THE BASICS
Life is like the car pool lane. The only way to get to your destination quickly is to take some people with you. Peter Ward
Make every walk a complete workout by including these elements, and following the correct sequence. Neglecting to do so could make walking more difficult, and increase the risk of injury.
1) Warm up
2) Flexibility exercises
3) Walk
4) Cool down
5) Stretch
1) Warm up – Warming up is exercising at a lower intensity, it keeps muscles supple; increases the range of motion of the joints; enhances flexibility; improves coordination; increases body temperature, heart rate and blood flow to the muscles and helps to prevent injuries. For many of your walks it will only be necessary to warm up about five minutes.
2) Flexibility exercises – These exercises are part of your warm up and should be done after you have warmed up. The faster you plan to walk the more time you will need to dedicate to flexibility exercises. There are many different exercises in this group. Here are a few to try:
Toe points — Stand on one leg and lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and hold for a few seconds. Next flex your foot pointing your toes up. Do this five or ten times on each foot.
Ankle Circles — While standing on one leg lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate your ankle. Do about ten circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.
The Twist — Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms straight out, parallel to ground. Keep your lower body stationary while swinging your arms from side to side. Do this several times to loosen up your waist, back, and shoulders.
Arm Circles — Hold your arms straight out to your side parallel to the ground. Make small circles going backward, gradually getting larger and larger. Rest for a second and do the same thing in the forward direction.
3) Walk - Now that you have warmed up you should be ready to complete your walk at your normal walking pace. For the first few weeks do not push too hard. Your breathing should be elevated, but you should not be gasping for air. A rule of thumb that works for most people is… If you can not talk you are walking too fast, if you can carry a tune you are walking too slow.
4) Cool down – At the end of your walk you need to walk at a slower pace to cool down. The harder you have worked out the longer you should cool down. In the beginning your walks are very short and you only need to cool down a couple of minutes. As your walking time and intensity extends so should your cool down period.
5) Stretch – This is such a neglected area for many people. Start off right and take the time to stretch AFTER every workout. In the beginning stretches should take at least 5 minutes. As you increase distance and pace you will probably need to stretch longer.
Hopefully this will get you started. Next week we will give you some tips and suggestions for stretching.
Adapted from www.the walkingsite.com
—— End of Forwarded Message
2) Flexibility exercises
3) Walk
4) Cool down
5) Stretch
Adapted from www.the walkingsite.com
