Five Tips to Walking Success

Walking is a wonderful way to exercise your body, mind and soul. It’s also a great way to lose weight and a productive way to start the day. Here are five tips for walking success.

1. Have a walking buddy. It is always easier to get out the door for a workout if you have a friend to workout with. So, if you want walking to be an effective weight lose tool or if you want to improve your health, find a partner. Set a time and place to meet each day and hold yourself and each other accountable to the commitment.
2. Choose shoes carefully. The shoes you wear can help prevent injury or discomfort as you walk. If you have trouble keeping your balance when you’re walking, look for shoes that have small tread as a thick tread can stick to the ground more and could cause you to fall. If you have weak ankles, look for high top walking shoes. If you need arch support, look for a shoes with strong arch support indicated by more material in the inner midpoint of the shoe. If you have bunions, look for shoes that allow your toes to move comfortably and check to make sure that any seams don’t go across your bunion. If you have problems with your feet, such as arthritis in the ankle or fusion, look for shoes with a little heel, or a rocker bottom.
3. Get a pedometer. Tracking your success is as helpful as it is important. A pedometer will tell you how far you’ve walked and how many calories you have burned, among other useful facts. Even though you may not be exerting a lot of energy or doing a high impact workout, you’re still changing your body which is great motivation to continue. You can track your distance for the day, walk or week and use that information to create walking plans that suit your needs. Doing this will help you stick to your plans. Pedometers are very inexpensive and can be infinitely useful.
4. Vary your route. If you intend to walk daily, mix it up and take different routes so you’re not going to and through the same places every time. In the winter, you might need to walk around the mall or at an indoor track to avoid the snow or icy sidewalks. When the weather outside is walking weather, try different locations o keep things interesting.
5. Make it fun. Walking shouldn’t feel like a chore. If it does, you won’t enjoy it or be successful doing it. Invest in an iPod so that you can listen to your favorite music, or an audio book, while you walk . Another great option is finding a friend with whom you can walk and talk.