Winter is here, and now is the time to craft our summer bodies under the cover of all our winter clothes.
I personally believe that fitness is not a contest or a competition, for which you prepare, and after it’s over, you remain comfortable for the rest of your life.
I have been thinking for a while to challenge you with something as simple as a 30-minute brisk walk 6 days of the week. I am not really interested if it rains, snows or you have a function to attend, meeting to go to or not feeling hundreds.
You have to commit to your walking and make it an absolute priority!
While exercise fads come and go, the simple act of WALKING has stood the test of time! It doesn’t require special skills, it’s low impact on your joints, highly enjoyable, and inexpensive, so everyone can do it!
Let’s start by investing in a great pair of walking shoes. If you pronate excessively, you may need special pads, fitted into your shoes by a specialist. Once you are empowered with enthusiasm and zest, you are ready to take part in the challenge.
You can walk inside, on the treadmill or outside, around the neighborhood or at the nearby park. It depends on the weather, but preferably try to walk outside as much as possible.
Your goal is to walk 30 minutes on a 1.5-3% incline if you walk on the treadmill and cover a minimum of 3 km distance. If you are able to track your calorie consumption for the duration of the 30 minutes, it should be a minimum of 140 calories.
Some tips to make your walking more effective and functional :
Walk fast ( 6.3 km/hour if you are indoors).
- Move your arms rhythmically around your body and never hold yourself. The handles on the treadmills are there for you to hold only when you want to measure your heart rate.
- Walk “tall”. That means keep your shoulders relaxed, your chest open with a natural distance between your breast bone and your navel.
- Keep your core braced and contracted by slightly pulling your navel in, towards the spine.
- Breath in and out, don’t hold your breath.
- Maintain your hips in alignment, don’t swing them up and down, left and right.
- Feel that your HR is elevated and you can still comfortably talk, but are sweating slightly. However, if you feel out of breath, nauseous, or have pain anywhere in the body, stop immediately!
The BENEFITS of walking are many, but some of the most relevant are:
- It burns calories and when accompanied by a healthy diet, it helps you lose weight.
- It helps reduce your risk of heart disease, which is a leading cause of death in South Africa.
- It can lower your blood pressure by 10 mm/hg.
- It can reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol) by as much as 20 percent.
- It improves bone density.
- It reduces stress and is a natural antidepressant.
- It promotes great circulation and improves spinal health, by pumping nutrients into the spine.
- It can improve your quality of sleep.
I would like you to share your experiences with me on the page, so we can get more people embarking on the journey of health, better energy, and vitality.
I have started the challenge of walking about a month ago and looking forward to seeing more of my clients the following suit.
