Too busy to walk?
Walking is one of the most regularly overlooked forms of exercise and a game changer in the fast paced world of 2018. This form of low intensity steady state cardio (LISS) could be the missing link in your journey to health and fitness, but more often than not we’ll sporadically track our steps and then it’ll be the first thing to slip from routine when life gets well…. busy?!
How many of you regularly make journeys on four wheels which could just as easily be made on two feet? If you allowed yourself an extra 10 mins here and there, how many of your daily tasks could you actually complete on foot?
Take your trip to the gym for example, how often do you leave it to the last minute, resulting in jumping in the car to save time? Kind of ironic that you’re travelling by car to exercise.
So why should you bother taking a bit of extra time to walk? What are the benefits?
LISS is a safe and effective way to build cardiovascular endurance, particularly for those just starting out on their health and fitness journey, walking is a great way to gradually build a foundation level of fitness before getting into exercise that involves a higher intensity and more advanced motor patterns.
Walking is less taxing on your joints than higher impact plyometric exercises like running, therefore resulting in less injuries.
It’s a great form of active recovery, particularly for those hitting regular higher intensity workouts and resistance training, where your joints and muscles will need chance to recover.
Although doing LISS training alone is not necessarily the most efficient road to fat loss, think about the extra calories used to get you from A to B compared to sitting in your car. This all adds up.
Walking is a great chance to clear your head, try getting away from your desk for 30 minutes at lunchtime and see how it affects your productivity that afternoon. Think of it as a mental reset, an active meditation. It’s also been found to reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep.
Due to it’s low impact, walking is a great way for older people to stay active. This may help to reduce the risk of cognitive decline through improving memory, cognitive function and processing speed.
And finally…… it’s free!! (Not trying to put myself out of work here!) If someone offered you a free gym membership you’d take it right, so why not make a little more time to incorporate some LISS into your daily routine?!
The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health.