The Most Underutilized Exercise

A lack of time is the most used excuse people give when they can’t make it to the gym. Does this sound like you?

Days filled with meetings, doctor’s appointments, sales calls, and other important events often leave few spare minutes. It makes it seem impossible to be active.

Well, I want to talk to you about the most underutilized exercise. It’s one that you can do at your home. You need no equipment and it won’t cost you a penny. Do you know what it is?

WALKING!

Photo Credit: http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410826,00.html

While walking won’t make you lean, it can be a great way to add in some physical activity on a busy work week. Here are three reasons why walking is beneficial.

1) It gets you moving

Movement is fundamental. We were created to move. Unfortunately we occupy much of our time sitting on the couch or in an office chair.

We need to be moving more. Walking solves this problem.

Another great thing about walking is that it burns calories and body fat. It isn’t my top choice for fat burning exercises, but it can help. And who doesn’t need to burn some extra calories each day?

Before cars a lot more people were walking; now seats are found in almost every form of transportation. It sure makes it easy to not walk, but it is something we could all be doing more.

2) It improves endurance

Not only is walking fundamental, it improves your level of fitness. Again, this isn’t the end all be all, but if you go from couch potato to walking 5 days per week your endurance will improve.

One of the goals I hear most often from clients is that they wish they had more endurance. They want to be able to play with their kids or not get winded while walking up a flight of stairs.

This is where more walking can help. If you really want to improve your stamina, walk up a hill or climb stairs. This is an excellent way to increase your heart rate and become more proficient at handling strenuous activity.

3) It reduces stress

Stress is a silent progress killer. One thing that comes from stress is a highly active sympathetic nervous system.

This is the part of your nervous system responsible for the flight or fight response. Your heart rate is consistently elevated, your breathing is quick and shallow, and your muscles are constantly tight. This occurs when the sympathetic system is dominant.

Your body is working very hard, too hard in fact. This can halt all changes you hope to see. There is good news though. You just need to get your parasympathetic system in the game.

This is the part of your nervous system that causes you to relax and it can become more dominant with increased cardiovascular activity (i.e. walking).  Who wouldn’t want that?

But then there’s this whole time issue. When will I have time to walk? Unfortunately you may just need to make time. If something is that important to you, you will make time for it.

If you only have time in the morning, then get up 30 minutes earlier. If you only have time at lunch, get moving during your lunch break.

As I mentioned earlier, it can also be done at your own home. After you get home from work, take a walk around your neighborhood with your family. This is an easy to get in some quality family time while being active, a win-win.

There is always time, you just need to find it. Even just a few minutes per day can really add up. Don’t disregard walking, it’s one of the most underrated exercises.

If you are looking for a personal trainer in Savannah, contact me to set up a consultation.

And if you found any of this information helpful, or know of someone it could help please share with others!