5 Fabulous Tips for Walking Success

Many people, women in particular, walk for exercise, to lose weight and to get their heart rate up daily. However, their efforts are often unsuccessful because the process is not begun correctly. So, here are a few tips to make your efforts at walking successful.

1. Get the right equipment. Walking is wonderful because you really don’t need anything special to do it. As a mom, make sure you have the equipment you need to make it possible. If you need a stroller with large wheels, a pack that holds water, snacks and other things your kids might need or a babysitter so you can go without them, get what you need. In addition, a pedometer can be extremely useful for successful walking as it will track your distance and calories burned, which can help you stay motivated to walk daily. Track your progress so that you know how far you actually went, so you can increase your distance as your condition improves.
2. Find someone to walk with. For anyone, and for moms in particular, enlisting a walking buddy is one of the best tools to help you achieve walking success. Having a walking buddy is a great way to multitask because you can socialize while exercising and busy moms everywhere know how important that is. Not only do you get to be social while you exercise, when you have a walking buddy, you’re more likely to stick to your program because you don’t want to let your buddy down. Depending on each other is a great support and motivation system.
3. Wear the right shoes. The shoes you wear when you walk can be the difference between injury and comfort or giving up on walking altogether. Buying your shoes at a athletic shoe or sportswear store is helpful because they’ll evaluate your stride and how much support you need. Consider high top athletic shoes if you have weak ankles, look at where seams on the shoes are and that they don’t rub up against bunions or corns, if you have them and, finally, choose shoes that have support where you need it, whether that’s arch support or a raised heel for knee support.
4. Keep things interesting. Most people who walk take the same route every time they walk because they know the mileage, it’s convenient or it’s close to home. However, if repetitiveness gets boring for you, your chances of succeeding at walking decline. So, look for different routes you can take with varying terrain. Choosing a hilly route one day and a sandy or concrete one the next day works different muscles and helps build strength as well. Changing up your route can be helpful because it increases your chances at success.
5. Last but not least, make it fun. Find ways to keep your walk entertaining. For example, check out some books at the library about the local birds or plants then look for them as you walk. Invest in some audio books to listen to while you walk, or create a music library that will get your blood pumping. Have fun while walking and you will do it more often.