For all of you walkers out there

JessicaBuff

I was just wondering when you first began walking, how long and how far did you go? I am 190lbs and 5'4 and my activity level is sedentary..Thanks in advance!

maggiecosmo

you can start off with 1 mile and see how long it will take you, and from there make sure you make the mile in the same time or less for a week or so and then add .25mile to the same time......that worked for me...

bachooka

I walked away from my house until I felt really tired... and then turned around and walked home.

avninjalette123

Walk for as long as you feel comfortable. I started with one mile and ended up with shin splints...walk your own pase, thats what matters. It's just like running, you have to slowly build you pase and distance. I know walk 1 mile and run another and I started in Feb.

Sherbog

I started out going around the block. Increased minutes every day. I now walk two hours every morning. Sometimes my schedule is such that I have to start at 4:30 am to do so but my walk is at the top of my priority list. I find doing my walk as soon as I get up discourages me from wanting to snack and waste all that exercise.

I started seriously dieting (yes dieting) December 2 and have lost 44 pounds. A couple of set backs but MFP always allows me to start over the on another day so all is good.s

More info than you asked for. Any amount of walking that you do is so much better than what you used to do. I find walking is time consuming so I use the time to plan my menu, make a grocery list, or meditate.

Best to you...it takes awhile as at first I had to force myself and now I love it.

akgrl1020

That is what I did, too. Each week, I set a goal to go farther or faster.

setaylor86080

I was 240 and I walked 3 mile and loved it. Walking is one of those things that you can do fast or slow! So it is all up to you and what your body can do.











...........................................................

4jenniferk

When I first started I did a mile to asess where I was. I know most say a mile should be 15 minutes or less. It was a good jumping off point and I adjusted from there. Good luck..... once you really get going you will wish you had more time to keep it up as long as you would like. For me now I run out of time before energy.

eeeekie

I couldn't stand or walk for more than 5-10 minutes at a time due to my lower back issues. I started with 5-10 minutes, worked up to 20 and then started adding "distance goals". My first distance goal was 3/7/2011 0.6mi then worked up further to 0.8 miles then finally made it to 1mi and further and further. I'm up to 2mi on a regular basis but I've gone 2.2mi. Since 3/7 I've walked...(oh look at my ticker!)

Just work yourself up to goals it's way easier than time. If time is needed at the beginning then start with that. Distance goals gave me a visual which helped me stay focused.

hhasquin

When I first started walking I would aim for 60 minutes per day...which was equal to about 3-3.5 miles. My starting weight was 289lbs and I had no trouble walking for this amount of time in the beginning.

PenguinPrincess

Walk until you feel tired and you feel like your body has done something, but MAKE SURE you STRETCH! Your calf muscles need a good stretch to keep from getting shin splits and you need to stretch the rest of your muscles just to prevent pulling anything.

otr12

I started with 20 minutes a day and upped it 5 minutes a week. That was just around my flat neighborhood.

Now I'm at 45 minutes a day. I drive to a place that has a 1/4 mile loop with 71 stairs on it. I sprint up the stairs and down the hill on the other side. I have a HRM that shows me getting up to 90% my max hr when I reach the top of the stairs, and back down to about 75% by the time I walk around and start at the bottom of the stairs again.

jacquejl

I walked away from my house until I felt really tired... and then turned around and walked home.

That's exactly how I got my start. And it showed me that even though I walked as far as I thought I could, since I had to turn around and get back home I doubled what I thought I could do. Excellent!

healthyjen342

when I first started walking, I couldnt complete a mile. literally..20 minutes of walking was too much. now, I can make it to 6 before i start getting tired.

you will get there...it just takes time.

SaLandrum

I just started walking too ....

I can do 5.2 miles in 67 minutes now. I walk 3 nights a week.

michelec64

I started by walking the entire length of my apartment complex one-way, which was about a mile (at 20 minutes). A year later I can walk the entire length and back twice (4 miles at 90 minutes), but most days I can only get in 3 miles because of time constraints.

I agree with the others to start slow and work your way up to it...10 minutes this week, 15 next week, 20 the week after that, etc. Your body will let you know what it can handle. Also you must stretch to warm up. When I started my routine I wouldn't take the time to stretch, and halfway through the walk my calves and achilles tendons were screaming because they were so tight. Now I don't leave the house without getting 4-5 minutes of stretching in.

Good luck!