals of brisk walking or two 15 minute intervals. Do whatever works best for you!

5 Walking Tips

If you think you’re too busy to take time out of your day to walk – chances are, you’re probably not! Here are some alternatives to walking in the park:

Start walking to and from work or getting off the train or bus a stop or two early and walking the rest of the way. This way you sneak a bit of exercise into your daily routine without changing too much!

If you can’t walk to work, one thing you can do is stand up and take a lap around the office or your home for five minutes each hour. Toremember to do this, set an alarm on your phone or watch!

Have a dog, significant other or just a good friend? Go for a walk together! This makes it feel less like exercise, and you’ll have some company!

Wear a pedometer! You can purchase a simple pedometer online, or get some sort of fitness watch that tracks your steps. You can set goals or compete against friends or family which might motivate you to walk a bit more as well!

If its too cold outside, head to your local mall and walk there. As long as you’re getting active, it doesn’t matter where you do it!

One really important thing to remember when walking is to wear comfortable shoes. Walking in shoes that aren’t made for walking long distances could cause discomfort in your feet and shins. A running sneaker or any sneaker with arch support will work fine!

Your Turn to Take Action:Will you celebrate National Take A Walk In the Park Day tomorrow? Let me know in the comments below!