Fight Stress With Walking

Walking

One of the best stress and depression fighters going is exercise. If you have tried it you know that it is almost impossible to dwell on negatives while working out. But some fear to try because they are “out of shape” or don’t want add the cost of joining a fitness club.

But there is one exercise almost anyone can do, costs next to nothing, and is extremely effective both at enhancing your mood and improving your health and that is the simple act of walking.

Like everything else, there is a right way to walk that helps you get the best benefits out of the exercise. What follows is a few suggestions on getting started and getting the most out of it.

HOW TO START
Well, all you really need is a decent pair of shoes, comfortable, non restrictive clothes and the desire to begin.

If you haven’t done any serious exercise for years start your program easy. To begin, walk for a consecutive twenty minutes a day every day for a week. If this is too easy, add five minutes each day until your walk is long enough to feel that you’ve accomplished something.

POSTURE COUNTS
Think tall. Walk with your shoulders back and your posture as erect as you can. Keep your head up and your eyes forward, no looking at the ground in front of your feet. Tighten your abdominal muscles and your butt. Walk with a stride that is natural for you.

STAY HYDRATED
Be certain to drink plenty of water. Concentrate on being well hydrated before, during and after your exercise. And water is water, it’s not tea, diet soda, or an energy drink. Those may have a place but plain water is the absolute best for proper hydration.


FIGHTING STRESS
Now that you have started walking, you can begin to use the exercise to combat the stress and depression moods.

In the beginning you will want to get to the place where you are walking at least 30 minutes each day at least five days a week. Do these walks at what’s known as a “talking” pace. That means you are probably breathing a bit hard but you can still carry on a conversation.

To truly combat the stress you may well find that this pace isn’t enough and then its time to push the envelop a little bit. Increase your pace to where you are breathing hard, not able to carry on a conversation, but not gasping for air. When you get here, I am confident that you will be concentrating much more on the exercise and much less on the daily challenges that caused you to begin in the first place.

And when you pick up both the pace and the time spent to the point where you are walking briskly for an hour at a time 4 to 5 days a week you get the added benefits of improved cardiovascular health and, if you are eating a healthy diet, weight loss as well.

Really, there aren’t many reasons not to work walking into your daily schedule. Even as little as 20 minutes a day will have definite benefits to both your mood and your health. Fight stress the healthy way! Get up and start walking!

Much of the information here was found at thewalkingsite.com. If you are a serious walker, or want to be, check them out.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Comments are closed.