Walking holds so many benefits and can aid in reaching health and fitness goals. It can be consistently done and easy to perform, so whether you’re aiming to lose weight, clear the mind of distractions, or simply increase overall daily activity, integrating walking into your routine can pave the way to achieving these goals. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of walking, how to get started with walking, and tips to add more walking throughout the day.

The Benefits of Walking

1. Low-Impact Exercise that can be Done Consistently

Walking is a low-impact form of exercise that is easy to perform daily. The low impact on joints can be really beneficial for losing weight to move towards fitness goals. It might not be flashy, but it gets the job done while limiting or even avoiding the aches and pains. 

2. Aids in Weight Loss

Walking is a useful exercise to burn calories and aids in reducing body fat. 

3. Aids in Digestion

Walking helps with the digestion of food throughout the day.

4. Enhances Creativity 

During my walks, I have been able to come up with new ideas and it has been a real game changer in clearing my mind of distractions.

5. Aids in Learning

Listening to podcasts and learning online courses are possible while walking. Plus, can help pass the time while walking. So, with this form of exercise its perfectly possible to learn some new lessons while moving towards fitness goals.

6. Maintaining Healthy Weight

Once fitness goals are reached it can also aid in maintaining the fitness goal and weight. Plus, it’s easy to do consistently.

7. Improves Sleep

I’ve noticed when going on morning walks that it’s help me in waking up in the morning and has aided in unwinding and falling asleep later in the day.

8. You can Walk and Talk

It’s a great exercise to perform with friends and family. You can talk about many things while moving around.

9. Discover New Places

When going on walks it’s really cool to discover new places around that you never knew were even there.

10. Reduces stress and Improves Mood

Walking helps in clearing the mind and releases endorphins which reduce stress. 

Creating a Walking Routine

1. Set Realistic Goals

Keep it nice and simple when starting out. Even something small like a short 10–15-minute walk in a day can be beneficial. Find a realistic goal and build upon it over time but always make sure it’s something that you are capable of doing. 

2. Choose a Time and Stick With it. 

Pick at least one time in the day to go on a walk consistently. It could be in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening. Of course, more walking can be added but there should be at least one time in the day that should be devoted to going on a walk. 

Ways to Get More Walking in to Reach Step Count Goals

Many people have daily step count goals or are just looking for ways to add more walking into their daily routine so here are some helpful tips to get more walking in the day. 

1. Walk After Eating at a Restaurant 

A short 5–10-minute walk after eating at a restaurant aid in digestion and burns some calories. 

2. Walk During Work Lunches

During work lunches it’s common to have some extra time. Spend it going on a walk. Helps with mood and aids in reaching fitness goals. 

3. Park Away from Grocery Store Entrance

If there is a day each week in which groceries are needing to be grabbed. Try parking away from the grocery store entrance. This causes more walking to get in and out of the grocery store.

4. Put the Grocery Cary Away Back in the Store

By putting the grocery cart away, it helps in getting more walking in and you are helping the grocery store employee out by having to grab one less cart. 

Summary

Walking has been a real game changer on my fitness journey and hopefully after reading this blog post you can see many of the benefits walking has on reaching fitness goals. Plus, it can be consistently done and aids in maintaining results. A perfect tool to aid in reaching fitness goals and on the path to becoming Routinely Fit.