Getting healthy is something that will not only help you to live a longer happier life, but it will also help you to reduce how much money you spend on life insurance, health insurance and long term care insurance. One of the best ways to get into shape, regardless of what condition you are in now is to start a walking program. However, before you start a walking program you need to get a check up from your doctor. This check up will ensure that you are healthy enough to start an exercise program, and it is also a great time to talk to your doctor about what your target heart rate is, how to plan your walking program and what type of precautions you need to take.
Once your health is clear, your next step is to get together the gear you will need for walking. To start with you will want a good pair of supportive walking shoes. If you have never bought walking shoes before, go to a sports shop or shoe store and have a sales person fit you with the proper shoe and size. You will want to make sure you select a shoe that has the right arch support for your foot. In addition to a good pair of walking shoes, you will also want a water bottle, sweatbands, and runner’s socks.
Now that you have everything you need to start your walking program you final step is to determine how much to walk and how often. Walking is a great exercise because it is relatively low impact and you can go at your own pace. However, when you first start out your program you will want to go slow and build up to longer and faster walks. When you first start out, measure your workouts in terms of minutes instead of miles. For example, walk 15 minutes a day, Monday through Friday, and then take off the weekend, then add five or ten minutes the following week so your walks are 20 to 25 minutes a session. As you build up your endurance you can adjust your walking workouts so that some are short fast walks, while others are long and slow.
Your long term health depends on how active you are. Research has shown that the ltc outlook for people who stay active is much better than for those who are less active. Exercising will not only keep you healthy, but it will also improve your mood. Return next week to the LTC blog for a discussion on exercise journaling.
