SmartHealthToday Team
The message of how to improve your health is pretty consistent: Improve your diet and exercise.
And when it comes to exercise, the first place to start is walking.
“It’s physical activity,” says Scott Helton, ATC, certified athletic trainer and clinical manager at St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. “You can start slow and build up. Walking 30 minutes a day can have dramatic improvement on your overall health. You almost can’t afford not to do it.”
Today is National Walking Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association. The first Wednesday in April is meant to kick off a month-long celebration designed to help you become more active.
Walking can improve heart health and decrease the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and more. It is probably the least intimidating form of exercise that can be recommended.
“It is the most fundamental and foundational thing we can tell people to do,” Helton says. “It’s true what they say: You walk before you run. Most of us walk all the time. It doesn’t require athletic skill.”
Here are a dozen tips from Helton:
Start slowly and build gradually. Don’t increase your pace, distance and inclines all at once. It can be as simple as walking down the street on Day One and increasing your time/distance until you get around the block. Start with five minutes a day. Then 10. Try and build to 30 minutes a day five times a week.
Have good shoes. Do not walk in sandals, boots or dress shoes. You don’t have to have $150 running shoes, but you should have the right footwear to avoid painful problems.
Start on level ground before tackling hills.
Listen to music to pass the time or set your pace. There are many apps that help produce play lists.
Walk with your spouse or significant other, a parent, friend or your children. It’s a good family activity whether in your neighborhood or nearby park.
Never use a drive-thru – for a bank, restaurant or other service. Get out of the car and walk in.
Park in a space further from the entrance of wherever you are going to get in some extra steps.
Don’t walk directly from your parking space into your building or home. Take a longer route.
Walk during your lunch hour –even if just 5-10 minutes.
Take the stairs vs. the elevator.
Track your steps. This is fun to set goals and compete with yourself. Ideally, you want to walk 10,000 steps a day, but again, start with 2,000 and work your way up. You don’t need a Fitbit or similar device. Your smartphone likely has free apps that track steps.
Consult with a medical professional if you have underlying issues you think would prevent you from walking.
“Walking is – with rare exception – a low-risk, low-impact activity for which there are tremendous health benefits,” Helton says. “You build up endurance. You build up muscle strength. It gets you out of the house or off the couch and away from the TV. And the beauty of walking is it does not require anything fancy. Don’t get hung up on technology. The ‘app’ can be your watch.”
Take the first step to a healthier life by taking part in the American Heart Association’s National Walking Day. Download or view the complete toolkit to start your four-week activity challenge today.
SmartHealthToday is a service of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.