Walking for Fitness: 5 Tips and Tricks for Success

Walking is an excellent way to lose weight, get healthy and exercise on a daily basis. It’s low impact, so even people with weak knees and ankles do it. Additionally, walking can be adjusted to fit your schedule and needs, and it can be done anywhere, wearing anything. The following are five tips to walking success:

1. Keep it interesting. If you plan to walk on a regular basis, find a way to keep it interesting. Create fun play lists on your iPod or listen to an audio book or a series of audio books. Do a visual scavenger hunt while you walk and try to find various flowers, animals, sights or plants. Find somewhere interesting or beautiful to walk or walk with friends so you have someone to chat with.
2. Beware of footwear. While It’s true that you can walk in any shoes and walking is beneficial regardless of your footwear, proper footwear can help you avoid injury and improve your comfort when you are walking. If you have arthritis, weak knees or weak ankles, look for walking shoes that have a cushion heel to help lessen the impact. If you have bunions, choose shoes that don’t have seams that will hit them. A good pair of running shoes make ideal walking shoes.
3. Have a walking buddy. Walking buddies are great motivators because they’re counting on you to show up; in addition, they can push you to go a little further or pick up the pace a little. They also keep walking fun by giving you someone to visit with each day. Choose your walking buddy carefully so you’ve got a cheerleader and a motivator.
4. Track your distance. A pedometer is an inexpensive walking tool that will help you succeed because it documents your daily efforts. You can see the distance you’ve covered, the calories you’ve burned and, depending on the model you have, the time you’ve spent walking. Pedometers are a great way to keep you feeling positive about taking your daily walk.
5. Change is good. Routines are good when they get you in a walking groove. However, the danger in a routine is boredom setting in and discouraging you from walking. Instead, keep some things, such as the time you walk each day, routine but change other aspects, such as where you walk, daily. Walk with the same person, but try new routes each time you walk.

Walking is a great exercise option but it can get tedious or boring if you’re not careful. Hopefully these great tips will help you on your road to walking success.