Whatever Wednesday

Walking

As the weather warms up my family begins our season of evening walks. Elizabeth asks every night at dinner if it is warm enough for an "evening walk". I load the little boys is the stroller or wagon ,depends on my mood, and the big kids grab bikes or scooters. Off we go. I try to make this last 30-40 minuets but again it depends on our mood. It is a nice way to end the day and get some activity into our day.

Walking is a great low impact exercise as well as a great warm up to your regular work out ( I so do NOT have on of these). I am also all about adding more umph to my walk. I found some great ideas here. Here are a few high lights:

Walking is by far the most popular low impact exercise, but in order to get your heart rate up there are some things you may need to do.

• Walk faster. One mistake we often make is walking too slowly to get the heart rate up. Wendy, About's Walking Guide, offers a great tutorial for How to Walk Faster. Picking up the pace can help you up the intensity of your workouts.




• Try interval training. By adding short bursts of speed or an occasional steep hill to your walking workouts, you can increase the intensity of your workouts as well as your calorie-burn. Try one of these Hill Workouts on the Treadmill or one of the Beginner Interval Workouts to get started.
  


• Use your arms. Make sure you're not holding onto the treadmill and, when you're outside, swing your arms to keep the intensity up. Holding weights as you walk is a no-no (it can cause injury), but consider using walking poles as an alternative.
  


• Mix things up. If walking is your sole source of cardio, cross-train with other activities to keep your body challenged. Walking is something we do every day and, therefore, we're very good at it. Learning something you're not as adept at can be a great boost to your endurance and fat loss.
  

Now here is to putting these ideas to use!!!

Walks are also a great way to get away from distraction like the phone (I do take my cell for emergencies), TV, the computer, dishes, laundry and all other household chores. LOL!! It is a great time to catch up with your sweetie, kids or just with your own thoughts. Plus the fresh air makes my kiddos sleep better! Oh yah don't forget the dog!!