Benefits of Walking

efits of wa
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10 Control
Bone
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mental
Blood health
Pressure Lower risk
of chronic
disease
Steps for
perfect
waistline Weight
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Fight heart
cancer health
Stress Immune
reduction System
Booster
How to make walking a daily habit?
In my formative tears and as a young adult I always associated exercise with

perspiration, pain and hard work. If I was not perspiring or breathing heavily that was
not a good work out.
You might have similar misconceptions about exercise and what a healthy activity
entails. In the last couple years my wife and I have found walking a highly enjoyable
form of exercise. We try to go for our morning strolls around 7AM.Sometimes we start
a bit later around 7.30AM.
We are lucky we live in a neighborhood with a lot of trees and shrubbery giving us a
semblance of a forest. How we enjoy these walks in the morning, the crispness of the
morning air and the peacefulness it gives our mind whilst walking.
We are all aware of the benefits of walking:
1) It promotes your cardiovascular health

2) Short walks after eating can improve your blood sugar
3) Strengthens your bones and balance
4) Increases your muscle strength and endurance
5) Boosts your energy and your immune system
6) Improves your mood
7) Lowers your blood pressure
8) Improves your sleep
9) Lowers risk of Alzheimer’s
10) Supports and eases joint pain
Need I write more. It is a “free drug” and provides so many benefits!!
So, you are asking yourself how can I make it a habit.
There are 2 things which helped me get into the right mindset.
Firstly, we used a productivity hack which was highlighted in this book by the authors of Make
time. The questions you need to ask yourself is what is the one thing that would give yourself
the most satisfaction if you completed, what is essential to get done for your overall well-
being and what would give you the most joy.The authors referred to this as the Highlight of
the Day.Putting emphasis on this one habit even if nothing else is accomplished during the
rest of the day, you can at least end the day with a degree of satisfaction because this one goal
was achieved.
The second thing for a habit to be triggered you need an appropriate cue. We associated a
time (7 AM ) to start this habit loop. 7 Am triggers a cascade of behaviors to get ready for the
walk, drinking a glass of water, starting our apple watch to track the walk, putting on our
walking (work-out) clothes, leading to putting on our walking shoes. Once we feel the crisp
morning air, we are more than ready to start the walk.
It is important to choose a cue which is specific, and which leads to the beneficial action
which you want to achieve. In this way you can cement this good habit once you have gone
through multiple cycles of the habit loop leading to the reward of well being for that day.
So, in summary you need to identify a cue, in our case it was a time cue.
This is followed by the behavior(action), in this case our morning walk.
And the last part of the loop is the reward.
This can be the walk itself or might be you are looking forward to a cup of coffee at the end of your
walk or perhaps a long hot shower.
Rewards are important as they satisfy cravings and motivate us to go through this loop again:
cue---routine---reward.
There will be days that you are not motivated, you lack the energy, or the weather might be not right
and we find all kinds of excuses to skip the walk (or exercise).
That is ok. It happens to all of us.
The point is once you find a habit which you want to incorporate in your life, the more often you
repeat it the more likely it will be cemented as a habit. Building a habit essentially means training
your brain to do the same thing over and over without having to pause and think about it.You want
your habit to run on auto-pilot. The behaviors are over time woven into your brain.
Month 1:
Establishing a Routine and Building Endurance
Week 1-2:
Start with a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week.

Incorporate a warm-up and cool-down routine to prevent
injury. This can include stretching, walking at a slower pace,
and/or simple exercises like lunges and squats.
Track your progress by using a fitness tracker or an app to
monitor your daily steps, distance, and pace.
Week 3-4:
Increase your walking time to 45-60 minutes, 3-4 times a week.

Try incorporating hills or stairs into your walking route to
challenge yourself.
Consider joining a walking group or finding a walking buddy to
stay motivated and accountable.
Month 2:
Building on Your Progress and Improving Technique
Week 5-6:
Increase your walking time to 60-75 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

Experiment with different walking speeds and inclines to
challenge yourself.
Focus on improving your walking technique, such as keeping
your shoulders relaxed, swinging your arms, and engaging your
core muscles.
Week 7-8:
Increase your walking time to 90 minutes, 5 times a week.

Incorporate intervals of faster walking or jogging for short
periods of time to improve your cardiovascular fitness and burn
more calories.
Consider investing in good walking shoes that provide support
and cushioning to prevent injury.
Month 3:
Maintaining Your Progress and Preventing Injury
Week 9-10:
Maintain your walking time at 90 minutes, 5 times a

week.
Try to increase your walking speed or distance
gradually to avoid injury.
Focus on stretching after your walks to improve
flexibility and prevent muscle soreness.
Week 11-12:
Maintain your walking time at 90 minutes, 5 times a

week.
Focus on maintaining good posture and technique
while walking.
Consider incorporating strength training exercises like
lunges, squats, and calf raises to build strength and
prevent injury.
Additional tips:
Make sure to stay hydrated before, during,

and after your walks.
Take rest days as needed to allow your

muscles to recover.
Listen to your body and adjust your walking

routine as necessary to prevent injury.

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efits of wa

In my formative tears and as a young adult I always associated exercise with

We are all aware of the benefits of walking:

1) It promotes your cardiovascular health

So, you are asking yourself how can I make it a habit.

This is followed by the behavior(action), in this case our morning walk.

And the last part of the loop is the reward.

That is ok. It happens to all of us.

Start with a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week.

Increase your walking time to 45-60 minutes, 3-4 times a week.

Increase your walking time to 60-75 minutes, 4-5 times a week.

Increase your walking time to 90 minutes, 5 times a week.

Maintain your walking time at 90 minutes, 5 times a

Maintain your walking time at 90 minutes, 5 times a

Make sure to stay hydrated before, during,

Take rest days as needed to allow your

Listen to your body and adjust your walking

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