Things You'll Need:
- Walking Shoes
- Determination
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Step 1
Get up and walk. Don't leave walking, or any form of exercise, too late in the day as you need at least three hours of no exercise before bed to allow you to truly relax. Early morning exercise is best.
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Step 2
Make a routine of walking for at least 45 minutes, three times a week. Ritualising exercise makes it much easier to incorporate it into your life. Your mind and body like habits (that's why is so hard to get rid of the bad ones), so make the effort to implement this great habit. After a while you'll find it's second nature, and you'll actually miss not doing it.
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Step 3
If the thought of walking is very boring to you, concentrate only on the 'getting out the front door' part of the walk. Think only about putting your joggers on, taking your house key and your sunglasses, that's it. Once that is done and you've left the house you are already effectively there. It's a good way to trick your mind into coming up with a lot less excuses.
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Step 4
If you can get out and walk in nature. Walking in nature not only works great as an exercise and for the usual benefits associated with this but it is also good for relaxing, breathing in good fresh air and is more soothing and calming.
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Step 5
Drink lots of water. If you are walking briskly and getting your heart rate up then you will also lose water through sweat. Make sure you replenish this water.
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Step 6
Do you think this is a waste of time sometimes? Are you too busy? If this describes you, then load some trainings or important interviews into your iPod or MP3 player and use your walking time to learn more about your industry, etc.
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Step 7
Get a comfortable pair of walking shoes and watch how you walk so that you feel comfortable when doing so.
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Step 8
Find a walking partner to keep you accountable and make the walk more interesting. But never rely on your partner for your walk, that can be just one more reason you're not doing it.
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Step 9
Think of ways to incorporate walking into your everyday routine - park your car a bit further from the shops so you need to walk a bit further; take your dog for a walk in the park; walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, etc.
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Step 10
Leave some skin exposed when you walk to capture the important D vitamins from the sun. Walking after dinner at night can help to digest your food. Alternatively, walking in the morning will actually kick-start your metabolism, which is particularly good if you have a naturally slow metabolism (e.g. the sort of person who puts on weight easily when you eat food). Other benefits of regular exercise include weight loss, improved muscle tone, reduced stress and elevated mood.
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Step 11
Make your walking more interesting by varying your route, your speed, and maybe incorporating steps, hills, etc.
