August 9th, 2010Walking Will Burn Calories And Raise Your Metabolic Rate
Increasing numbers of people are starting to realise the benefits of walking as a means of exercising. It’s easy to do – in fact you do it every day without even thinking about it. It’s a low impact workout that requires no special equipment, training or expertise. It’s suitable for a wide range of ages – which is probably one reason why it has such a low “drop out” rate. You can do it wherever you like and you can fit it into your daily schedule whenever it’s convenient for you.
If you’re trying to lose weight then walking is ideal. Keeping an eye on the amount of calories that you take on board is great – but dieting alone is not a very efficient way to shed the pounds. The combination of dieting with regular exercise will give you much better results. First of all, you will burn calories whilst you exercise – and that’s good. But secondly, regular exercise will actually raise your metabolic rate – the rate at which you burn calories. Even when you’re not exercising the rate at which you burn calories will be higher and this will help to deliver good weight loss results for you.
The benefits to be had from walking are numerous. It can increase your lung capacity, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke and also help to lower your blood pressure level. It can lower bad cholesterol levels whilst raising good cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of developing two types of diabetes and even reduce the risk of developing certain forms of cancer. It will help you to sleep better at night and is effective in combating anxiety and depression. It will give you more energy and you will feel less fatigued throughout the day.
That list of benefits reads like the advertising spiel for the latest miracle cure. It should be all the motivation you need to get started with a walking exercise programme. If you’re eager to get going, the good news is that, as previously mentioned, you don’t need any special equipment. As long as you have a good, comfortable pair of shoes that don’t give you blisters, you’re all set.
If you want to monitor your progress, a pedometer is a useful device. It will monitor your progress and display your results in terms of distance covered, number of steps take or calories burned – whatever is most interesting for you and keeps your motivation up. An mp3 player might be another good investment if you don’t already have one. The mile will pass more quickly if you’re listening to your favourite tunes as you stride along. However, neither of these are strictly necessary to get started. Just make sure your shoes fit well and don’t give you blisters and you’ll be all set.
If you haven’t exercise for a while, or if you have any medical conditions, it’s a good idea to seek the advice of your doctor before you start walking (or any other new exercise program for that matter). It’s also worth remembering that, even although walking is a relatively low intensity exercise, it’s a good idea to stretch your muscles before setting off on your walk. Take your time and start off slowly – you can build up both in terms of speed and distance over time. Some gentle stretches when you have completed your walk are also a good idea. This will help you to avoid any strains and ensure that you achieve all the aforementioned health benefits in the most effective manner.
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