Why Walk?
Walking reduces blood pressure, lowers the levels of "bad LDL" cholesterol in your blood, tones up your muscles and strengthens your bones. An excellent form of exercise for people who wish to lose weight or simply improve their fitness level through low impact and low intensity exercise.
How to walk briskly
At normal speed allow your arms to swing freely and rhythmically, remembering that your arm speed controls your leg speed. Quicker, smaller steps will cover more ground than long strides, which tire your muscles. Resist the temptation to lengthen your stride to go faster. Strike the floor with the heel of your shoe, roll onto the ball of your foot and aim to push off with your toes. Avoid bending over, looking down on the floor, stay tall with your head up, checking for obstacles that are in your path. Control your breathing, take full breaths and exhale completely. When walking uphill, take smaller strides, leaning into the hill. If the hill is really steep, traverse (zig zag) up it to make it easier on your legs.
How long should I walk for?
Walk for 20 - 30 minutes duration most days of the week at a "talking" pace.
Make sure that you are ready physically by seeing your doctor, especially if you have been sedentary for a while, and have any condition which could be affected by exercise, such as high blood pressure.
Your Clothes
It is important that your clothes are both comfortable and practical. Prepare to dress for any weather, especially in the UK, where the weather can change rapidly.
Wearing layers will enable you to both keep warm, as the air is trapped between the layers of clothing, and also let you take layers off as you start to get warm. Keeping your clothing clean will enable the fibres to both keep your warm and also take the sweat away from your body; matted fibres will not do this.
Walking Shoes
Avoid going for looks; go for comfort when choosing your walking shoes. Training shoes with a laced fit, with rubber soles offer good support for general walking on firm ground. If walking over uneven hilly ground a hiking boot with more support is recommended.
Staying Motivated
The key to keeping fit whilst walking, is to keep it regular and increase your efforts slowly at your own pace. Obviously the faster you walk, the more calories you will burn in a given time, however if you walk too fast you can soon become tired. Walking is a pastime where time should not be an issue; getting fit and being in the fresh air should be your main goal.