Taking a walk is one of the most natural, easiest, and best things that we can do to positively affect our wellness.  Because it requires no special equipment, clothing, or prior training, walking can be done my nearly everyone and is a great way to supplement your current exercise routine.

While some people believe that walking is an effective way to become fit, this is not necessarily true.  You can only improve your fitness by doing something that is slightly beyond your current capacity.  For the majority of the population, walking is within their normal fitness demands, and only increasing the intensity by adjusting the duration or distance, speed, or the terrain will allow it to affect your fitness.

However, there are many ways that walking can help your wellness beyond your cardiovascular fitness.  Regular daily activity like walking can still affect your cholesterol and blood pressure positively.  We are well-suited for walking, and in fact regular walking can help align poor postures, benefit low back and knee pain, and be a very effective addition to proper nutrition in a weight loss program.

Here are some good tips to make your walking program even more enjoyable and effective:

• Walk with a friend. Walking is an exercise that you can share and buddies can encourage each other in their quest for fitness.
• Walk in attractive areas. Where possible plan your route through the more attractive areas of your neighborhood. Performance Fitness is lucky to be located just minutes away from McCormick Park, as well as the beautiful Rillito River Walk.
• Vary the speed of your walk. Brief distances of extra fast walking interspersed in your walk can help make the overall workout much better.
• Wear good shoes. Although you do not need any special clothing or equipment for walking it is important that you wear suitable footwear. A reasonable pair or trainers or comfortable walking shoes are ideal. Visit our friends at Performance Footwear for an expert analysis and recommendation, as well as 15% off your shoe purchase!
• Walk at least 3 times a week. To benefit from your walking you should aim to go out at least 3 times a week and walk for an hour. The experts say that ideally we should all walk about 10,000 steps a day. This is not always possible but if you wear a pedometer you will get a good idea of your average daily step rate.
• Treat walking as a hobby. Don’t look at walking as an exercise to get fit, look at it as a hobby that you enjoy. It is a great opportunity to clear your mind, spend some time with friends or family, or de-stress from the day’s work.