How To Do The Healthy Walk

You can start the healthy walk today and feel better!  The healthy walk is 30 minutes of walking.  That’s it, just 30 minutes a day will increase your stamina, improve your mood, decrease your appetite and keep your mind and your muscles renewed and stronger.  And it is so easy to do if you just follow a simple everyday structure.  The “hidden” secret of walking is to make it enjoyable.  So keep that in mind when you create your own routine of walking.  Include in your walk as many pleasurable things that you can.  When you do this you are being self motivating towards continuous walking. 

Now grab a pair of your favorite walking shoes, prepare a cool drink, take a piece of fruit, your ipod and a sweat towel and let’s go!

When starting out on your path listen and feel what your body is telling you.  Relax your neck, shoulders, hips, arms, legs and feet.  Walk slowly and get the blood moving through the muscles while warming up. Shake out your arms and give them a little lift.  Don’t worry about the other walkers, runners or bikers. They are into their own routine.  Your warm up should last only as long as it takes to increase your breath up one level.  You can judge this if you focus on your breathing patterns. In order to get the full benefits of a 30 minute walk, your breathing should be easy and steady. 

Your warm up period should only last as long as you need to get the kinks out of your muscles and bring up your breathing levels.  By now, your body feels warm and you have established an even pace. Sometimes this will take up to 5 minutes.  Once you reach an easy walking pace, it is time to increase your steps.  All of us have a unique walk. That requires an individual approach to your walking routine.  If you remember that and don’t try to keep up with others, you will enjoy it much more.   

Trying to reach your exercise goals in one day by pushing your body into pain and your mind into “I can’t do this.” is the worst thing you can do if it is your 1st or 101^st walk. Your first walk may be just a warm up.  That’s great, don’t do anymore then your body is allowing you. 

Is it time for a third step up?  If your body says go then increase your pace again.  Your breathing should still be a little more labored.  If you are sucking for air, you need to slow down.  A 30 minute walk means that you have to turn around at the 15 minute mark.  If you are really laboring for air at this point, it means that you went out too fast. Slow down!  Nothing good will come of it if your body is exhausted and sore.  That is not enjoyable. 

All of us have reached this point at some time.  Please keep in mind that the 30 minute walk is not a marathon, it does not mean you are racing with someone.  It means that you are doing a health walk to keep your body and mind strong and prolong your life.  You are not trying to get into shape, you are simply walking to help yourself.  There is no competition that you are training for, you just want to be healthy and by walking 30 continuous minutes every day is all it takes.

There are some days that you can’t do the health walk.  That’s ok, there is always tomorrow.  Maybe you can only do 20 minutes that day.  That’s ok too.  Just do it.  If you miss a day, don’t try to make up for it.  Because guess what, you can’t make up for it.  So don’t look back just do your own routine the next day.

When you are about 100 yards from where you started from, slow down a bit.  Let your muscles cool off. Shake out your arms, lift your knees a little higher for a small stretch, feel the pleasant breeze against your skin.  If you are bent over, hands on hips and sucking air, you have way over done it.  Please don’t do this to yourself.  You will not want to walk again.  Health should not be a hardship. 

During your walk you should be noticing the birds, trees and other animals that may be around.  You should smell the sweet air, wink at the sun and listen to the ticking of your body.  Your walking surface should be free of debris and without obstacles in your path.  Find the place where the other walkers go and join them.  Your mind should be focused on good things in life.  Think about positive experiences and times when you had feelings of well-being.  Make your walks a time of well-being, rejuvenation and calm. 

Now enjoy the rest of your day.