Walking Workouts – The Long Walk to Fitness

Taking up walking could be the best way for couch potatoes to become active. Off all the fitness options, walking is the easiest, safest and cheapest – no expensive, specialised equipment, except comfortable shoes, needed.

Starting out

1.       Beginners can benefit from as little as three walking sessions a week of about 45 minutes per session. As you get more and more use to the exercise, you may want to burn more kilojoules by making it five times a week and maybe 60 minutes per session.

2.       The best is to add variety to your exercise by not walking the same route each time and also ensure that your routes cover both hills and flat terrain.

3.       When walking on flat surfaces, keep your posture upright and relaxed. Your shoulders should be aligned over your hips.

4.       When walking uphill, try leaning forward slightly – it is easier on your legs and muscles.

5.       Walking downhill, contrary to what you might think, is harder for your body than uphill. It put extra stress on your knees, so it is a good idea to slow your pace and take shorter steps.

6.       Briskly walking about 2 km burns nearly as many kilojoules as running the same distance.

7.       Walking uphill burns more kilojoules than walking on flat terrain. The steeper the hill the more kilojoules are burnt.

8.       To burn more kilojoules on flat terrains, chose a route with grass or a gravel road.

9.       Walking along the beach is very good exercise. By keeping the same pace as on normal terrain, more kilojoules will be burnt due to the extra resistance.

Pole-walking

A fun way of walking is the so-called pole-walking style. Pole-walking is like cross-country skiing without the skis. Instead of ski poles use any lightweight sticks, fixed with rubbers at the end. To make sure the poles are the right size, when the pole is gripped the forearm should be nearly level as you walk. When you step forwards with your left foot, bring your right arm forwards and plant the pole on the ground, about even with the heel of the left foot. Pole-walking is very good exercise for the legs, chest and arms as well as some of the abdominal.

Water-walking

You can water-walk along a lake shore or a beach – in ankle- or calf deep-deep water. Walking at a steady pace will burn between 1 200 and 2 000 kilojoules per hour. Due to the water’s resistance you do not have to walk as fast in water as on land to burn the same number of kilojoules.

Lastly, if you have trouble sticking to your walking routine, get a dog to walk with you. You can trust a dog to get you up and walking at least twice a day!

Daniel

Tips for On-the-go Exercising

It is a proven fact that the fitter you are the more effective you are likely to be in whatever you do. This is not only applicable to athletes. This is also true for the workaholic or the most successful businessperson in the world.

Sometimes it is tragic to hear people who are successful in their work complaining that they do not have time to exercise; it is all about money, money and money!

Wrong! Exercising or keeping fit should be your first priority. The improved blood supply that results from regular exercise, irrespective what exercise stimulates your brain to be more creative and to work at a faster paste for longer.

So, forget about the lame excuse that there is no time to go jogging, cycling or even walking for long periods. There is no need for formal exercising if you genuinely cannot break away for some exercising.

When it is difficult to bring yourself to exercise in the interest of fitness or health and wellbeing, then at least try to make some time in your hectic 24/7 schedule for toning and stretching exercises. Informal, on-the-go toning or stretching will help to reduce stress and stiffness that settle in with constant repetitive tasks or chores, keeping you on the edge and releasing tension. Such exercises can even be done at your desk or in the conference room whilst busy with the deal of the century.

Fortunately airlines the world over have introduced in-seat exercising for long-haul passengers. The following tips are based on such informal or relaxed exercising and more or less ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon will suffice:

1 Grimace, then relax and combine it with closing your eyes very tight and then open them again. Do this about ten times.

2 Turn your head gently to both sides as far as it will go (do not strain yourself!) and then move your head back to the centre position lift your head up and down. This sequence should be repeated about 5 times.

3 Pull your shoulders up to your ears whilst breathing in and out fully and drop your shoulders again. Do this also about 5 times.

4 Take a heavy object, for instance a book or even a door weight in one hand, keep your arm straight to your body and lift it sideways until it is in a 90⁰ angle with your body and back. Do it 5 times with each arm.

5 Take a tennis ball and squeeze it in the palm of your hand and keep a tight fist for five seconds and relax the hand again. Repeat 5 times for each hand. You can also use the so-called stress-balls for this purpose.

6 Lie face down on the carpet and do 5-10 push-ups.

Daniel