Exercise of the Week - WALK!

I have had the luxury of enjoying several sunny and 80 degree days this week and to celebrate, the exercise of the week, this week, is: WALKING!

Photo & Tips from Cooking Light.com

Get out and walk!! :) 

Take your baby. Take your dog. Take your sweetie. Take your kids. Whatever it takes - get your booty out and walk.


Fitness walking is an excellent way to tone muscles and burn calories. In fact, you can burn almost as many calories with a vigorous walk as you can running, and fitness walking is much less stressful on the body. You will need to average about 12 to 15 minutes per mile. Start by walking for at least 20 to 30 minutes three to four days per week. Increase this to five to six days per week if you're trying to lose weight.

Proper Walking Form TIPS:

• Stand tall with your head up, chin level, and eyes gazing forward.

• Lift chest, and relax shoulders. Breathe deeply as you walk to get the maximum amount of oxygen to your muscles.

• Bend arms slightly and swing them front to back, not side to side or crossing the body. Do not swing elbows higher than chest level.

• Keep abs tight.

• Push off with toes and land on heel, rolling back through to toe to push off again.

• Maintain a natural stride length.

Add speed intervals to your walks to burn up to 10 times more calories than you would during an ordinary fitness walk. 

GETTING STARTED:

First off - We can ALL WALK! We all do it. Even if it's just a little bit or an entire 12 hour shift. It is one physical activity WE ALLLLLLLLLLLLL CAN DO. Therefore, I don't want to hear any excuses! Just for once, DO IT! 

If physically, you really have to, start with 10 minutes. Add a minute each day to your walk. Build up and eventually, you will be walking 30 minutes (or more) before you know it!!! 


After warming up, fitness walk for three minutes, then add a one-minute speed interval. Increase your walking pace to about 8 or 9 on an intensity scale of 1-10. At the end of one minute, slow back to your fitness speed. Continue alternating three-minute segments of fitness walking with one-minute increments of speed for a total of 10 intervals. ** I like to use a stop watch and set my intervals to just repeat over and over. This way, my mind is on my walk/body, not my watch.** 

Interval workouts should be done no more than twice a week to give your body/muscles time to recover.

 

Find a parking lot. Find a sidewalk. Find a neighborhood. Find the Greenway. Get outside and enjoy the breeze, the birds, the heat and the sweat forming on your brow.   

Bonus: You can get your Vit.D while your out too!