i’ve talked about it a few times before, but walking is my preferred form of exercise for a few reasons. when i started exercising on a regular basis, walking was something i could do physically and time-wise. i had access to a treadmill and it wasn’t as daunting as running.
fast forward quite a few [8ish?] years later, and walking is still my fave form of consistent exercise. that’s not to say i don’t mix other things in there, like some barre (via my MIRROR, which i LOVE), yoga, and other workouts, but walking is something i make a physical priority nearly every single day.
there are a number of ways to incorporate something that sounds so simple, but is actually a commitment, into your routine. popsugar fitness has a really great breakdown of how to ramp up your walking routine to accelerate your wellness, whether that’s weight loss or not.
what’s worked for me? a number of things over the years. right now i am doing either just 30 minutes // 4.4 mph // 1 incline, and if i have extra a time i’ll do an extra 10 minutes // 4.0 mph // 1 incline. in the past, i had done a variation that looked something like: 5 minutes // 3.5 mph // 8 incline | 5 minutes // 4.2 mph // 5 incline. i credit walking with keeping me relatively comfortable in both of my pregnancies.
in addition to consciously walking each morning before i head off to work, i get a ton of steps in most days due to the nature of how my office location is set up. i have a ten-ish minute walk to and from my car each day, and technically have two desk spaces across the downtown core of minneapolis, so i’m running back and forth for meetings all day long on more than half of my days. in totality, i get over 10k steps a day easily if i walk in the morning + am in the office.
if walking isn’t something you have tried as an element of your fitness routine, i HIGHLY recommend. it’s easy enough to fit into your day time-wise, and you can pick a pace that works for you. i credit it to being the catalyst to living a much more healthy, well rounded, and wellness-minded life.
