Healthy Walking Tips

Walking is one of the easiest and most beneficial forms of exercise. As statistics proves, Americans lifestyles have become increasingly more sedentary. Just taking a 10-20 minute walk everyday will help improve your overall health including:

Ready to get started? Just read through the information below, grab your tennis shoes and head out the door! For more information on healthy walking, please visit The Walking Site.

Beginning a Fitness Walking Program

You know you want to begin a fitness program, but don't know where to start. It's easy! All you need is a good pair of shoes, comfortable clothing and desire.

Warm Ups and Stretching

• Warm up
• Flexibility exercises
• Walk
• Cool down
• Stretch
  

10,000 Steps a Day - How many steps do you walk each day?

Walking Gear

Walking is one of the easiest fitness activities. Almost anyone can start a walking routine without the need to purchase any additional gear. As time goes, you may get more serious and wish to purchase special clothing, accessories and gadgets. In the beginning, all you need are a comfortable pair of shoes.

Walking, Injuries, Aches, and Pains

• Healthy Knees - Tips for avoiding knee injuries and exercises to strengthen leg muscles.
• Do your shins ache? - You are not alone.
• Walking can be a pain in the foot - Common foot problems.
• How to Prevent Blisters and Chafing - Take preventative measures to protect yourself from blisters and chafing.

Motivation and Support

We are all motivated by different things. You have to find out what motivates you, such as wanting to stay healthy and fit for your children or that your fitness program keeps you in shape to be able to do things you enjoy. 

Healthy Eating Plan

It is important to choose a healthy eating program that you can stick with for life. Dieting simply produces a yo-yo effect. Yes, you may lose weight, but how long until it is back? Eat healthy, drink plenty of water, exercise daily and get plenty of rest. It is also important to know how many calories you actually need to maintain your weight. Many of us don't eat enough calories, so our body thinks it's starving and hard as we may try, the pounds will not come off. Use this tool to Estimate Your Calorie Needs. Also see the handy Nutrition Calculator to figure how many fat grams you need in your daily diet.

Treadmill Walking

Research has shown that the treadmill is the most used of all indoor aerobic fitness equipment. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and owning a treadmill makes sticking with your walking routine easier. If time, personal safety, allergies, or weather conditions limit your outdoor walking a treadmill can be a great asset. Do you get the same benefits as outdoor walking? Yes! You may even get a better workout since it is easier to control speed, incline, etc.

Racewalking

Do you feel the need for speed? Racewalking may be your answer. Although racewalking is a technique that can be used at any walking speed, it is generally used by walkers to increase their speed and endurance. Plus the racewalking technique provides a great aerobic workout and burns more calories per mile than fitness walking or running.

Strength Training

You can improve your appearance, strength, muscle to fat ratio and even your walking performance by adding strength training to your walking routine.

Some benefits of strength training:

Did you know?

SCC graduates are guaranteed admission to a public, Florida, four-year university as a junior.