The Power Of A Daily Walk

The Power of a Daily Walk

By: Josh Proch, CSCS, Pn1

For many beginners the thought of starting a fitness program can be overwhelming.

What program should I choose? Should I hire a coach? Should I take a cycling class, a pilates class, or should I do a strength training program? What is right for me and will I even be able to keep up? How will I know if what I’m doing is right? Even, what should I wear?

These are only a few of the questions that run through a beginner’s head and can all be obstacles to getting started.

So, that is what we are going to help you with. There is an over abundance of information out there, and every guru has their program that is going to change your life.

But, the truth is that exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, for many who are looking to get started a daily walk will go a long way to improving their fitness.

​​​​​​​”How long/far should I go?”, I hear you ask.

Well, that depends. We typically recommend a minimum of 20 minutes per day, because that is where we see the benefits begin with our current clients who are already working out with us. At the other end walking for longer than 60 minutes seems to be the upper limit where the benefit plateaus and workout recovery starts getting compromised.

But, for a beginner 20 minutes might be too much, so we start where the client is. We’ve had some start with walking to end of their driveway once per day and slowly increasing distance and/or frequency overtime as they feel they’re ready.

Also, this walk does not have to be at a brisk power walk pace. A 3 mph pace is enough. Again, if you aren’t there yet, just start a pace that is comfortable for you and build up over time.

Once you are able to hit the 20+ minute mark at a 3 mph pace, if you want to add a few minutes of strength training you can by simply adding some Push-Ups – these can be Wall Push Ups if needed, Bodyweight Squats, and maybe some Kettlebell Deadlifts and Dumbbell Overhead Presses for 1-3 sets of 10 reps.

But what if you already workout with a strength training program a few days per week, do you still need to walk?

We highly recommend it for all of our clients because it helps them get better fat loss, improves general fitness, helps them recover better and faster from their workouts, and improves mental state.

Our recommendation for these people would be 20 minutes every day, even workout days, and on the days you don’t workout you can can do more if desired.

Fitness really is simple and is nothing more than moving each day and picking up some heavy stuff and putting it back down.

If you are looking to get started with a fitness plan check out our 6-Week Personal Training Kickstart…