Walking tips please!

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  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Push yourself, walk faster...maybe even run even if its just for 30 seconds at a time!!
  • ZachyABaby
    ZachyABaby Posts: 235
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    put one foot in front of the other.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
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    WOW! So many great tips! Speed intervals are a popular suggestion. I'm definitely going to try that on my next walk!

    Thank you for the info about the walking dvds/videos. I find it so easy to conceed to not excercising on a rainy day but a dvd that I can do with what little space I have sounds like a good alternative. I'll check it out!

    My 2 mile route can get quite boring so I do try to switch up my directions from time to time. My husband will join me when I ask but he walks at a slower pace and it drives me bonkers! And he often punks out half way through (he works in a physical job so exercise is the last thing he wants to do when he gets home). I had a friend I was walking with almost everyday and it was great but then she went back to work and now our schedules conflict. All my other friends are gym rats so in the end it's just me and my trainers!

    I like the idea about using a waterbottle as a weight...never thought about that! Thanks!

    I enjoy being outside and looking at everyones yards and stuff too :) It's fun and I've actually learned a few things to remember when I finally have a house of my own!
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
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    put one foot in front of the other.

    Best tip of them all! Take notes everyone, lol!
  • songofserenity81
    songofserenity81 Posts: 138 Member
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    When I started wakling I would walk 8 miles in about 2 1/2 hours, that was too long to be away from looking after my MIL so I tried to build my speed up while still walking, I can now walk a 15 minute mile, but am starting to turn it up by interspersing my walking with jogging (nothing major, but defo faster than the walking) will jog between 3 to 4 lamp posts walk between 2 jog walk rince repeat. The other day doing that I managed to get 4 miles done in 55 minutes. I was really pleased with myself and fully intend trying to repeat the process until i can consistently jog the whole 4 miles. :)
  • yevasdottir
    yevasdottir Posts: 23 Member
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    I said in an earlier post that, when I'm out walking, I sing - but I also sing in the rest of my life, too.

    I lost the greater part of yesterday with concert rehearsals and then an evening performance, so I could only fit in 30 minutes' walking. But I checked on a different site for calories burned SINGING - and at my weight, I burn 136/hour, standing singing (properly).

    The site is: http://www.caloriesperhour.com

    So: start singing as you go! Who cares? Your neighbours think you're nuts anyway :-)

    An additional idea: if you walk off-road (in the park/woodland or similar) using walking poles - again, properly, not too long but like Nordic-walking poles should be - you will burn more calories because it uses the muscles of your upper body as well as your legs.
  • k80fox
    k80fox Posts: 92
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    I said in an earlier post that, when I'm out walking, I sing - but I also sing in the rest of my life, too.

    I lost the greater part of yesterday with concert rehearsals and then an evening performance, so I could only fit in 30 minutes' walking. But I checked on a different site for calories burned SINGING - and at my weight, I burn 136/hour, standing singing (properly).

    The site is: http://www.caloriesperhour.com

    So: start singing as you go! Who cares? Your neighbours think you're nuts anyway :-)

    An additional idea: if you walk off-road (in the park/woodland or similar) using walking poles - again, properly, not too long but like Nordic-walking poles should be - you will burn more calories because it uses the muscles of your upper body as well as your legs.

    Singing burns calories? Really? COOL! Let me warm up! DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DOOOOOOOO!!! LOL! Thanks for the tip though...I do sing actually, just not very loud. I find myself wanting to dance too and that's when I really have to restrain myself, lol.

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