Fitness Strategies

Lesson 1: Why, How and When?

Featured Fitness Activity - Walking.

The first of our featured fitness activities is walking. I chose this one because it is one of the easiest. I really love swimming, but there are few places where you can swim all year round without having to pay to use a pool. Walking, however, is free.

Before you start walking, you should be properly dressed. Wear your good walking shoes, and whatever clothing is appropriate for the weather. Remember, unless the weather is really bitter, you will get warmer as you go. And if the weather is very bad, you should do something else instead. You'll find out what in another lesson.

Before you start.

Do not start walking on an empty stomach. If you feel weak and hungry you won't enjoy yourself. After some experimenting, I have found a bowl of cereal and milk at breakfast time can fuel me for a walk of up to nine km. Don't walk too soon after a heavy meal. You might get indigestion.

Begin with a few gentle stretches. I'll suggest some easy ones in Lesson 2.

Now, start walking. Different people walk at different speeds. If I'm walking along, thinking hard or talking to someone, I move at around a km each 9 minutes. This is (or was) my "natural" speed. That means I could walk about 6 1/2 km in an hour.

When you're beginning your exercise, you should aim for around half an hour of continuous walking at your natural pace. If it's like mine, you will cover just over three km in that time. That's just over two miles. Therefore, you will be walking for fifteen minutes "out" and fifteen "back". I always try for a round trip with as little backtracking as possible.

If you are seriously unfit or overweight, start with fifteen or twenty minutes instead.

Where to Walk.

Where you walk depends on where you live. Footpaths are fine, but try to stay away from heavy traffic areas, because of the fumes. Country lanes are good. The edges of major highways are bad. Parks are good. Walking tracks are good. Beaches are good. The back streets of a town or suburb are good.

It is much easier if you can begin your walk from your own door. If you need to travel to get to your walking venue, you will need more time and more motivation. However, if you live in a place that really is bad for pedestrians, try to get to your nearest park.

Choose the best surface you can. Short grass or gravel or asphphalt or leaf mould are all good. Big stones, sharp rocks or heavy sand are not.

Choose a safe place. If walking in the early morning or the evening, try to take a companion. Don't walk if you can't see where you're going or in places where you're always glancing over your shoulder. Don't walk where traffic is going to come too close.

Incorporating your walk in your day

You might be able to incorporate your half hour walk in your normal day. You could walk to work, to school, to pick up the children, to exercise the dog, or to the shops. You could walk to do the posting or to buy the office lunches, or to visit friends.

If you live far from where you work, try parking your car or getting off your bus fifteen minutes (1 mile or 1 1/2 km) away, and walk the rest of the way. If you choose this option, put your "work shoes" in a bag and wear your walking shoes.

Repeat your half hour walk four or five days a week for two weeks. Do not walk if you are ill, if it is unreasonably hot or wet or very cold. You are seeking fitness, not heat exhaustion or pneumonia.

By now, you should be used to the route, and used to the activity. You can listen to music or to an audio book as you walk, or think, or practise affirmations, or talk to a companion. Do whatever you feel like doing to make the activity fun.

Value-add by teaching your child times-tables, planning the menus for the week or practising deep breathing routines.

Now you're ready to extend yourself a bit. You don't need to walk any farther. What you need to do is to walk faster. There is no need to power walk. Just pick up your speed and lengthen your stride. Walk as fast as you can without breaking into a jog or distorting your action.

For the first few days, you will need to keep reminding yourself to keep that speed up, but eventually it will become automatic. One day, you'll tell yourself "Pick it up!" and find you can't. You'll be walking smartly already.

Walking smartly will increase your fitness. Your muscles will be better toned, your heartbeat and pulse will rise a little and you will breathe a bit faster. You should not be breathless or dizzy, and your heartbeat shouldn't be uncomfortable. If you feel strained, ease back until you are feeling better.

My walking speed now is a bit faster than 8 minutes to the km. To do a 7 minute km, I have to jog part of the way. A gain of one minute per km doesn't sound much, but it makes a world of difference to your fitness level. By the end of your first month of walking you should be able to feel (and see) increased firmness in your calves and thighs.

While walking, let your arms swing freely from the shoulder. Keep your chest up and look straight ahead. If you are carrying shopping or books, try to wear a backpack rather than holding shopping bags. Smile.

The good thing about walking, apart from its ease, is that it is endlessly adaptable. You can start with a twenty minute or half hour walk and extend it to an hour or an hour and a half. When my husband and I go walking we cover nine km in about 70 minutes, and sometimes, if we have time, we make it eleven.

Heart Rate and Walking

Optional Reading
For information about healthy heart rates and walking, turn to P. 39 of "Walking: Fitness and Health Through Everyday Activity".

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