Lifestyle Walking - Make It Work For You

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

04 Mar 2007 08:06 AM

I want to talk about lifestyle walking today in preparation for our Spring Forward to Action Challenge, which will begin on March 11th. I intend to use lifestyle walking and the techniques associated with it in both my recovery and for kicking off the challenge. Lifestyle walking, you see is a style that is great for every beginner but specifically for those who meet the following criteria:

• In the last three months, you have exercised very little or you haven't exercised very much at all
• If you can't walk a mile in 16 minutes
• If you have a BMI of 25 or greater

It's important if you have health considerations (such as recovering from surgery here) that you get clearance from your doctor before you begin any exercise program including a walking program. For example, my physician has indicated I need to wait until Monday (one week following my surgery) and I should keep my pace to something light and moderate, designed to get me moving, but not to cause me to pant or get overwhelmed.

Casual Walking

What sets lifestyle walking apart from other forms of walking is that it allows you to collect your walking throughout your day. You can walk for 20 minutes in the morning, 20 in the afternoon and 20 in the evening and make noticeable progress in your overall health, stamina and weight loss efforts. Because lifestyle walking isn't done at a punishing pace, it's also conducive to walking with others.

Walking with a family member or friend can encourage you to walk whether it's an after dinner stroll, walking the kids to school or taking the dog out for a walk. You'll be able to talk without panting or needing to catch your breath and you can peel the minutes away quickly because you'll be walking at a comfortable, low intensity pace.

For example, a lifestyle walker is not going to be utilizing high intensity, instead they are going to be walking at a pace of 2.5 miles per hour. If they walk 60 minutes in a day, they will likely cover about 2 and a half miles total in that overall time for the day and that's where lifestyle walking will benefit them.

Walking that burns a 1,000 to 1,500 calories per week (lifestyle walking can do this if you average 60 minutes total a day) will help you see noticeable results across the board without every feeling like you are overdoing it. As is natural, lifestyle walking will also see increases in your speed over time as your stamina and strength develop.

Set Aside Time for Your Walking

While most of us do a lot of 'regular' walking and that time will accumulate with your scheduled walks, you still want to make regular, lifestyle walks a part of your daily routine. You can start off with just 15 to 20 minutes a day and build from there. Every other bit of walking you do then will just be icing on the cake so to speak.

Can you walk for 20 minutes every day?

Related Articles:

The Four Kinds of Walking

My Little Inspiration: Our Local 1-Mile Walk

Planning Ahead - Want to Walk a Mile?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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