Fitness Walking is the Fastest Way to Walk Your Way to Fitness.  Slowly, but surely, our world is becoming more and more overweight. With each passing year, the numbers of people who are classified with an above normal weight are growing and the associated health problems are nearing outbreak proportions. Many people claim that diet and exercise are hard schedules to maintain, but when walking your way to fitness is the aim of your goal, fitness walking can be the edge you need to make that new program work well in less time. See our other Weight Loss Reviews and Exercise Reviews .

 

Before starting a fitness walking program or any exercise program where walking exercise will be incorporated, it is important to contact your doctor to discuss to outcomes on the body and any possible contraindications your physical status may have on walking for fitness. Once you and your doctor have agreed that fitness walking is okay to begin, you will need to follow a few tips to make the most of your fitness walking workout.

Fitness Walking Tips

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• Bring water. When the months get warmer the dehydration level that can be associated with exercise will be easier to reach. Drinking water throughout your fitness walk is important to keep the body hydrated and burning those calories away from the body. Without water, fatigue, muscle cramps and heat stroke can occur.
• Remember sunscreen. Being out of doors is almost an aphrodisiac. But, every person who is starting a fitness walk for the day must lather their skin with sunscreen. There is no sense in having a fit and trim body only to have aged skin with a greater chance of skin cancer. Sunscreen will reflect the sun's rays and keep that fitness walk going longer.
• Good sneakers. One of the main reason people stop walking for exercise is due to sore feet. This can be prevented on the front side with the purchase of some great walking shoes. There are many companies that make shoes just for walking. These shoes are light weight, breathable and comfortable.
• Roll the feet, don't stomp. When walking, no matter how fast you are moving, try to roll the feet. The hell should hit the ground lightly at first and the body weight should roll forward as you are walking. This will help to prevent shin splints and stress fractures from occurring. A stress fracture can stop a new walking routine in its tracks in a very short time and is a relatively common fitness walk injury.  
• Wear light clothing. When walking for exercise, you body will sweat. The best clothing to wear is clothing created just for fitness walking. The materials breathe and allow sweat to be wicked away from the body quickly in order to cool the skin. The cooler the body stays, the longer you will feel like fitness walking.
• Warm up and cool down. It is VERY important to note this tip. The body muscles need to be warmed up before starting any fitness walk routine and cooled down at the end. Warm ups can consist of deep breathing and muscles stretches and cool down s more of the same. The main point to remember is to stretch out all of the muscles before and after ANY workout.
  

These simple tips will help any walker to get the most out of their walking experience. But, what exactly is that fitness walk doing for your body each and every day? The positive effects of a daily fitness walk are wonderful to say the least and will be noticed by you, your body and those who see you every day.

 

Benefits of Fitness Walking

 

• Increased calorie burn – direct. The direct calorie burn from the fitness walking is the one most noted by those who are trying to become more physically active and even lose weight. The calories burned during a fitness walk will depend greatly on the weight, age and physical fitness level of the person who is doing all the walking.
• Increased calorie burn – indirect. The more you walking the more muscle you will build (see benefit 3). As these muscles grow, they will burn more calories upon resting than they did when smaller. On average, every pound of muscle built through fitness walking will burn an additional 30 to 50 calories every day.
• Increased muscle. As stated above, fitness walking does wonders for the muscles of the body. While walking for exercise is noted as one of the best, low impact exercises one can choose, the effects are right up there with other, higher impact workouts. The muscles love to walk and they will grow the more often you choose to hit the pavement.
• Increased self esteem. As your fitness walks continue, a walker may find themselves feeling better and better about themselves. This is very common. Walking for exercise is just that, exercise and the body loves the endorphins that are released when the heart rate goes up and the body moves. The more you exercise, the better you will feel and the more you will want to exercise. Addictive even!
• Weight loss. The inevitable benefit, over time, is to lose weight. When a fitness walking plan is starting along with a reduced calorie diet, the body will create a negative calorie space and that space means lost pounds. In order to lose 1 pound, the body needs to burn 3500 calories more per week than are consumed. With walking alone and no change to the diet, this can easily be accomplished. Throw in a few cut backs on calories and those pounds will shed quickly and easily.
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Conclusion

Fitness walking and walking for exercise are a very healthy choice for anyone who is new to physical fitness. The low impact nature of walking lends this exercise to people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels. The new fitness person can reap just as much benefit as the marathon runner. Walking is unique in that it builds muscle and increased heart rate with little resistance from the body. And, it just plain makes you feel good about you and the decision you have made to fitness walk for exercise.

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