It would be the easiest thing in the world to dismiss walking as a method of taking exercise. After all, it’s a low impact, low injury risk and relatively low intensity way to workout. You don’t need any special equipment or training. You know how to do it already – as a matter of fact, you most likely do it every single day.

All the same, allowing familiarity to breed contempt would be an error here. You don’t need to embark upon an exercise program suited to an Olympic athlete in order to gain some very significant health benefits. The list of benefits which this simple exercise can provide is lengthy – and it includes weight loss, an important consideration for many people.

Walking can lower the risk of stroke and heart disease. It can help to relieve hypertension and lower cholesterol levels. Due to the fact that it is a weight bearing exercise, it can help to build muscle and increase bone density. It can help to increase the operating efficiency of the heart and lungs. Regular walking can also help to reduce the risk of contracting certain types of cancer. It can also help to fight anxiety and combat depression. Recently conducted research in the UK suggests that walking as little as 8 miles on a weekly basis can help to stave off Alzheimer’s disease. As mentioned previously, it can help you with weight loss, get you into generally better shape and give you more energy.

That’s a long and impressive list of benefits. It reads like a press release for some new miracle drug or health supplement rather than a mundane daily activity! You don’t need to “go for the burn” or adopt a “no pain, no gain” mentality. All that you need to do is a little more walking than normal, and you need to keep doing it on a regular basis – you will be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly you begin to see results.

There are many opportunities that you can take to walk more. You can fit it into your schedule at a time to suit you. Leaving your car in the garage and walking to the shops, work or school is a good start. However, if that isn’t workable for you then use your car anyway but park it in a remote corner of the parking lot so that you have to walk further in order to reach the entrance. If you travel by bus or subway, then get off a couple of stops early and finish your journey on foot. Climb the stairs instead of using the elevator. Take a walk during your lunch hour. When you’re talking on your mobile phone, walk around a bit. There are plenty of ways that you can build walking into your day.

It can be difficult to monitor your progress if you are fitting walking into your daily routine in a series of short bursts as described above. You may find that a pedometer is a good idea. It will track and display your results in terms of the number of calories burned, the total number of steps taken or the distance covered. This can be a good way to keep your motivation high.

You might find an mp3 player a useful device. Listening to your favorite music as you walk along will help the time and the miles to pass that much more quickly.

One other development which you may find beneficial, is the appearance of toning shoes on the market. Brands like Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Fit Flops sandals and Masai Bafrefoot Technology Shoes all incorporate specially designed soles that raise the amount of work that your lower body muscles perform whilst walking. This can help to trim and tone your lower body – just by walking.

So, if you would like to lose a little weight, then walking to lose weight is the ideal choice. It will also provide you with numerous other health benefits – many of which are even more important than losing weight.

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