Walking tips please!

k80fox
k80fox Posts: 92
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey Everyone!

I don't have a gym membership so my main source of exercise is walking around my neighborhood. Does anyone have any tips on how to get the most out of my walks? I have a 2 mile route that I usually do. Also, if you have any tips on how to avoid getting bored (as I tend to do) while on my walk, I gladly welcome them!

Thanks!
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Replies

  • PBJunkie
    PBJunkie Posts: 652
    Just walk and once you feel ready you can start jogging then you can start with HIIT. Alternating between sprinting and jogging between streetlights/lamp posts (whatever you call them in your country)...
  • PennyNickel14
    PennyNickel14 Posts: 749 Member
    Speed intervals. You can do this at a walk without going to a jog if you are not a runner. Either Time or distance! It's like thigh fire
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
    Walk fast, swing your arms, vary your routes. I listen to music, changing the playlist every so often.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    No really answering your question here but have you tried workout DVDs? Way cheaper than a gym and a nice complement to walking :)

    You could also try running? (I know I would if I lived in Hawaï and not in Rainland)
  • lookitscaitlin
    lookitscaitlin Posts: 157
    walk while using your arms to swing back and forward, i'm not sure if swing is the right word though :P, but it makes u work a bit harder and possibly find different routes or find a nice walking trail and drive to it if it's to far. Bush walks are nice :)
  • LillyMosley
    LillyMosley Posts: 166
    I do a lot of walking, make sure you have some hills in there, and doing some sprints etc, change it up! Good luck.:laugh:
  • richx83
    richx83 Posts: 334 Member
    I have also been walking as my main exercise and i found music to help but also on my phone i have an application called mytracks which uses GPS to record where i walk.

    I upload the tracks to a website and it shows the maps where you walk and how far you go each time, average speed etc.

    I work this into my carrot and stick motivation by setting a target for a distance to walk each month. If i do the target i treat myself somehow at the end, this is usually with a "forbidden food".
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    walk while using your arms to swing back and forward, i'm not sure if swing is the right word though :P, but it makes u work a bit harder and possibly find different routes or find a nice walking trail and drive to it if it's to far. Bush walks are nice :)

    Hmm...never thought about swinging my arms. I'll give it a try!
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    No really answering your question here but have you tried workout DVDs? Way cheaper than a gym and a nice complement to walking :)

    You could also try running? (I know I would if I lived in Hawaï and not in Rainland)

    Yes, I have Turbo Jam actually and I love it but my place is small and I feel claustrophobic exercising inside :( But we're looking to find a bigger place at the end of the year so hopefully I'll get back into it :)

    And running is definitely a goal of mine but I'm not quite there yet. One day :)
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    I do a lot of walking it's my main exercise but I don't get a lot of choice in the matter. I have three large dogs that demand a good walk everyday. It's very hilly around here as well. So it's up and down the hills, over the fields and through the woods. So my best tip get a dog. :flowerforyou:
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    Speed intervals. You can do this at a walk without going to a jog if you are not a runner. Either Time or distance! It's like thigh fire

    I'm definitely NOT a runner but I want to be. This could be a good way to get started. Thanks!
  • Liopleurodon
    Liopleurodon Posts: 63
    Audiobooks to keep interested. I walk to and from work each day (2.5 miles each way) and audiobooks make it much less dull.
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    audiobooks, music, learning a language?

    also, try wrist or ankle weights, try alternating walking an "Nordic" or sprint walking every few minutes?
  • TNoire
    TNoire Posts: 642 Member
    I just walk til I am ready to step it up, tho I love my wii fit and my biggest loser dvds

    One thing you can do which I am going to start doing again soon is my wrist and ankle weights while I walk :bigsmile:

    maybe a Idea?
  • yevasdottir
    yevasdottir Posts: 23 Member
    I sing as I go: they think I'm nuts, anyway, so singing just adds to the impression.

    Also: I COUNT. If counting paces is good enough for Olympic runner Paula Radcliffe, it's good enough for me.
  • erichkettenacker
    erichkettenacker Posts: 1
    There is walking and walking. As a senior I started with a normal walk at 3 miles an hour working up to 4 miles an hour now. I got a free walking tracker from the apple store. I put it in my pocket and after the walk it tells me the distance,steps and calories I used as well as I can play music with it. It motivates me mega and puts the spring back into my boddy :-) All thye bestto you and keep going.
  • nixickle
    nixickle Posts: 229 Member
    One of my biggest tips is to get a pedometer, this allows you to see how many steps you are doing. So you can set yourself mini challenges: do 1000 more steps today than yesterday etc!

    Also I find that when I'm wearing one, I try even harder to get as many steps in through the day as possible. They are pretty cheap to use and can be worn all day.

    Hope that helps
  • chazbo35
    chazbo35 Posts: 79 Member
    Hills baby hills!!! Find some good hills around where you live and hit them bad boys as hard as you can. Cheap and effective excercise. Obviously, the steeper the hills, the better the challenge. Just be careful when you come back down them ;) Then once you can walk up them, run up them. Perhaps even walk back ward up them too. Possibilities are truly endless there. =)
  • Dragongrl
    Dragongrl Posts: 186 Member
    Don't forget about posture! When you walk you should keep your back straight. Shoulders back. This engages your core. Swing those arms, girl!!!
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    There is walking and walking. As a senior I started with a normal walk at 3 miles an hour working up to 4 miles an hour now. I got a free walking tracker from the apple store. I put it in my pocket and after the walk it tells me the distance,steps and calories I used as well as I can play music with it. It motivates me mega and puts the spring back into my boddy :-) All thye bestto you and keep going.
    I got one of those. very good and free :happy:
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    There is walking and walking. As a senior I started with a normal walk at 3 miles an hour working up to 4 miles an hour now. I got a free walking tracker from the apple store. I put it in my pocket and after the walk it tells me the distance,steps and calories I used as well as I can play music with it. It motivates me mega and puts the spring back into my boddy :-) All thye bestto you and keep going.
    I got one of those. very good and free :happy:

    Really? For free? Do you need to have an ipod? I mean, I do but I'm just wondering, lol. Do I just go in and ask for a free walking tracker?
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    Don't forget about posture! When you walk you should keep your back straight. Shoulders back. This engages your core. Swing those arms, girl!!!

    Good point! Thanks for the reminder :smile:
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    There is walking and walking. As a senior I started with a normal walk at 3 miles an hour working up to 4 miles an hour now. I got a free walking tracker from the apple store. I put it in my pocket and after the walk it tells me the distance,steps and calories I used as well as I can play music with it. It motivates me mega and puts the spring back into my boddy :-) All thye bestto you and keep going.
    I got one of those. very good and free :happy:

    Really? For free? Do you need to have an ipod? I mean, I do but I'm just wondering, lol. Do I just go in and ask for a free walking tracker?
    It's an I Phone App
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
    Hills baby hills!!! Find some good hills around where you live and hit them bad boys as hard as you can. Cheap and effective excercise. Obviously, the steeper the hills, the better the challenge. Just be careful when you come back down them ;) Then once you can walk up them, run up them. Perhaps even walk back ward up them too. Possibilities are truly endless there. =)

    My normal walking route is flat as flat can be, lol. There is a hill near by but it's on a high traffic area which intimidates me a bit but I've always wanted to try it because I've seen folks heavier and older than me walking it everyday. If they can do it, so can I :) thanks for the tip!
  • jamiesgotagun
    jamiesgotagun Posts: 670 Member
    Push yourself, walk faster...maybe even run even if its just for 30 seconds at a time!!
  • ZachyABaby
    ZachyABaby Posts: 235
    put one foot in front of the other.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Walking DVDs are great for bad weather - Exercisetv.tv.com has a couple of freebies - Start! Walking 2 Miles and Cardio Slim Down. These are both by Leslie Sansone, although there are several instructors who do walking DVDs. These workouts (and DVDs too) can definitely be done in a small space.

    I like to use my own music with walking DVds. Jogfm.com is a website to find out what BPM (beats per minute) - you need for your walk. If you walk at a 4 mile per hour pace (15 minutes per mile) the music you need is in the 140's ....... Jogfm.com then lists songs in your BPM range. This really helps me keep the speed up.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Speed intervals are a great way to get your body ready for more long distance running. If you're not ready to run/jog yet, at least try to walk faster when you can.

    One way to switch it up is to go a different direction each day - like if you turn right to start the loop all the time, it's the same scenery but if you go backwards, things look a bit different. Sounds weird but it can help. Maybe as you get faster, you can also try to go farther than 2 miles and that change of scenery may also help.

    Any chance you've got a friend or neighbor that might enjoy walking with you? Or someone who has a dog you could walk for them? Having company/someone to talk to can really help the time fly!

    How about carrying light hand weights? Do some bicep curls, shoulder presses, etc as you walk. You might feel silly but it'll give you some extra calorie burn and start you in the right direction with toning. At first, just use a full water bottle then as you progress, you can get 2 or 3 pound hand weights and do more.

    Use the props availble to you - if there are any hills, steps or benches along your way, use them in your walk to get more out of your workout. Walk up and down steps/hills several times (the up part really gets your heart pumping) and use benches to do things like tricep dips or like a stair step.
  • kssok
    kssok Posts: 1 Member
    Walk with a friend and/or talk on the phone.

    Add the "RunKeeper Free" app to your smart phone so you can track your speed, distance, calories, frequency of walks, and to challenge yourself to do more.

    I usually walk at lunch and it gives me an "escape" from the office, gives me a mid-day break, and also sunshine and fresh air! It is a daily treat. When I first started walking, I made excuses to skip the walk. Now (5 years later) I make excuses so I can go! If I have to miss my walks, I get cranky! I have even worked up to jogging 5k (which I NEVER NEVER NEVER thougth I would be able to do).
  • LuLuRunner1
    LuLuRunner1 Posts: 329 Member
    Congratulations on getting out there and moving. When my son was a baby, I used a baby backpack to put him in when I walked. Because of the metal frame, it kept me walking with my back straight as a board. I learned to walk with a stiff back and basically squatting as I walk to increase my speed. This works the muscles in the back of my legs and my butt. To this day, my husband who runs and works out on the elliptical, has problems walking at my pace.

    Keep up the good work.

    Another thing, become a noisy neighbor. I enjoy walking through neighborhoods and looking at people flowers, the colors of their homes, the baby toys, everything! It makes it more interesting.
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