Tag: walking

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WALKING WITH A PURPOSE

 

One way to make walking not only healthy but also beneficial is to find charities to walk for. Basically, the way it works is you find the charity and set up the walk by asking your friends and family to donate to the charity based on the number of miles you walk. This type of walking gives you extra incentive to get in shape, stay in shape, and keep walking.

 

Use an App

 

A great app for this is called Charity Miles. Basically, you just download the free app, which is suitable for both Apple and Android operating systems. Set up your account and choose your charity. It will track your movements and report to the system. When you walk, it tracks it and sends the earnings to your charity of choice. You can find sponsors through the app as well as by asking friends, family, and small local businesses to sponsor you.

Link – https://charitymiles.org/

Seek Out the Charity

 

If you already know what charity you want to walk for but you don’t want to use one of the apps, you can reach out to start your walking for a charity event by contacting them directly to work out the details. Some charities already have yearly walking events that you can join and sponsor in your local area. You can look for more charities at ACTIVE.

Link – https://www.active.com/

 

Set Your Goal

 

Set your walking goals based on how much money you want to make and how much buzz you want to create for the fundraiser. You can make it challenging or fun depending on the audience you want to attract. Some people prefer a leisurely walk with food and lots of talking, and others want a fast walking race.

 

Be Aware of Your Fitness Level

 

Before you start, you want to know about your fitness level. Can you walk for long periods without an issue? Even if you can only walk 30 minutes at a stretch, you can still raise money for your favorite charity, but knowing this level can help you set more realistic goals.

 

Train for Your Fundraiser

 

One way to ensure you meet your goals is to train for the fundraiser. If you want to walk a 50K for the fundraiser, you should work your way back from the date of the fundraiser and set up a training program that gets you to that goal when you’re ready to do it. For example, you may want to add 100 to 1000 steps a day until you can make it.

 

Be Ready to Motivate Others

 

When you are doing a charity event (even if you’re using the apps available to do it), you’ll make more money for your organization if you motivate your sponsors and your team if you have one by training, ensuring you are prepped and ready, and having high spirits about your goals and what you’re doing.

 

Don’t forget that there are already yearly walks for many charities. You can find out more about walking for charity by approaching specific charities directly or using Charity Miles or ACTIVE mentioned in this article.

 

 

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11 WAYS YOU CAN INTRODUCE WALKING IN YOUR DAILY LIFE

Many people claim that the reason they cannot walk more is their busy schedule. However, the truth is, the things you make time for are the things that get done. By planning for roadblocks and developing a plan to overcome them, you can fit walking into your daily schedule seamlessly without much trouble. Just follow these tips.

 

* Walk during Lunch – You shouldn’t miss your food break, but you can eat a sandwich or fruit and walk at the same time. If you have a flexible office, another alternative is to walk during lunch and eat at your desk while doing your work.

 

* Only Watch TV while Moving – If you like to watch TV, make a rule that you can only watch while moving. You can walk on a treadmill, or you can just march in place during the show. That is going to bring lots of extra walking into your life.

 

* Listen to Audio Books – If you like to read, instead of reading buy audiobooks, then make a rule for yourself (and even your kids) that you can only listen while walking and moving.

* Start Your Day Right – Get up 30 minutes early so that you can work in a 20-minute speed walking session before your shower, coffee, and breakfast. By starting your day right, you’ll be ahead of the game.

 

* Walk Instead of Email at the Office – If you work in an office building, you probably send a lot of emails back and forth. But if you know that the person you send the email to has to print the document, you can print it yourself and then walk it to them to get in those extra steps.

 

* Park Your Car Further from Your Destination – Always park as far from an entrance as you can and then walk to it. That is going to add a lot of steps, plus it’s going cut down on stress in parking lots. You’re less likely to be involved in an accident if you park far from the crowd.

 

* Get Off the Bus Early – If you take public transport, don’t get off at your stop but get off early in an area that is safe for you to grab 15 extra minutes of walking.

 

* Walk to the Store – Do you live near a minimarket or some sort of convenience store? Instead of grabbing the next carton of milk by driving to the store, just walk to your local store. Even though it cost more money there, the added benefit of walking and using less fuel makes up for it. Use a backpack to carry your groceries home safely.

* Keep Your Gear with You – Keep a set of walking gear in your vehicles such as shoes, socks, and clothing, so that you can dress for walking any time you want to.

 

* Add Walking to Your Daily Family Time – Walking for 20 to 30 minutes after dinner used to be a time-honored tradition for families who lived in the suburbs in the days of wrap-around porches and close community connections. You can still do that with your kids and partner to add walking into your day while also spending time with the people you care about.

 

* Avoid Sitting When Waiting – If you must wait on people for appointments, instead of sitting, take the time to pace and walk. Even if you just march in place, it will make a difference.

 

Any bit of movement you can squeeze out of your day is beneficial to your health mentally, physically, and spiritually. You’ll feel better about yourself the more you can walk, and it’s going to show to others in your appearance and your health.

 

 

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8 TIPS TO BRAVE THE WEATHER WHEN WALKING

 

The thing that often puts roadblocks in people’s way when it comes to establishing a firm walking routine is the weather. These tips will help you navigate and plan for that happening – because it will happen. That way, nothing gets in your way. Remember, if you have a plan you can implement it.

 

It’s Raining

 

When it’s raining and wet outside, it’s tempting to say you’re not going to walk out there. Certainly, you don’t have to – you can walk in a mall, at a gym, and in other indoor areas if you want to. However, walking in the rain isn’t generally unsafe.

 

It’s essential, like any other time, that you dress for the weather. If it’s raining, wear rain gear for walkers so that you can still use your hands to protect yourself from a fall. You might be surprised that walking in a gentle rain when it’s above 60 degrees F outside can be fun.

It’s Snowing

 

One issue with snow is the cold and the potential for ice. Check the weather to ensure it’s not too cold, and there are no warnings about dangerous cold. Even if it’s at freezing doesn’t mean you cannot walk if you have the right clothing and shoes on.

 

Take shorter, smaller steps to avoid slipping, and wear the right gear to protect you – including the correct type of shoes and outerwear to protect against wind and wetness in order to keep your body safe.

 

There’s Ice Out There

 

One of the times you might want to consider skipping walking outside is if there is ice or there is a significant wind chill factor. If you do find yourself walking on ice, it’s important to take smaller steps that are more like marching than walking normally. This will help you avoid slipping.

It’s Hot as Heck

When it’s hot outside, you can still walk. However, it is important to understand that there are times that it’s best to stay out of the heat. The main thing about heat is to ensure you wear the right clothing as protection, are drinking enough water to stay hydrated, and that you protect your skin and head from the heat.

It’s So Humid

 

Walking when it’s humid will make it feel much hotter and less comfortable, but you can still do it. You may need to walk slower, drink more water, and take more breaks. Wear thin cotton clothing so that it helps wick away the moisture from your body so that you can avoid chafing and blisters on your feet. Consider taking a change or two of socks for a longer walk.

 

There Is No Humidity

 

While it’s always more comfortable outside even in hot weather when there is low or little humidity (as in the desert), drinking enough water is even more important. You should wear clothing to cover your entire body and your head to keep cool, plus plan on taking at least a gallon of water with you for each hour you plan to walk. You need way more than the eight glasses a day in this type of climate; in fact, you may need up to 30 cups of water.

 

It’s Cold Outside

If it’s cold but not snowing or raining, walking is a good thing to do. If it’s not too cold to be outside safely (look at your local weather information), you can walk like you usually do even if it’s down as low as freezing if it’s not too windy or bad weather. Dress appropriately and you’ll be fine.

It’s Just Not Safe Outside 

 

If you have determined it’s just not safe for you to walk outside, or you simply don’t want to due to the bad weather, you don’t have to. You can go to a gym with an indoor track, the local indoor mall, and other indoor areas to walk, including a treadmill in your home when needed.

 

Walking in inclement weather is not hard to do. You simply need to dress accordingly and take enough water with you to keep yourself hydrated and healthy. If it’s too uncomfortable, you can do just as much walking inside if you prefer.

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9 TIPS TO ENJOY WALKING

 

No matter how good something is for you, sometimes it can seem boring. Many people love walking but if you’re having issues getting into it, consider these tips for making walking more fun.

 

  1. Try New Walking Trails – Giving your eyes and mind more to see is a great way to make walking more fun. Try walking around a historical neighborhood, walking on a mountain trail, or following someone else’s trail that they’ve documented through one of the walking apps.

 

  1. Play a Game – Many people love playing games to walk. Organize a scavenger hunt and other activities that incorporate walking. That way, you can get others involved in the fun and get more steps in.

 

  1. Pick Up Trash – One way to do good and walk more is to adopt an area that you pick up the trash in. This will slow your pace, but it’s an excellent way to get in the steps you need while also doing something great for the environment. And if you’re lucky, you live in a recycling area which might enable you to earn some cash by recycling aluminum and glass that you find.
  1. Reward Yourself – Set up periodic rewards for yourself. For example, if you reach 50,000 steps before Friday during the week, set up a massage to reward yourself for reaching your goals.

 

  1. Hunt for Treasure – Many people love geocaching. Basically, people are hiding things to see all over the world in places people like to walk or hike. Finding a treasure can make walking fun. To find out more, visit this site: https://www.geocaching.com/play

 

  1. Take a Friend – Arrange friend dates for walking. Taking a new friend on each of your walks is a great way to catch up since you can talk while walking fast and getting in a workout.

 

  1. Add Power Walking Intervals – It can really take your walk to the next level if you incorporate different styles of walking into your program. Try walking fast for one minute, then walking at your average pace for ten. If it’s safe, drop and do some push-ups every ten minutes to make your walk more challenging.

 

  1. Count Your Steps – Counting your steps using a pedometer is a great way to challenge yourself and to add fun to the walk. When you can compare your walking with others by using one of the apps like Fitbit.com and participating in their community, it can become more of a challenge and therefore more fun.
  1. Track Your Progress – When you track your progress, it’s fun to see the results. Take your weight and measurements before you start a new walking regimen. Periodically check up on your stats from the steps you took, to the trails you followed, to the way it’s affecting your body.

 

If you are really having struggles, find a way to incorporate walking into your day that is more natural. For example, park far from the entrances, walk to the store instead of Ubering, and incorporate walking into every part of your life when you can instead of using modern conveniences.

 

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6 TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN POWER WALKING

 

Speed walking, power walking, race walking… These are terms that describe walking very fast without running or going into a jog. The main reason for speed walking over running and jogging is the damage that running can do to your body. Speed walking is a low-impact way of exercising that enables you to get more out of your walking workout.

 

Here are tips to follow if you are a beginner to make sure you get the most out of this type of walking.

 

* Stay Hydrated – Start your walk hydrated and then drink small amounts throughout your course. Don’t over hydrate yourself by drinking too much, but keep a keen eye on the amount of fluid you are ingesting to ensure your body stays optimally hydrated.

 

* Your Posture Is Everything – When you are speed walking, it’s imperative to keep your posture correct. If anything hurts, you may be doing it wrong. It can help to have someone checking in with you. Your spine should be straight, you should not be leaning forward or backward, and you should look straight ahead (not down). Keep your chin up so that you can reduce pain on your neck and back.

* Keep Your Form – The way to walk when you are speed walking is different from your standard walking form. You need to relax your shoulders, keep your spine neutral, and keep your core tight. Ensure that you take natural strides that cause you to roll from your heel to your toe, giving you lift from your toes. When you want to go faster, don’t make your strides longer – just quicker.

 

* Wear the Right Shoes – You still need walking shoes that fit you well. It can help to go to a real shoe place to get fitted correctly with the right type of walking shoe. You also need to replace them every 300 to 400 miles of walking to ensure proper protection.

 

* Start Small and Add Daily – Don’t try to start speed walking 10,000 steps in one day. Instead, work your way up to it. You can add some speed walking into your daily walk for a minute or two at a time, working your way up until you are doing the entire course speed walking.

* Find a Coach – You need to mind your form so much that you probably should at least find a coach or someone who is an experienced power walker to demonstrate and then check how you do it so that you don’t injure yourself. It is quite a challenge to learn the new form and way of walking.

Because running is so hard on the body, with runners causing an impact on their limbs many times over their own body weight, speed walking and power walking can give you the same health benefits without the wear and tear and problems that running can cause.

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TIPS TO SMART WALKING

 

The main thing to remember, no matter what you’re setting a goal for, is that your goals should be SMART. That means they need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. If you make a habit of creating goals for all aspects of your life using this acronym, you’ll be a lot more successful – no matter what you do.

 

But before you get started with your SMART walking goals, let’s talk about some factors to consider as you’re creating your goals.

 

1) Know Your Fitness Level – Almost everyone can walk. This includes people who are very unhealthy, even if they can only walk for five minutes. Start with your fitness level and set your goals accordingly.

 

2) Know What You’re Working Toward – Pretend you stuck to everything you are supposed to on this journey; what is the dream goal you’re working toward? Even if it seems crazy, knowing that final goal is essential for designing your plans.

3) Know Your Time Availability – This is part of being realistic because if you have roadblocks to having enough time to devote to walking for health to meet your goals, you may not succeed

Creating SMART Walking Goals

Walking

Here is an example of a healthy yet sedentary office worker for you to follow:

 

* Specific – My goal is to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day by the end of six months, starting where I am now at 1000 steps per day.

 

* Measurable – Every day, I will add 100 steps to my total. It will take me 90 days to reach 10,000 steps per day.

 

* Attainable – I am overweight but with no health problems, so my goal to walk 10,000 steps a day by the end of 90 days and to maintain it for 6 months is entirely doable in terms of my health.

 

* Realistic – Adding in 100 steps a day is realistic because I am healthy, and I have enough time. It’ll take me about an hour and a half at my walking pace to reach 10,000 steps. I plan to walk each morning between 7 and 9 am. I also have an indoor place I can walk when the weather is terrible.

 

* Timely – By adding the goal of reaching 10,000 steps in 90 days, then maintaining that for six months, it makes the goal timely – meaning it has a time limit that you have set for you to reach your goal.

As you see, crafting SMART walking goals will help you set up a plan that is achievable if you simply follow it. Once you have set the plan up, you can put it in your calendar, tell your accountability partner, and then just follow it. You will reach your goal without issue.

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13 WAYS WALKING CAN BENEFIT YOU

 

There isn’t even enough space here to include all the benefits of walking. Walking is simple to do, most healthy people can do it even if it might seem hard at first, and you can do it almost anywhere at any time. The only special equipment you need are good walking shoes, and then you’re in business.

walking

  1. Burns More Calories – Walking burns calories like any other exercise, but without the impact and stress that other forms of exercise can like jogging and running. Even if you’re not feeling well, you can go on a leisurely stroll and still get the benefits of the movement.

 

  1. Builds a Strong Heart – Working out always helps your heart because you cause your cardiovascular system to work a little harder, which is good for it when you’re healthy. Keeping your heart strong will keep you alive much longer.

 

  1. Builds Better Bone Health – As we age, our bones become more brittle and we experience more pain. This can lead to broken bones and other issues. But if you keep walking and moving, you’ll be less likely to develop those problems.

 

  1. Improves Balance and Coordination – The more you use your body, the more it works for you. Walking more often improves your balance and coordination because your body gets used to standing upright and moving more often. It’s a matter of practice and getting the muscles and ligaments strong.

 

  1. Improves Your Lung Capacity – Walking, especially fast walking, will get your breathing up and cause you to build your lung capacity. Usually it takes about six to eight weeks of cardiovascular workouts to see the full improvement that you can experience.

 

  1. Lower Your Blood Sugar – People with high blood sugar can see huge benefits from walking and burning off that extra sugar in their blood. It’s not a cure for type 1 diabetes but it can help people with type 2 tremendously, and it can help people with type 1 lower their insulin requirements.

 

  1. Eases Joint Pain – As people age, they tend to get joint pain, often caused by arthritis. It might seem counter-intuitive to keep moving through that pain, but pain from arthritis absolutely can be reduced from more movement. This is because arthritis causes build-up of scar tissue in the joints from lack of movement, so if you move more it can stop that problem.

 

  1. Bosts Your Immunity – Getting your blood pumping and your cardiovascular system working will also boost your immunity from regular common illnesses like colds.

 

  1. Energizes You – Anytime you’re feeling tired for no reason, try going on a fast, ten-minute walk and you’ll find that you have much more energy. This is one reason a fast walk is an excellent way to wake up in the morning.

 

  1. Improves Your Mental Health and Mood – A nice walk in nature can vastly improve your mental health and mood. If you are feeling down, getting out in nature for a leisurely walk can help. If you’re feeling anxious, try a fast walk (even on a treadmill) to burn that extra energy.

 

  1. Helps You Live Longer and Healthier – When you incorporate daily exercise into your life, it will extend your life. Not only that, you’ll also enjoy your life much longer because you won’t be as sick or in as much pain.

 

  1. Strengthens and Tone Your Leg Muscles – There is no hiding the fact that walkers have good legs, but it does also improve muscle tone all over your body – especially if you work on getting your arms in on the action and pay close attention to your glutes and core muscles.

The Areas of Life You Need to Design for Success

  1. Boosts Your Creativity – Anytime you’re having a glut of good ideas for anything you’re trying to accomplish, going for a walk without technology, just you and nature (or just you and the treadmill), you’ll get a boost of creativity that will carry you through.

Walking is something almost anyone can do. Because of that fact, it makes it the perfect exercise to start if you want to get healthier and improve your life in every single way. When are you going to start your walking program?