Start Your Own Walking Program

Introduction

There are many reasons for starting your own walking program. Here are just a few:

improved quality of life
relieved pain
increased concentration on work
get in touch with nature
increased blood flow
feeling better about yourself

For these reasons, walking as a form of exercise is very beneficial.

Exercise Guidelines

Here are some general guidelines that should be applied to your exercise regimen. The first thing to do though before starting any kind of exercise program is to contact your doctor. He or she can give you advice and feedback about your individual medical conditions (if any) in relation to participating in an exercise program.

Warm-Up: You should incorporate a warm-up into your program. This should be 5 to 10 minutes of light activity. This will cause a slight increase in your heart rate and get your muscles warmed up for the more vigorous part of your exercise session.
Stretching: Light stretching should be done after the warm-up. This will loosen your muscles and prepare your body for the exercise session. This will also help in the prevention of injury. Check out some basic stretching guidelines.
Mode: Exercise must use large muscle groups, such as the arms and legs, over a prolonged period of time. The exercise must be rhythmic in nature and continuous. Walking is a perfect example of this.
Intensity: This is how hard you are exercising. For most older adults, this ranges from 50% to 70% of your heart rate reserve. Calculate your target heart rate zone and see how to apply it to your exercise session.
Duration: Exercise should be between 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise. It is important to work up to this level if you are just starting an exercise program.
Frequency: Exercise should be performed 3 to 5 days a week.
Cool-Down: It is also important to cool-down after your exercise session. This should consist of lower intensity exercise. This will also allow your breathing and heart rate to slow down and return to pre-exercise levels.

Exercise Tips for Walking

Wear proper footwear: A good pair of sneakers will give your feet proper support and help to reduce the incidence of injury.
Plan when you will walk each day: It will help you develop a regular schedule and avoid excuses for not walking.
Walk with a partner: You will be less likely to skip your walk and it will make the walking more fun.
Plan a few walking routes: It will be a change of scenery and adds variety to your walking. Make some routes around your home or work site. Also go to the local school's track or to a nearby park.
Keep an exercise log: It will help you keep track of frequency and total time of exercise.

Watch Your Fat Intake

If one of your reasons for exercising is to lose weight, then you should check to see how much fat is currently in your diet. Fill out this short questionnaire to evaluate your fat intake.

Evaluating Your Progress

One of the first questions you might have after exercising is how many calories you're burning during your walks. Launch the calculator to estimate the number of calories burned during a walking session.
Another evaluation measure is your body mass index (BMI). This is a measure of body composition which takes into consideration both your height and weight. Open the calculator to estimate your BMI.
Your resting heart rate is another measure of progress. Over time after exercising, your resting heart rate will be slower which indicates your heart is able to pump more blood with each beat.

References: American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 2nd and 5th eds.-1993, 1995: Williams & Wilkins, PA. and Sweetgall, Bob. "The Ten Best Walking Workouts." Walking. Dec. 1991.