Lesson 3: Other Factors to Consider in Your Walking Program
Options for Walking Outside and Inside
I have a bias towards walking outdoors in just about any weather. I like fresh air and I like observing and feeling part of the changing scenery and changing seasons. That's just my preference. There are many reasons (time, weather, convenience) why you may opt to walk indoors.
For me, a fun part of walking is exploration, even in my own neighborhood. There are many little side streets that I don't use when I'm driving, and I use my walking time to look at the many houses, yards and gardens that I wouldn't otherwise see in my daily travels. I develop loops of different lengths and then, sometimes I mix and match, depending on my energy level. I have, for example, one loop that will take me about 35 minutes to walk, but if I have the time and I feel the desire, I may connect to another one of my loops that takes me 25 minutes. Or, if I just have a few extra minutes, I might add a mini-loop that takes me 7 minutes.
I have loops near my home, near my office and near my husband's place of business. I have a map of the county where I live and sometimes, just to add some variety, I'll go to a different town and look for areas that might be appealing. That could be an area near the beach, or near a nature preserve or near a park.
A park is another good option for you walk. Parks can be very large and have well-developed paths, or they may be smaller and just be included in part of your walk. Often times a park will have a track. Because I like to meander and explore, I tend to use tracks for a lap or two just to measure how fast I am going. But there are people that use tracks exclusively. I live near a small park that has a 1/4 mile track and there's an elderly woman who does 5 miles a day, 20 laps on that track every morning at 6:00 am. If you like to walk on tracks, you can often them at high schools and universities. Generally, they allow the general public to use these facilities.
My favorite kind of walking is on trails. For me, there's nothing like being in and among trees and away from traffic. I don't tend to walk as quickly on this terrain, but if I incorporate hilly trails into my walk, I can get a rigorous workout if I so desire. Many urban areas have nature preserves or trails within some of their parks.
If you choose to walk indoors, you also have a number of options. Many people like to use a treadmill either at home or at a gym. One advantage of a treadmill is you can set your workouts to include challenges such as hills which may not be available in your neighborhood. At home, you have the convenience of doing your walk in the privacy of your own home, where you don't have to get changed, you can watch TV, read the paper and jump in the shower as soon as you're done. If you use the treadmill at the gym, your walking workout can be done in conjunction with any strength training you are doing.
A popular place for indoor walking is in shopping malls. There are many malls that will open the facilities early so that walkers can walk before the stores open. One of the great things about mall walking is that there is often a community of walkers that develop. The members of the group are even known to call one another if someone doesn't show up. This can be a great incentive to show up for your walk. Many malls have official mall walking programs. For more information on mall walking go to Mall Walking
