A lot of the patients who visit us at Rice Family chiropractic are concerned about getting the right amount of exercise. For instance, many people feel that if they aren’t training for a marathon or working out at the gym five days a week then they aren’t getting the exercise their body may require. Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, research suggests that regular walking alone is enough to make a major impact on your health.

Besides costing nothing and requiring no equipment besides a decent pair of sneakers, walking is the kind of low impact exercise that is perfect for any age group and fitness level. It benefits those who are athletic and healthy as well as those whose health has seen better days.

Researchers suggest that 30 minutes of walking per day can yield tremendous benefits, which include reducing rates of asthma, obesity, osteoporosis (weakening of the bones), heart disease, cholesterol, stroke, diabetes and cancer. As if that’s not enough, it also improves circulation and leaves people feeling more relaxed and positive.

In fact, a brisk walk has been shown to improve health and lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, which are known to lead to heart disease and stroke. Researchers at Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, analyzed 33,000 runners and more than 15,000 walkers and found that health benefits were similar overall, and in some instances walkers received higher reductions in risk of hypertension, cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes.

Julia Valentour, MS, an exercise physiologist and program coordinator at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) says, “Exercise doesn’t have to be hard to be effective. The recommended 30 minutes can be broken up into two 15-minute sessions or even three 10-minute sessions, making it easy to weave into a busy lifestyle.”

This also means that some simple changes in lifestyle choice can lead to significant benefits. For example, simply choosing to walk a few blocks to work each morning or take a stroll at lunch can quickly add up to the recommended daily requirement. And unlike so many other exercises, walking can be done just about anywhere. City, country, suburbs. They even walk on a treadmill on the International Space Station!

Like all forms of exercise, you want to build up fairly slowly when starting something new. Start slowly and build up distance over a few walks. That said, you will need to walk at more than strolling speed to begin receiving health benefits. Walk fast enough to raise your heart rate, to the point where you can say a few words comfortably without gasping but are not able to sing a song.

Walking is great for overall health, but those who want to lose some weight can benefit too. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, walking at a reasonable rate of three miles per hour burns 221 calories an hour, and walking at a brisk four miles an hour burns 334 calories per hour.

There are a few things you can do to help build the motivation to start walking regularly:

Join a walking group, or walk with a buddy. It’s easy to just say “No thanks, I’d rather sit and watch a show” when you’re walking solo. Make a schedule with a friend or a club and you’ll find it easier to stick to the plan.

Buy some new walking shoes. Sometimes all it takes to get started is something comfortable and shiny and new to feel pumped about getting out and exercising. Go talk to a sales clerk at a reputable shoe store about the right shoes for you.

Buy a pedometer, or download an exercise app like Map My Run. There are many new devices out there today. One of the best new ones is Fitbit… very cool technology! Fitbit and other similar devices are wearable activity trackers that measure data such as the number of steps walked, quality of sleep, steps climbed, and other personal metrics.

Listen to music or podcasts as you walk. It’s a great way of helping the time fly and it provides a nice soundtrack to the things you pass along the way. You can even learn a new language as you walk!

Keep track of your progress. Whether you do it with an app or a device, or just marking progress on a calendar, keeping track of your improvements is a great way to stay motivated. Sometimes it can take a while to see improvement; other times you’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish in a few short days.

At Rice Family Chiropractic, we look at health in a holistic way, seeking to bring wellness through physical fitness, a good diet and a positive approach to life. If you have any questions about walking, your spine, or how chiropractic can benefit you, please don’t hesitate to contact us via our contact page at www.ricechriropractic.ca