Take the Wheeling Walks 8 Week Challenge

Week 1: Make Walking a Part of Your Lifestyle
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Because you are busy and there is always more to do than there is time to do it, it is important to make walking a part of your day…not something in addition to all the things already on your “to do list”. Schedule time for walking, like you schedule all of your other important appointments.

It’s simple! Walking doesn’t require a huge investment - other than a good pair of shoes. You can do it anywhere, any time, in any weather! It doesn’t require any special skill, talent or equipment. You can do it by yourself, or with others. It’s easy to increase the intensity of walking as your fitness level improves.

Warm-up and Stretch by walking normally for 5 minutes to increase your heart rate slowly. Then for 20 minutes walk briskly. Remain erect, taking full strides and swinging your arms easily. Cool down with a 5-minute slow walk to lower your pulse safely.

Everyone has lots of reasons why they don’t participate in physical activity. Some people call these excuses, we call them Roadblocks and, like a real roadblock, there are always Detours available to get around them. Check out the most common “roadblocks”, as well as the ideas to “detour” around each roadblock that you identify with.

Whether you’re just beginning a physical activity routine, or you’re an avid runner training for a marathon, water should be your number one liquid of choice… and lots of it! During summer’s hot, humid days, adequate water intake is even more important.

Here are some more common roadblocks to regular walking. Remember, that for every roadblock, there can be many detours available. Look to see if any of these are roadblocks for you, and then identify at least one detour that you could use to get around it and get back on track.

“Couch potatoes” are a bumper crop in this country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that less than 25 percent of adults exercise at the level recommended by the Surgeon General. And our kids are inactive, too. But most people know that physical activity offers tremendous health benefits. Regular walking is good for everyone - young children and senior citizens; men and women, people of all races and ethnic backgrounds benefit from regular and moderate walking.

Even though the Let’s Get Walking Challenge has ended…your lifelong habit of walking has just begun. Use this as the start to a lifelong commitment to walking and taking better care of you. In the long run, small changes really do add up and finding ways to make walking part of your daily routine is the best strategy to success.