The rehab walk
For anyone who has not done exercise- level
walking before, Walking for Health, a national organisation that runs free,
guided wellbeing walks, suggests the following:
Warm up first: march on the spot or walk
slowly for the first few minutes.
Week 1: start gently with two 10- minute
walks on three days.
Week 2 & 3: do tow 12- minute walks on
three days each week.
Garndually increase your speed and time
over the following weeks up to your target of walking 30 minutes or more at
least five times a week.
If you can do three 10 minute walks from
day one, go for it- researchers at Loughborough University found that women who
did three 10- minute walks had almost identical fitness to those who walked
continuously for 30 minutes.
Your health will benefit every time you head outside
As well as keeping bones and muscles stong
and halving your risk of colds, walking can help protect you against stroke,
heart disease and breast and colon cacer.
It will reduce your risk of developing type
2 diabetes and help control your blood pressure and cholesteriol levels.
For company join a ‘health walk’ group
that is led by an experienced walker through www.wfh.naturalengland.org.uk. Get
Walking (www.detwalking.org) also
offers a free 12- week nationwide programme of led walks designed for
beginners.
The no time walk
Walkit
(www.walkit.com) will give you a rout with
a choice of direct or less busy
For anyone reading this who feels the
simply do not have 10 minutes- let alone half and hour- each day to set aside
for walking, here is how to integrate the benegits into everyday life. Walk all
or part of the way to work; walk home; walk at lunchtime; walk to see friends
or to meetings. Tap in the postcodes of your start and final destination and
Walkit (www.walkit.com) will give you a
rout with a choice of direct or less busy, and it will tell you the time it
tales, distance, number of calories you will burn and even how much you have
reduced your carbon footprint by walking. It is aimed primarily at urban
walikers with circular walks, themed walks anf information about what you will
see en route. The Ramblers’ Association (www.ramblers.org.uk) provides free
downloadable maps of the best walking routes in major cities and the rest of
Great Britain. So pull on your trainers, and ger moving.
The stress- busting walk
The combination of physical activity, which
helps to burn off stress chemicals, and ‘green exercise’ shown to induce
relaxation and boots your mood, is a potent one. Add mindfulness to the mix and
you have a walking meditation that will melt away stress in minutes. Walking
‘mindfully’ means shifting your focus from worries about the past or the future
to being in the here and now. Start from the moment you set out by becoming
aware of the ground beneath your feet and noticing your breating. Do not think
about what lies ahead or where you have been- stay in the present by paying
attention to the feelings and sensations you are experiencing now- the breeze
in your hair, the sun on your face and the sounds, sights and smells around
you. Stay in tune with the rhythm of your breath and of each step. If thoughts
distract you, simply notice them and return your awareness to your breathing.
