Walking is a great way to take exercise. Most of us do it, to a greater or lesser extent, every day. It requires no special equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes, and it can be fitted into your day whenever it suits you best. It’s also a very cost effective form of exercise – there are no costly monthly membership fees to be paid.

The health benefits of walking are many and varied. It’s actually hard to believe that so many benefits are obtainable from such an easily accomplished, low impact, low injury risk workout. Consistency is the key – regular low level exercise is very much better than sporadic bursts of intense physical activity.

Thirty minutes of walking, three or four times a week, on a regular basis, will produce results that you can both see and feel. If you can work up to 10,000 steps a day – that’s somewhere between four and a half and five miles for most people – you will really reap the rewards.

There are numerous opportunities to walk a little more each day. If your schedule allows you to fit in a half hour, or even an hour, of walking daily then that’s good. If that’s not practical for you then there’s no need to despair – there are many ways to ramp up your daily number os steps taken.

Leaving the car at home and walking to the shops or work is an oft repeated piece of advice. However, if that’s not practical for you due to the distance involved, then take the car as usual. Just park up in the far corner of the parking lot so that you have a greater distance to cover to the entrance. If you travel by subway or bus instead of by car then consider getting off one or two steps before your final destination and complete the last leg of your journey on foot.

Take a ten or fifteen minute stroll around the block at lunchtime. You’ll have more energy, and you’ll be more mentally alert, throughout the course of the afternoon. Make the most of modern technology by walking around when you’re talking on your mobile or cordless phone. One fifteen minute phone call can allow you to fit an extra 1,000 steps into your day.

If the bulk of your walking activity is slotted into your day in discrete sections, then you may want to consider purchasing a pedometer – these are available starting at less than $10 these days. You can carry one of these in your pocket or attach it to your belt. It will let you track and record your progress in terms of the number of steps taken, the number of calories burned or the total distance covered. Keeping track of your progress like this might help to keep you motivated and will encourage you to look for other ways to build walking into your daily routine.

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