by Kerry Taylor
Whether you’re new to exercise and getting in shape or a vet in the game, you usually don’t hear walking at the top of the lists of things to do. You usually here start doing HIIT workouts, start running or strength train, etc. But any coach worth something will never poo poo walking and will tell you it’s a great thing to do.
The body is meant to move and one thing that simply gets overlooked is going for a walk of some kind. Why? Because it’s something we do every day to some degree. Over the past few years you have seen more and more of our devices automatically come with a step tracker with the goal of 10,000 steps already programmed into the system. The average is roughly 3,000-4,000 steps, so as a society, we have some work to do. Having 10,000 steps as a goal may seem like a small task when you think, “well, I walk all day soooo..”. But have you really tracked how many steps you have taken on a daily basis to see where you fall? Depending on your lifestyle, it may be way off or way over or just getting there. Are you someone who sits all day? Or for big chunks of the day? Or are you someone who has a very physical job and you’re on your feet most of the day? Do you drive a lot? Depending your lifestyle, you may be missing out on some great opportunities to improve your health and fitness, or even better, maintain where you’re at. But, we don’t know where we are if we haven’t measured it before. Check your phone or your watch, turn off the tracker or check the tracker and see where you end up at the end of the day. What it says, however accurate or not, gives you a general idea of where you stand. And as always, try to get better at it. Whether that’s shooting for 100 more steps or a 1000, just go for it.
Why is walking important:
1) LOW IMPACT
Walking creates very little impact. Unlike its counter part that can create a lot of impact, running. Running can cause a lot of chaos in our bodies if we aren’t sure how to run properly or if we are severely over weight and not prepared for it.
2) BURNS CALORIES
It’s a simple way to add to your total amount of calories burned. Over time it all adds up to equal a jump start or assist in losing weight. Or just being able to maintain what you’ve already achieved.
3) STRESS RELEIVER
Try it! On any given day, our stress levels can be high. Something I find that helps me is putting on some good music and going for a walk at the end of my day to help clear my head and reset myself from whatever the day brought to me. If you’ve never done it, give it a shot.
4) INCREASE ACTIVITY
We always talk about, “Keep moving!”. Here is a simple way to do that. Walking will not take away from any of your gains, it will only help you to make more gains.
5) MENTAL FOCUS
I know people don’t enjoy this, BUT set your alarm to get up a little earlier than normal and do the same thing I suggested for the end of the day but do it first thing. By doing it first thing, it will have you be able to place a check mark on something you have accomplished for yourself. Depending what step goal you set for yourself, you will already be chipping away at getting there. It will also help you clear your mind and get your thoughts together for the day or spark a new creative idea.
So next time you’re not sure what to do to move yourself towards your goal of overall better health, throw on some good shoes, your head phones and just take a step and follow it up with another and you’re off and running. Your body and your goals will thank you for it. Until next time, continue to live life 1 degree above the rest.