How to Stay Safe While Walking for Fitness

Safety is the number one concern of any exercise program. The goal is to get fit, feel good and be healthy. Walking introduces the outdoor environment as a factor in safety. Some common sense and basic ground rules can protect you when you are out walking. Here's how to keep safe.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Be aware of your surroundings--always. Look around you, keep your head up, and make eye contact with others. Don’t make yourself look like an easy target by seeming preoccupied.
   
2. Consider not wearing headphones. This is probably the hardest step for many people, but it’s much harder, if not impossible, to hear what’s going on if you're listening to music or the radio.
   
3. Take along some safety equipment, even if you have to wear a small fanny pack. A whistle can attract attention, scare off an attacker, or help rescuers find you if you're hiking trails.
4. Take a cell phone. As long as you have service in the area you're walking in, a phone is the best protection.
   
5. Take a self-defense course. It's exercise and you never know when you might need it.
   
6. Wear clothing that is easily seen. Bright colors and reflectors will stand out in traffic on cloudy or rainy days.

Tips & Warnings

• When hiking in rural areas, never approach any wildlife, even the cute ones. Educate yourself on how to act should you encounter a wild animal.
• If you are in the city, stay away from questionable areas. Walking after dark should be avoided. If you must walk at night, choose well-lit areas frequented by other pedestrians.