Being physically active every day is enjoyable and safe for most people. Health benefits of physical activity include improved fitness, strength and feeling better. Physical activity is any movement that increases heart rate and breathing and any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.

 

To stay healthy, Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults aged 18 years and older should participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity every week. Make sure to do this in bouts of at least 10 minutes.

A moderate-intensity physical activity that will cause adults to sweat a little and to breathe harder includes brisk walking. Walking for 30 minutes a day or more on most days of the week is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. If you can’t manage 30 minutes a day, remember even a little is good. If it’s too difficult to walk for 30 minutes at one time, do regular small bouts (10 minutes) three times per day and gradually build up to longer sessions. However, if your goal is to lose weight, you will need to do physical activity for longer than 30 minutes each day. You can still achieve this by starting with smaller bouts of activity throughout the day and increasing these as your fitness improves.

 

Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Unlike some other forms of exercise, walking is free and doesn’t require any special equipment or training.

 

Walking is low impact, requires minimal equipment, can be done at any time of day and can be performed at your own pace. You can get out and walk without worrying about the risks associated with some more vigorous forms of exercise. Walking is also a great form of physical activity for people who are overweight, elderly, or who haven’t exercised in a long time.

 

You carry your own body weight when you walk. This is known as weight-bearing exercise. Some of the benefits include:

increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness
reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes
stronger bones and improved balance
increased muscle strength and endurance
reduced body fat.

You can increase the intensity of your walks by:

walking up hills
walking with hand weights
increasing your walking speed gradually by including some quick walking
increasing the distance you walk quickly before returning to a moderate walking pace
walking for longer.
The best way to warm up is to walk slowly. Start off each walk at a leisurely pace to give your muscles time to warm up, and then pick up the speed. Afterwards, gently stretch your leg muscles – particularly your calves and front and back thighs.

 

Some suggestions to help make regular walking a pleasurable form of physical activity include:

varying where you walk
walking the dog
walking with friends
joining a walking club.

 

Ways to keep your daily walk interesting include:

Pick different routes so you don’t get tired of seeing the same sights.
Find one or more friends or family members to walk with.
Walk at various times of the day. The sights to see first thing in the morning can differ from those of the afternoon or early evening.
Drive to different reserves, park the car and enjoy the views while you walk.
Explore what’s going on around you, notice the sky, the people, the sounds.

 

Ways to sneak more walking into your life include: walking to work,  train for and participate in a run or walk for charity, and be active with the family on the weekends.

 

See your doctor for a medical check-up before embarking on any new fitness program, particularly if you are aged over 40 years, are overweight or haven’t exercised in a long time.

Now is the time, walk, and embrace life.