How to Make the Most of Your Walk: 7 Top Tips

How Many Steps Per Day Per Age

A Brief Overview

Knowing how to make the most of your walk is crucial to leverage the health benefits of walking. There is no alternative to going for a walk to remain healthy and fit. It is one of the simplest forms of exercise, which needs no separate equipment or expertise. Walking can play a major role in lowering blood pressure, reducing body weight, regulating blood sugar, and boosting the health of your bones and muscles. It also gives a major boost to your emotional well-being. 

As per WHO guidelines, individuals need about 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity per week, and walking is a prudent form to hit this milestone. [1] Read on to learn about major walking workout tips to get the most out of walking. 

How to Get More Out of Walking: 7 Top Walking Workout Tips

Walk for Half an Hour Every Day

Following the WHO guideline, you can walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, to boost your health parameters. Go for a morning walk or evening walk based on the weather outside. For example, summer in India may not be an ideal time for a morning walk. In this season, you can go for a late evening walk. To make the most out of walking, devote your full attention to the activity without distraction. It will keep you focused on the exercise and make the walking workout fruitful.

Put on Shoes to Support to Your Feet

It is important to avoid wearing any random shoes while going for a walk. For this purpose, choosing shoes that provide the best support as you strike your patterns is wise. While purchasing a pair, try different types of shoes to understand which offers the best support against vigorous activities.

Change Little Habits to Give More Time to Walking

Adhering to the following strategies can be prudent to make the most out of walking:

• Climb stairs as far as possible instead of using escalators or elevators
• Park away from your working space, and walk to and from your car to cover the rest of the path
• If you commute using public transportation, get down a stoppage before and walk the rest of the distance

Swing your Arms While Walking

While the movement of the legs stimulates the lower part of your body while walking, vigorous swinging of arms ensures a good workout for the upper body. While wondering how to make the most of your walk, remember that you need to stretch the muscles in every part of your body for the best results.

Walking on an Incline

If you live in hilly areas, walk uphill to burn extra calories. During this exercise, make sure to lean forward to relieve the strain on your legs. While making your return journey downhill, don’t forget to watch your pace, as being too fast can harm your muscles and lead to soreness.

Walk on Different Types of Surfaces

Apart from hilly areas, walking on different types of surfaces helps stimulate the muscles in your legs. For example, if you live near bay areas or visit one as part of your trip, go walk in the sand. Apart from that, walking barefoot on the grass is also a prudent way to make the most out of walking.

Regulate Your Pace While Walking

While walking, it is crucial to make a timely switch between a slow pace and brisk walking. It boosts your cardio endurance and also stimulates your respiratory system. The ideal pace for brisk walkers ranges between 5 to 7 kilometers per hour.

Measure Speed While Walking on a Treadmill

In extreme weather conditions, you may not have the option to go outdoors. However, you can continue your walking routines by installing a treadmill at home. Under such circumstances, to make the most out of walking on the treadmill, you can vary its speed and incline to match the outdoor terrains and enjoy the same health benefits.

Once you understand how to make the most of your walk, there’s no one stopping you from leveraging the maximum health benefit of this simple exercise. To get personalized advice on making the most of this exercise, you can book an online doctor consultation on Bajaj Finserv Health. So set your fitness goals and keep walking to reach them one by one!