Tips to get started with Walking for Fitness

Start small!

Just get out and do it.   Start with 10 minutes a day.   We all know how to walk and by committing to 10 minutes a day, 66 days later you will have formed a new habit.

Look for ways during the day to increase your walking.

Pack your Go Walks (#AF) in your bag in the morning and go out for 10 minutes (or longer) at lunch time.

Take the bus or tube to work?  Why not get off a stop early and complete your commute on foot?

If you work in a building with stairs, make a point of going up and down a few flights each time you take a toilet break.

However, and whenever you do your walk, make sure you schedule it into your day.

Ready to move on

Gradually increase your walking time to 30 minutes.

Buddy up!  Arrange to meet a friend for your daily walk.  If you know that someone else is relying on you to show up, you are less likely to find excuses not to.

Vary your route or the location of your walk, keep it interesting.

Get your vibe!  Put together a playlist of either your favourite songs, or music with a good walking beat. (30 Days free Trial with Amazon music) (#AF)  Turn up the volume and march it out.

Listen to audio books or podcasts (30 Days free Trial with Audible Plus) (#AF) whilst you are walking; the time will fly, and your perceived level of exertion will be hardly noticeable.

Turning Pro

Get yourself a fitness tracker so you can measure distance, speed, steps, heart rate or some other marker that you can use to set yourself daily goals.  I have a Garmin Venu (#AF) that I use when walking, cycling, and running, but it can be used for loads more things.  Challenge yourself and increase your goals each week.

Vary your pace.  Throw in a blast of fast paced minutes to keep your body guessing and increase your stamina.

Incorporate some hills and power on up them.

In summary

It’s easy, its low cost, so get started, be consistent and feel the benefits.