Gresham Chiropractor

If you actually list the benefits that walking as an exercise offers, you will be astounded. Lower blood pressure levels, reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, enhanceded lung capacity, reduced risk of depression and even a lower risk of certain forms of cancer. Add in weight loss, increased energy, and generally feeling better and the list of benefits is truly amazing.

Considering the fact that walking can be slotted into your daily schedule whenever it suits you, and the fact that you don’t need to pay any gym membership fees, you might start to wonder why more people don’t include walking as a key part of their exercise activity. Another point worth remembering is that all you need to get started is a decent pair of comfortable shoes - there’s no need for any special equipment, expertise or training.

Possibly some people may be neglecting to include walking as part of their exercise plan simply due to the fact that they are unaware of the possible. Maybe it’s a bit of a “no pain no gain” mentality which makes it hard for people to understand that a low impact, low injury workout like walking can really provide so many health benefits.

The evidence is clear and unambiguous. Walking has the potential to provide many health benefits. The key thing is consistency - regular, low impact exercise should be your goal. It should, ideally, become a standard activity in your daily routine.

And there is no shortage of opportunities to do this. Maybe you could leave the car in the garage and walk to the office? Use the stairs instead of the elevator every second time. Go for a short ten or fifteen minute walk at lunchtime. Minor changes can have a massive positive impact if carried out frequently and consistently.

The fact that so little effort is required may even be part of the problem. For some people, the idea of getting so many benefits for so little effort may be, quite literally, incredible. If you find yourself thinking along those lines then using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress may well be something that could help to convince you. Keep track of your progress by recording the number of steps you take on a daily basis - or convert this into distance walked or calories burned - whatever is most relevant and interesting for you.

It should soon become obvious that small changes to your daily routine - walking instead of taking the car from time to time - can have a major impact on your fitness and health. Raising the visibility of your walking workout benefits may well be all the encouragement that is necessary to ensure that you exercise daily and reap the rewards available to you in terms of health, fitness and general well being.

You could also increase the efficiency of your walking to lose weight regime by using the latest fitness footwear. Reebok, Skechers and Fit flops sandals all offer a range of exercise shoes which is scientifically designed to increase the amount of work performed by your lower body muscles when walking normally.