Why walk for exercise? Because walking is one of the easiest exercises around, one that nearly everyone can do with a minimum of fuss or equipment. Just get your doctor’s OK before you start any new exercise regimen. Once you have the go-ahead, taking a brisk walk several days a week can help you look and feel better, increase your energy and stamina and even raise your spirits.
Just about any increase in walking will help improve your health. But the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends you get 30 minutes of moderate to brisk exercise -- about 10,000 steps -- on five or more days a week to produce the best long-term health benefits for most individuals. Those serious benefits can include lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, weight loss, improved sleep, reduced depression and lowered risk of some forms of arthritis and cancer.
But for those of us who have been getting most of our exercise on a circuit around the couch, the TV and the refrigerator, it’s a good idea to start slowly and build up to those 10,000 steps per day. Get yourself a pedometer – they’re available at any sporting goods store – and get going.
Set Your Personal Goal With the Three Bs
- Baseline. Use your pedometer to count all of your steps for seven days. Use a simple paper log or an online tracking tool, such as the one at the President’s Council website, to record the number of steps you take while doing all your normal daily activities. This first week’s record will set your baseline. At the end of each day, write down your total steps or enter them in your online walking log.
- Benchmark. Your benchmark is the highest number of steps you walked on any one day during your baseline week. Use that number as your daily goal for the second and third weeks. Log your daily steps for weeks two and three, and at the end of week three, review your totals. If you were able to reach your goal most days during weeks two and three, add another 500 steps to your daily goal for weeks four and five.
- Build. Try to add 500 steps to your daily walking goal every two weeks. If you get to a point where you have trouble reaching your daily step goal one week, take it easy for a bit. Go back to your previous week’s daily goal and walk at that level until you build up enough stamina to try stepping up again.
Online Help
In addition to tracking steps walked, the President's Council on Physical Fitness website also lets you keep track of activities like gardening, aerobics, swimming and even housework. This tool is free, and you can work toward earning a President’s Challenge award if you like. Another helpful government website is Small Step from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
By starting small and building up steadily, you can achieve the recommended 30 minutes or 10,000 steps a day, five days a week, that will help you build a healthier lifestyle.
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