Walking may be a great way to start if you’re starting a fitness program or are extremely out of shape. Almost everyone can do it, and you can do it anywhere. Is it enough to improve your overall fitness or keep you in shape? There are four types of fitness: strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance. You need more than just weight-bearing aerobic endurance exercise. Walking is a good start, but not the ultimate whole-body workout you need.
Walking has limitations.
Walking improves endurance, but what about the other types of fitness? You will improve your balance walking. While you’ll build strength in your lower body walking, unless you use arm weights and pump your arms vigorously, you won’t improve upper body strength or develop flexibility. Adding arm weights, carrying weights, or water bottles can work more muscles, but not all upper-body muscles or exercise the lower-body muscles on all planes.
Even if you’re out of shape, adding other exercises may be necessary.
Walking is an excellent start and supplement to any exercise program, but you must add other exercises for complete fitness. A fifteen-minute stretching session every morning can help maintain flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. Adding exercises to your workout, like squats, can boost nitric oxide to help lower blood pressure. Our trainers will provide an easy workout that focuses on your needs. It will start slowly and focus on form until you can push your body further.
Alter your intensity and get a better workout.
HIIT—high intensity interval training—is not a specific exercise but a way of doing exercises. You can even use walking to do it. You alternate between high-intensity and a recovery pace. You walk a few minutes at peak intensity, dropping back to a recovery pace, and then switching back to peak intensity. It builds endurance faster and helps you get into shape quicker. Walking backward, at an incline, on different terrains also adds diversity and more benefits.
- No matter what type of exercise you do, including walking, always warm your muscles and cool down afterward. Doing dynamic stretches before you exercise and static stretching afterward provides benefits.
- Punch while you walk. You might feel a little awkward punching in the air if you’re walking in a mall or on a busy city street, but if you’re walking an isolated path in a park or the woods, it boosts benefits.
- Walking is an excellent exercise for seniors. It’s a weight-bearing exercise that can help prevent osteoporosis. It can help lower blood pressure while building strength. It reduces the chances of injury from falls.
- Walking in a park or green area is good for the soul. You can get closer to nature and relax as you walk. You’ll get a dose of vitamin D when you walk in a sunny area. Walking more helps you sleep better at night.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio