How to Eat Right for Walking

Your body is a machine; to remain well oiled, it needs the right kinds of fuel. Eating right can make a huge difference in your ability to maintain your fitness and health. Follow these steps to a healthy walker's diet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Hydrate. If you are thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. Keep a water bottle full at all times so you can drink from it all day. Water will cleanse your system and flush out impurities.
   
2. Eat small meals, more often. Instead of three huge meals, with the largest being the last, eat three smaller meals with healthy snacks in between, such as raw veggies or a handful of nuts. Don’t make the last meal the largest. Give your body time to digest.
3. Limit your alcohol intake. You don't want your body continually filtering alcohol. A glass of wine or a beer is one thing. Three martinis and a Jack and coke is not healthy.
   
4. Eat foods from the outside aisle of the grocery store. In other words, the less processed the better. Rule of thumb: the more unpronounceable the words in the ingredient list, the less healthy the food.
   
5. Keep your carbohydrate intake to whole grains as much as possible. Whole grain pasta, breads and brown rice are healthier and easier for your body to digest and utilize than anything white.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t run when you're hungry or dehydrated. Eat a small snack before heading out. Your body can get overtaxed with a depletion of fuel.