Walking For Exercise During Covid-19

Reaping the Benefits of Walking

The gyms are closed and your daily life routine is totally changed due to Covid-19, so what do you do? Well, being the gym rat that I am I have really suffered the last bunch of weeks. I didn’t prepare by buying dumbells ahead of time or anything that could have added some workout ability for me. My better half told me that all that muscle I have been building has left me a little heavier than she liked so reminded was a great time to pick up on walking again. Walking is free to do and easy to fit into your daily routine. All you need to start walking is a sturdy pair of walking shoes.

A good strategy for beginners is to start with no more than 15 minutes of walking at a relatively easy pace (to where you can speak in full sentences without breathing heavily). Thereafter, add a few minutes each week, building up to 30 minutes of walking at a brisk pace. Once you’ve achieved 30minutes then the sky is the limit and you can start thinking of miles versus times. I have progressed to 8 miles daily and I feel that will be my limit to achieve mental and physical balance.

Benefits of Walking: Of course many of these are based on your diet and time of exercising

• Burn Calories. That’s what we all want right?
• Strengthen the Heart. When you can walk fast and walk hard you know your in shape
• Help Lower Blood Sugar.
• Ease Joint Pain.
• Boost Immune Function
• Boost Your Energy
• Tone Your Legs
• Creative Thinking
• Extend Your Life

Failing to follow good common sense when starting to walk especially if you are a beginner can definitely sideline you from even a short walk.

Common mistakes include:

• Walking too fast. Until you are in better physical shape, avoid walking so fast that you are unable to speak in full sentences.
• Walking too far: Even if you feel great when you first start walking, remember that you have to turn around and come home. Start with 15-minutes walks and increase only after you can do so comfortably.
• Ignoring your heart rate. Whatever your age, don’t allow your heart rate to rise above 50 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). To estimate your MHR, subtract your age from 200. If you are 60, your heart rate should be at or below (200 – 60 x 50% = 70 beats per minute).

Yes you can Overtrain even walking
What does Overtraining look like?
A well-structured training program is designed in part to reduce the risk of overtraining. Overtraining occurs when the amount of exercise you engage in exceeds your body’s ability to recover.

You can tell you are overtraining when you have any of the following symptoms:

• Persistent heavy, stiff, and sore muscles
• Persistent fatigue
• Elevated resting heart rate (RHR)
• Recurrent infections, colds, and headaches
• Increased irritability
• Depression
• Decreased performance
• Nagging and chronic injuries
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Overtraining also affects your ability to exercise.

Calories and Fat Burned in 30 Minutes