Walking offers a whole lot of health benefits – both mental and physical. Also, it is a low impact workout meaning there is little risk of injuring your joints and muscles. Another awesome thing about walking is that you don’t need any special training equipment.
There are two different types of walking – outdoor and indoor walking. In this case, we will focus more on outdoor walking.
Why Outdoor Walking is Good for You
Outdoor walking offers you a chance to interact with nature, which offers excellent mental health benefits. Additionally, taking your walk outside helps you incorporate other forms of bodyweight exercises into your routine.
Here are some of the ways you can turn your morning walks into a training routine.
Have a Plan
Having a plan will help you create milestone challenges and targets towards achieving your primary goal. For example, if you’re looking to losing weight, you can set a target of walking for half an hour each day.
Always consider factors such as your current fitness levels and daily schedule when coming up with your walking plan.
Get a Walking Partner
Having a training partner creates new levels of enthusiasm which means you look forward to each day’s walking session. Also, a training partner will help motivate whenever you’re not feeling like it.
When picking a walking partner, look for someone with whom you share similar fitness goals. She/he should be able to challenge you in achieving your goals while encouraging you to push the bar higher.
Incorporate Other Exercises
Walking alone offers excellent health benefits. However, you can get more by adding other exercises into your walking routine. You can add in a few bodyweight exercises such as pushups, squats, pullups or even burpees.
These exercises will help make your walking routine more challenging and extra exciting. At this stage, you can also get workout supplements from steroids-evolution to help you train more effectively.
Keep a Daily Record
Having a record of your daily performance will help you monitor your progress. Additionally, a journal will help encourage you. Besides that, you will also get insight into what you need to change in case you hit a plateau.
Use Correct Posture
Walking is simple, but if you do so with bad posture, you will not enjoy its comprehensive physical benefits. Avoid over-stepping, as you may end up injuring your hamstring and calf muscles.
Secondly, push your chest outwards and keep your shoulders relaxed when walking. Lastly, use your arms well, by swinging them, to exercise your upper body.
Get the Right Walking Gear
Invest in the right type of walking shoes. Proper walking shoes should be soft and comfortable on the inside; this will help prevent soft tissue injuries and sores on your feet. Next, ensure the shoe has a good sole that redirects pressure from your heels when walking.
Use Different Terrains
The secret to maintaining enthusiasm in your workout is by being innovative and making your training drills more interesting. In this case, keep exploring other walking terrains close to your neighborhood.
New terrains will offer new challenges to your muscles, which is what you need to steer clear of hitting a fitness plateau.
