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Walking for Fitness
A walking program is a good way for an average person to get exercise on a regular basis without too much strain. Walking can burn calories, reduce stress, and help get a person in shape. A regular walking program combined with a good diet can help get a person in better shape and stay there.
A walking program may be better for some people than a more strenuous program. Not everyone is strong enough for weight training, or limber enough for gymnastics. Not everyone has the stamina to play basketball or football. But walking is something that nearly everybody can do.

It is important to stretch before you walk. Stretching can prevent injury while exercising. The Achilles tendon and calf are two of the most important places to stretch as it can be pulled while walking. You should also stretch your hamstring, back, your thighs, and your quadriceps. Stretching is not just something to do before walking, but after as well. Stretching after walking can keep your muscles from getting sore, and seizing up.
When walking, you should also wear the proper attire. It's good to wear artificial fabrics like nylon because they don't soak up sweat like cotton. A cotton shirt will soak up your sweat and weigh you down while you walk. You also need good walking shoes, shoes that are designed for walking, and support your feet in the right places.
Walking is also good for weight control. Walking on a regular basis, combined with a healthy diet can help you control your weight. The ideal percentage of body fat is between 15 and 18 percent for men, and between 22 and 25 percent for women. Walking can help you maintain these percentages. It's also important to know how much fat is in the food you eat. Look at the label for that total cholesterol and then look to see what percentage of that cholesterol is from fat, this tells you how much fat you're eating.
Walking can also help with cardiovascular fitness. You should know your resting, maximum, and training heart rate. Your resting heart rate can be found by taking your pulse right after you wake up. Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. My maximum heart rate is 198. To find your training heart rate you multiply that number by .70 and .85, and your training heart rate is between the two answers that you get. My training heart rate is between 138.6 and 168.3. This is where my heart rate should be while exercising.
For my own walking program, I would say that I would walk three times a week. Not very far at first, or very hard. At first I will walk for about forty-five minutes, and then turn back to get a total walk time of an hour and a half. I will walk at an easy pace. As I get used to the walking, I will increase my time to two hours and then two and a half and perhaps more. I will also increase my pace as I get used to regular walking. At first I may only be ambling, but eventually I will be Power-Walking. I would do my walking in the early morning, before sunup. That way it's not too hot in the summer. Also I don't like bright lights such as the sun.

Learn more about this author, Robert Klabunde.
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