Walking is a great way to get fit

People on TV and in the papers are always saying how unfit we are and how we need to get out and get some exercise, yet the reality is that if you are really unfit then you can’t just jump straight into working out like they are pushing you to do. For a start you are not going to get far if you try something like jogging which is quite demanding, and another thing you have to watch out for is the impact on your joints. If you are carrying around some extra weight because you haven’t been doing much physical activity, then when you are jogging it puts a tremendous strain on your knee joints.

That is why I think that walking is such a great way to exercise. You won’t put any extra strain on your joints (because you are taking smaller, softer steps than while jogging), anyone of any fitness level can do it (we all walk around during the day) and yet if you want to make it more demanding you can. When you are just starting off then a mile or two will probably seem like a lot, but if you stick to it then over the coming weeks you can increase the distance you are walking or try to walk it faster, and if you can find some hills to add into your walk then that will really increase the difficulty. If you want to check how hard you are working each time you go out for a walk then you can buy a strapless heart rate monitor watch that will tell you how hard your heart is being worked.

If you do that and stick to daily walks then you will be amazed how much fitter you can be in just a month’s time, so get started now and you’ll be fitter and healthier in as little as 4 weeks.