Create Your Own Outdoor Walking Program

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Creating your own outdoor walking program is not as challenging as you may think. Walking is one of the most common forms of exercise for both the physical body as well as the mind. If you are wondering what it takes to create your program, keep reading and you will be prepared to start your walking program.

Why Walk?

Even if you walk just to get out of the house, you’re going to reap some rewards for your body from this simple movement. By doing something that’s easy and fun, you reward your body with a healthier, longer life.

It’s also relaxing, has the ability to relieve stress and can give you a deep sense of peace that lasts long after the walk is finished. But besides all of the fun things you can see and the stress relief you get, walking has a ton of health benefits that anyone can enjoy.

Walking is one of the easiest ways that you can prevent health problems. This simple, yet effective means of exercise is a great way to lose weight, build your muscles, add bone strength and relieve overall body tension. Most people choose walking because it doesn’t seem like it’s a form of exercise. There are a lot of ways that you can make walking something that you look forward to doing.

Improved Health and Prevent Strokes

Many health-related problems are directly related to a lack of movement. The more sedentary a person is, the higher the risk they have of experiencing a serious health issue – and a shorter lifespan. Even if you don’t have a family history of strokes, you’ll want to do what you can to keep this health emergency at bay. Strokes are not only debilitating, but they can also lead to death.

In fact, out of all the possible causes of health related fatalities, strokes are third on the list.  Yet, more than half of all strokes are preventable. A stroke happens when the flow of blood to the brain is impeded.

You can start at any age and the earlier that you start a walking program, the better your health can be. By the time you reach your mid-50s, your chance of having a stroke increases – and if you add the risky behaviors, that increase is even greater.

Improve Heart Health

If you walk briskly, you can give your heart the same health benefits that you would gain if you run on a regular basis. Medical studies presented by the American Heart Association showed that some of the benefits you gain include lower cholesterol and lower high blood pressure numbers.

You’ll also have better blood flow. Your heart will have an easier time circulating the blood that your body needs to ensure proper organ function. Your organs will also gain better oxygen levels when the heart gets the exercise it needs.

Even better, your blood pressure numbers can be improved with walking. Having high blood pressure is a risky health condition because there are often no symptoms until the pressure has been high for years.

Make Sure You Have the Right Equipment

Having the right equipment when you walk will make your experience the best that it can be.

Shoes for YOUR Feet

The main piece of equipment that you use for walking is a pair of shoes. So you want to start your walking program by making sure that you have the right kind for your feet. Your feet aren’t formed exactly like anyone else’s feet are and you need to cater to the shape of your foot – especially when it comes to the arch.

This can help make a difference in giving you a pleasant walking experience as well as helping you avoid injuries. Even though a pair of shoes might claim to be good to use as walking shoes, it doesn’t automatically mean that they are.

There are some specific features and details that you’ll need to look for. If you’re not sure how to choose the right ones, you’ll want to follow these tips. One of the most common problems that people run into when they walk is the development of blisters. Blisters develop when there’s friction – something is rubbing an area of the foot. Poor fitting shoes can cause blisters and they can be caused by shoes that are either too loose or too tight.

Shoes that are too loose can rub up and down, such as against the back of the heel. Shoes that are too tight can force your toes into each other and cause pressure blisters.

Proper Socks

Wearing the wrong kind of socks can also cause blisters to develop. You’ll want to avoid wearing socks that are made of cotton. Cotton socks absorb sweat and moisture, keeping the wetness against your skin. Choose to wear socks that are made of synthetic fabric instead. These will help keep your skin from staying wet. Something that can also help to keep your feet dry is buying shoes that are lightweight and give you good airflow around the foot.

Mapping Out the Location of Your Walking Route

Finding a place to walk isn’t difficult, but you do want to plan ahead. If you have areas near your home where you can walk, these can be convenient. And studies have shown that the more convenient and more accessible a walking area is, the more likely it will be that you’ll stick with a walking program.

Neighborhood Routes for the Win!

Walking outdoors in your neighborhood can be a great way to get involved with people who are also walking in the area. Plus, it’s a good way to meet and get to know the people in your neighborhood. This means that if you can, you should seek to find an area that you can access right out of your front door. If you live in a suburban neighborhood, you’ll likely have sidewalks or walking trails where you can plan your course.

Your Outdoor Walking Program

Now that you have your proper shoes and socks plus a place to walk, you will need to figure out how often and how far. Starting out you want to go for time rather than distance. Start with 15 to 30 minutes. If you are coming straight off the couch, try walking for seven and half minutes in one direction out your front door and then turn around and walk back.

The out and back serve 2 purposes. One, you will not get lost. Two, you will make it back home. These types of walks are great for the mental aspect of walking. You know that home is at the end. Once you have mastered the out and back, try adding more distance or time to your walks.

Other ways to challenge yourself

If you’ve been walking on flat surfaces, you can add a hill or incline to your journey. This elevates the amount of effort that’s required from your body. But you only want to do this if you have shoes with good shock absorption.

You can challenge yourself by changing the distance that you’ve normally been covering. Sometimes, this can quickly shake your body out of a plateau. What you can do is instead of walking your usual 5 miles is you can push on until you go an extra mile.

But you can also do the opposite and walk a mile less than your usual 5. This throws your body out of its rut and it’s a good way to shake up the routine. Remember that in order to break a plateau, all that’s required is change.

You can pick a walking route that’s more challenging for you to accomplish in the same amount of time. This is a change that will also work on a treadmill. All you have to do is make the incline more difficult.

Alternate your walking pace in briskness, stride, and continuity. You can walk for a few minutes, then stop and do a push-up or a step up. This change will help you make your walking program more challenging because your body is forced to adapt.

You can also make a walking program more challenging by pushing your pace to make sure you cover your miles in less time each time you do it. For example, if you’re covering a mile in 15 minutes, push yourself to cover that same mile in 12-13 minutes.

You can challenge yourself against your own record or with a walking partner.  If you use a music device while you’re walking, you can make it more challenging by keeping up a brisker pace for the length of more fast-paced songs than you did in the past.

Basic Walking Program

Congrats! You now have a basic walking program to implement on your journey to outdoor walking. You have properly fitting shoes. Blister preventing socks. You have a place to walk whether it be in your neighborhood or a local park. You have your starting amount of time and a plan to challenge yourself further.

Good luck! I love walking as my form of cardio. Let me know how you plan to implement your walking program.

If you are looking for some other great outdoor ideas, check out these post from my fellow bloggers. Jennifer has a list of picnic essentials.

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