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Exercise at any age is beneficial for mind and body alike, but as many baby boomers are now reaching 65, the need to have a well established exercise routine becomes even greater. Walking is one of the best activities older adults can do since it does not put extra strain on muscles and joints and still provides many important health benefits.

Top Health Benefits
Weight Management: With increased activity comes increased calorie burning! Even something as low-impact as walking for exercise will help you maintain your weight when you incorporate it you’re your exercise schedule. While walking used to be one of the main forms of transportation, we as a nation are collectively avoiding having to walk anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary and this has lead to a highly inflated rate of obesity. Walking for exercise is a great (no-cost) way to get your body feeling for and fantastic.

Lower Blood Pressure: For those with high blood pressure, walking can help lower this since the activity actually improves blood flow.

Lower “Bad” Cholesterol, Raise “Good” Cholesterol: For those who have slightly elevated cholesterol levels, walking is often the least expensive, most natural way to reduce it. After a fill 6 – 12 months, there may even be as much as a 30% reduction in bad cholesterol. This in turn can also reduce the risk of heart disease.

Mental Health: Being completely inactive is not healthy for any one of any age. In fact, it can lead to depression. Exercise helps relieve boredom and also produces endorphins in the brain which are known to have a positive effect on mood.

Reduced Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes:
Many studies have shown that insulin resistance tends to be reduced in those who walk as part of an exercise pattern.

Getting Started
Like any exercise program, you want to have a game plan before you jump in head first. To begin, make sure you have appropriate footwear with flexible, thick soles so that the shock can be absorbed properly. You may also want to track your progress with a pedometer so that you can see the distance you are traveling. Start out at a comfortable distance and once that becomes very easy, begin boosting up the distance. If you are already used to walking for exercise, then continue what you have been doing while slowly increasing the distance. Always make sure you wear bright colors or reflective material so that vehicles can see you if you are planning on doing most of your walking on the road.

How Often You Should Exercise
How frequently you chose to exercise is largely dependent on your mobility, overall health and your schedule. However, numerous studies have shown that to get the most health benefits from this exercise it is best to take a brisk walk half an hour at a time for 5 days a week. If walking is difficult or time is extremely limited, these 30 minute sessions can be broken down into 10 minute sessions a few times per day.

About the Author
Emily Murray is a contributing writer for KwikMed, the company appointed by Watson Pharmaceuticals as the exclusive distributor of the newest morning after pill called ella.

By Sara Reynolds

If you didn’t already realize it, having a walking schedule to lose weight has numerous health benefits. Let’s just take a look at what regular walking can do for you:

1. It’s a low impact sport that’s easy on your joints and won’t “hurt” like running can

2. Works to improve your cardiovascular health and increases your endurance making it easier for you to workout longer and harder

3. Walking uphill can help to reduce your cholesterol

4. Walking downhill can help to reduce your blood sugar levels

5. Quickly tones your muscles and reduces cellulite

6. Greatly increases your metabolism; a higher metabolism = more calories you burn = greater the weight loss

7. Strengthens your body and clears your mind for your overall well-being

By improving in these areas you will in turn burn more calories and lose weight. It is one of the most effective forms of exercise, and the great news is that ANYONE can do it!

However, I find that in order to benefit from any weight loss plan, most people who are serious need to follow a schedule. This will not only help keep you on track but also help you with your motivation, a key ingredient in anyone’s weight loss goal.

Some people who use a walking schedule to lose weight find that it works most effectively to post it on their fridge, keep it in their day planner, put it into their cell phone calendar, etc. anywhere where it will remain visible and easily accessible.

First off, start your schedule on a week-to-week basis.

This will allow you the opportunity to reach a goal in a realistic amount of time, while also allowing you to edit or change up your routine and set new goals for the future.

No matter what, your walking schedule to lose weight needs to follow the 3 A’s:

Achievable: Make sure that you are setting yourself up for success and don’t go overboard form the get go. Give yourself a reasonable goal that you can stick to. Try scheduling in a morning or an evening walk for 30-45 minutes every other day for 7 days (1 week). This will get you out about 4 times the first week which is an excellent and achievable starting point. Like I said before, you can then change this up as you start to feel better and stronger.

Accessible: If you have a pair of legs you can WALK – no matter where you live. Sure some people might live in a more accessible location that has a great walking park, or a quiet neighborhood. And others might have to get a little more creative and use the long set of stairs down by the ravine, or the stairs in their apartment building.

Ambitious: Let’s remember that you are walking to lose weight here people! In order to benefit from walking you need to keep pushing yourself. You can’t expect to lose weight if you are strolling along a straight easy path. You need to get ambitious and get creative too. HILLS are going to be one of you best bets for increasing your heart rate and burning calories!

If you want to SEE results from walking, you need to keep it up. Trust me, there is NO possible way that you can’t lose weight with this form of exercise!

Cool hey!

However, no one can really make you do anything you’re not willing to do. YOU are the only person that has control of your weight loss. You need to commit to following through. If you find that you are losing motivation you might want to ask a friend to join you, or check out a local walking club.

Remember that by having a walking to lose weight schedule posted for you to “check off” will ultimately help remind you of why you started in the first place:

To improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, period.

I’m Sara Reynolds. Thanks for reading my article! For more tips on creating a walking schedule to lose weight and other weight-loss ideas come take a peek at my Healthy Weight Loss Journal today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Reynolds

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