You all probably did the equivalent of walk Unaware challenges during lockdown. I did it. My daily walk is the highlight of every 24 hours I spend indoors, but once our lives return to some level of “normal”, that will quickly fade away.i started gym workout Once my local gym reopens, I’ve been lacking motivation lately, so I’m wondering if the simple, low-impact, easy-to-fit daily walk I’ve been doing during lockdown will help me achieve the exercise routine I’ve been craving.
To celebrate National Walking Month this month, I decided to try my own walking challenge, walking 30 minutes a day this month. It turns out the benefits are more than I thought.
What are the benefits of walking every day?
Before diving into the specifics of the walking challenge, let’s review the general benefits of walking.
- free
- This is low impact
- it can be done anywhere
- You can do it in a group or individually
- According to a study, it increases brain power new mexico highlands university study
- It can improve heart health, (thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes) as much as running, according to American Heart Association
- It’s good for your mind.Walking in nature linked to better mental health University of Michigan Health System
- According to this, it can reduce the risk of diseases (stroke, coronary heart disease, depression and other life-threatening diseases) University of East Anglia
And so began the first week of my walking challenge.Meeting the challenge is always the hardest part, especially thanks to the UK weather as usual (aka letting us all enjoy some nice grey skies and constant drizzle), but I popped up in my earphone And be prepared for a cold walk outside. Here’s everything I’ve learned along the way, including my tips, to help you tackle your own walking challenges and get the most out of it.
1. Pets are good motivators
I should mention here that I have a dog that also needs a walk. If there’s one thing that keeps me out of the house when I don’t like it, it’s Frank, who needs to collect every stick he sees in the park. Having a furry little friend with me on my walking challenge helped the time go by quickly and gave him the workout he needed, so if you have a WFH buddy, get them involved as well.
2. Walking forces you to slow down
One of the things I find hardest about exercising is the pressure I put on myself to make the most of my allotted workout time. If I’m in the gym for an hour, I need to do something every minute of that hour or I’ll blame myself for not using it to the fullest.as a Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which probably did more harm than good, since going to hell for leather caused a spike in cortisol, which in turn caused my insulin resistance. On the other hand, walking is a great way to completely de-stress and enjoy sports again.
I can focus on getting ready for the day while letting my legs do their thing and paying attention to my breathe, change my rhythm as I see fit. In turn, after a few challenges, I started looking forward to them as they became almost ritualistic and it was time for me to completely shut down.dismissive fitness app Or an exercise program, just listening to my music and trusting that my body will do anything naturally.
3. Walking is easy to get used to
Two weeks later, with another bad weather turn, I decided to take it to the next level and walk into the gym every day, adding some incline and speed changes.
Enter our familiar friends, 12-3-30 Workout. For starters, the format of the 12-3-30 workout (popular on TikTok for reference) is as follows:
- Set the treadmill incline to 12%
- Set the speed to 3mph
- 30 minutes on foot
For the last two weeks of the walking challenge, I started walking every day. It’s a great option to get the benefits of low-intensity walking, but in a different setting than my usual leisurely walks, it also means I can really get my core in contact with the slopes. It’s safe to say I’m sweating at the end of every session.
4. Committing to the walking challenge keeps me consistent
I’ve never really been a step-counter all day, but I admit to having this little challenge every day that keeps me consistent. Instead of counting how many steps I took, I deliberately timed it. Which brings me to the next point…
5. Setting yourself an achievable walking time is key
30 minutes (to me) is more engaging than an hour of sweat and not too intimidating to fit into my day. If the thing that keeps you consistent is to set a realistic time period and take your time, put one foot in front of the other, whether it’s outside or on the treadmill, then that’s what you should be doing, which is One of the biggest takeaways of my walking challenge.
A “good” workout doesn’t have to be defined by killing yourself in motion Gym. So if that’s what your body is telling you to do, slow down (or reduce the amount of time you give yourself if it makes it less overwhelmed) and let your body learn to do it again Fall in love with sports, one step at a time.
my walking challenge results
By the end of the month, dividing the month into two different types of walks, I really noticed a change, not only in my body but in my mind.
A 30-minute outdoor walk at a slower pace helps reduce the stress of exercise, gets me out of the house, and gives me a full awake. It clears my mind, gives me fresh air, gets my body moving, and gets my blood flowing.
For the past two weeks, I’ve gotten the incline and speed up on the treadmill as part of my 12-3-30 walk and it has helped me up a notch. A 30-minute walk on a 12-incline treadmill is more difficult than you might think, it really wakes up your body, makes you sweat, and helps tone and strengthen my core. Naturally, these walks were harder than my slow outdoor walks, but they were still achievable and didn’t give me the wired feel I get from the intense gym workouts I usually do. Will I keep walking 30 minutes a day?maybe not Every A day, but I’d definitely replace at least two gym workouts with a walk, either outdoors or at the gym.
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