Spring Into Walking - 5 Ways to Kickstart a Health Walking Habit this Year

The Beauty of Spring

When Spring arrives, it seems like more than just flowers bloom. Also people! We get to crawl out of our winter doldrums and go and experience life. More travel. More walking. Exploring and beyond.

While spring weather can be variable, cool and warm, up and down, it generally gets warmer over time, before the overly hot summer. 

Walking for Fitness and Health

One area of life that livens up with the warmer weather is outdoor exercise. Walking is one of the most healthy forms of exercise. It is free. It can be done virtually anywhere. You can have a partner, or simply walk by yourself. There is so much flexibility with walking that it remains the main form of exercise for weightloss, heart improvement, blood flow and general metabolic health.

5 Ways to Kickstart A Daily Walking Habit

• Start a daily after-dinner walk

Also called a “caminata” in Italy, this after meal walk has many health benefits. It gives your body and stomach a chance to process and digest food. It also kicks up your heartrate, which is especially helpful in burning calories after a heavy carbohydrate meal. And best of all, it can be relaxing and enjoyable. Forget trying to run jog or break a sweat. Simply walking after a meal is a good start toward turning on your body’s calorie-burning engine.

 

• Go for a sunrise walk

With the spring mornings getting warmer, it is a bit easier to get out early in the morning, before breakfast or other routines, and simply walk around the block, or go to a park. This habit, although a little more difficult to start than an after-dinner walk, is quite helpful in kickstarting the day with a healthy routine. And once you’ve done it for several days in a row, it can eventually become a natural part of your routine.

• Take advantage of the Gym

You may have purchased a gym membership a few months prior, for your new years resolution, but now is the time to set at a minimum of twice-a-week visits to the facility, and make it a part of your schedule. Utilize both anaerobic and aerobic machines, like treadmills, ski machines and stair steppers. Even 5 minutes on each type of machine, will make the time go by quickly, and build up your metabolism for other spring exercise.

• Start Hiking

Hiking can be a fun part of life. It creates an adventure out of walking. Plan ahead, and look through your schedule to create a hiking experience at least once a week, at the same time of the week. It gives you something to look forward to. And you can invite others to join. Moderate-length hikes have the power to burn up to 1,000 calories on your hiking day. Adding that into your weekly routine will go far towards heart health and weight loss.

• Park Walks

Make it a goal to visit the park, whether with your grandchildren, your pets, or other loved ones, at least once a week. This time can be spent with a casual stroll, along with some brisk walking around paths. Parks are beautifully in bloom in the spring. You can also add variety by trying a different park each week. 

Long Term Benefits of Walking

Overall, the long term benefits of walking make spring one of the best times of the year. With the warmer weather, and blooming plant and animal life, along with more energy in the area, you can feel a sense of activity when walking around. Get out and see the beauty of your city and neighborhood. Start a routine for walking that can become a habit. If you make a variety of walking and exercise routines every day for three weeks, it will start to become part of your lifestyle.

 

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About the author:

 Mike Cutler writes on active senior lifestyles and is a healthy lifestyle Blogger as well as product tester for Earth Trek Gear. He lives with his family in Reno NV and enjoys going to the Sierra Nevada mountains for hiking and family activities.