Walking for fitness is a great way to combine a workout with an enjoyable activity. and has many benefits. It’s a relatively injury-free way to burn up calories and get into shape.

Regular walking helps to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and even helps to relieve and prevent constipation.

Because it’s a weight-bearing exercise it will also strengthen your bones and offset conditions such as osteoporosis. Walking for fitness is a perfect way at any age to keep in shape, except for one thing.

We say relatively injury-free because many attempting to keep fit with walking overdo it and put in far too much effort and end up with aching limbs or a bad back. What should be a great way to stay in shape becomes an activity that could keep you off your feet.

Walking For Fitness Should
Not Be Hard Work

As soon as we think of exercise we tend to make it hard work, no more so than walking for exercise. A good example is power walking for fitness where people make a natural activity harder to get fit. But it does not have to be hard work! You will get fit and stay fit by walking perfectly naturally without having to stride out.

If you choose to walk for fitness try the following and avoid the urge to power-walk.

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Walk the walk exercise

1. First locate your hips joints . You will be surprised
just how many people do not know the exact location and therefore do not let the legs to move from the right place. Allow your legs to swing from this point and it will reduce unnecessary swinging of the pelvis and prevent your back twisting.

2. Once you lift you foot off the ground, let the lower leg swing through like a pendulum. (See my exercise for hamstrings to learn how to release your lower leg).You don't need to kick the leg forward as momentum will do it for you. Think that you are stroking the ground away from underneath you and let the floor push you up.

3. Think that you can walk tall but do not be tempted to walk like a soldier. Let go and let you limbs release and it becomes a much more efficient movement. If you are walking for fitness reasons it is important to be able to walk for long periods without strain.

4. Let your arms swing from your shoulders and avoid lifting them even when walking at speed.

5. Don't worry about holding your back straight or pulling in your stomach as many programs suggest. If you are enjoying your walk and letting go of tension your body will assume its most efficient posture.

6. If you want to increase your speed be careful not to tighten up with the effort. Just let your arms swing a little quicker and leave your legs alone.

Your natural coordination reflexes will speed up your legs without you having to add any extra effort yourself. Try it - it really works!

7. So just walk tall and relaxed, enjoy the scenery and the company if with someone and you will be walking for fitness without the strain.

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Going A Step Further

May be you have tried walking for fitness and would also consider adding a new dimension to your routine by starting to run. Running unfairly gets a lot of bad press. "It's not good for your knees" or "you'll get a bad back" etc etc. Yet running can provide an excellent way to stay in shape right into your later years - if you run well!

Beginners Guide To Running You are welcome to download my FREE program for beginners. It has 50 pages packed with advice on choosing the right kit, getting started and includes a 10 week starter program. For more information please click here.

Worth A Look

The Complete Guide to Walking
by Mark Fenton
Take one year to change your life - forever! From America's preeminent walking experts comes this honest approach to achieving all your fitness goals. Include a 52 week plan to get you started and keep you going.

The Complete Guide to Marathon Walking
by Dave McGovern
A book for the more ambitious walker. Contains plans of how to get yourself up to marathon distance. This is taking walking for fitness to the next level!

US visitors can order from the Amazon.com.



UK visitors can order from Amazon.co.uk.

Want to ask a question? My view of what fitness means and how it can be attained is different to the conventional approach. If there is anything on this page that you would like to follow up please feel free to contact me

Copyright 2005 Roy Palmer (Art of Performance)
e-mail: contact@artofperformance.co.uk

SBI!