10-Week Walking Regimen

WEEK 1

• Walk for 15 – 30 minutes at a comfortable pace, depending on your ability. Warm up for 5 minutes at an easy walking pace before doing a 5-minute easy stretching routine. Resume walking at a comfortable pace, then end up with another 5 minutes of gentle stretching routine. 

• Take a rest on the 7th day. Your body needs to rest and rebuild itself. 



WEEK 2

• Increase your walking time by 5 - 10 minutes for this week. Do the same routine. 

• Rest on the 7th day. 


WEEK 3 – WEEK 10

• Increase your walking time by 5 - 10 minutes every week until you are now capable of walking for an hour each time. The health benefits of walking can be maximized if you sustain a 30 – 60 minute walk a day. 

• Remember to rest on the 7th day of each week. 

7 Common Walking Mistakes You Should Avoid




Walking is one of the important milestones which come by the first birthday and since then various changes and modifications take place on the gait pattern (the way you walk). Other than being a means of locomotion, walking is also a good form of low impact, less intense aerobic exercise. Most of us make certain mistakes while walking, which can have an unwanted impact on our health. It is very important to opt for correct techniques of walking to get the maximum benefits without any injury.


Here are the most common walking mistakes to be avoided:


Over-striding: Stride length, in simple words, refers to the length of each step taken while walking, running or jogging. We all have our own characteristic stride length. When you try to walk faster than your standard speed, you might try to increase your stride length because of which you might develop poor posture and hurt your back. Therefore instead of taking bigger steps, go for shorter and quicker ones!


Wrong Foot Gear: Choosing the wrong footwear will not only make your walk uncomfortable, but it will also make you prone to injury. Your walking shoes should be lightweight and should have a flexible sole to allow good freedom of motion by permitting your foot to roll through each step from heel to toe. Choose those shoes that fit you! If you walk for 30 minutes or more, then choose shoes larger than your dress shoes as your feet may swell when you walk for a long period of time. Prolonged walking with tight shoes can cause pain and cramping while loose shoes can make "push-off" (application of pressure for the purpose of moving) difficult.


Wrong Clothing: Improper clothing can interfere with your thermoregulation (the ability of your body to keep its temperature within certain boundaries even if the temperature of the surrounding environment is pretty different) and can eventually affect your walking efficiency. Choose clothing according to environmental conditions. For example, in a hot climate, wear fabrics like climacool or coolmax which will allow the sweat to evaporate away from the body. Wearing dark clothing while walking at night can make you susceptible to accidents. For safety purpose, wear reflector stripes or night glow badges.


Foot Slap: Foot slap occurs when at heel strike (i.e., when the heel makes contact with the floor), the forefoot slaps the ground (which means that you land flat footed) instead of rolling through from heel to toe. This can lead to pain in your shins. Foot slap can be due to weak dorsiflexors i.e. weak shins, heavy shoes, stiff shoes (inflexible sole) etc. In order to avoid foot slap, wear lightweight shoes with a flexible sole and low heel. Strengthen your shin by performing toe raises. To perform toe raises, stand on the ledge of a step with your heels hanging over the edge. Now, dip the heels down, then raise them high. Repeat 10 times. This is a simple, yet an effective way of strengthening your shins. You can also do heel walking (walking slowing, with small stride length, on your heels with your toes raised as high as possible) for 20 to 30 seconds to strengthen your shins.


Lack of Arm Swing: Normally while walking, arm swinging occurs in order to counterbalance the leg motion. Arm swinging can also aid in gaining the momentum, thereby helping you to walk at a faster speed. Lack of arm swing can put a lot of stress on your back. So, make sure to swing your arms back and forth opposite to the direction of leg motion.


Incorrect Posture: Improper postures like head down, leaning forward etc. are very commonly observed and these can lead to problems like neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain and breathing difficulty. So whenever you intend to walk, stand straight and feel like being tall! Do not arch your back. Pull your stomach in, keep your buttocks tight and maintain the natural curves of the spine to prevent undue stress.


Over-training: The zeal to burn calories in order to lose weight makes many people to walk beyond their capacity. They soon begin to feel tired and irritable, and pains and aches start popping up their ugly heads. Under such a situation, it is better to take a break and to refresh yourself. You must listen to your body and wait for it to recover. This is the best possible way to get ready for the next walking session!


Walking is a fun and it is a form of recreation during moments of leisure. You might take a great deal of interest in this form of physical activity, but wrong postures and incorrect walking techniques can nullify your efforts. You might also suffer from injuries which can act as obstacles for your fitness routine. So, adopting the correct techniques of walking is very essential in order to continue with your regular walks!

How to Walk Properly?

It is very important in life to do things in the right manner. An ineffective attempt made, takes you nowhere, except for causing frustration, due to not having achieved the desired result. Health fitness cannot be achieved magically and this fact applies to every smallest aspect associated with fitness. Like, for weight loss, say if you choose walking as your main workout type, then it becomes vital to ensure that you are following a proper walking style.




Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. It's good for your heart, blood pressure and weight management. When you're walking to get or stay fit, your form, pace, and breathing is especially important. Mastering a good walking technique takes some time. But with practice, it will become second nature and will help you increase and maintain your pace comfortably. Here are some tips to get you started:


Keep your eyes focused forward, not up or down. Don't look down when walking; look ahead (especially when walking up hills).


Chin should be pointed down and pulled in slightly to maintain a neutral neck position, which will prevent neck pain by properly supporting your head.


Keep your shoulders back, down and relaxed. Bend your arms at the elbow at a 90-degree angle and swing them toward the center of your body. Be careful not to cross the center line of your body or bend your arms at more than 90 degrees. Swinging your arms properly will give you a better aerobic workout, burn more calories, and engage more muscles throughout your torso.


The back should be straight as you walk, allowing for its natural curves. You shouldn't be leaning backwards or forwards. But, a slight forward lean on hill climbs is acceptable.


Your chest should be slightly lifted. Breathe deeply, expanding your stomach, and try to breathe in rhythm with your steps.


Keep your belly button gently sucked in toward your spine. This will keep your abdominal muscles activated, which is a great workout for your tummy and it helps to protect your lower back from injury.


Your heel should hit the ground first. Take shorter, rather than longer, steps. More frequent short steps will give you a better workout and be easier on your joints.


By closely following the technique and form described, you can significantly improve your performance. It can help enhance the benefits you receive from walking. These benefits are:

• Increased efficiency
• Better use of energy supplies
• Decreased risk of injury
• Increased comfort
• Faster times
• Increased calorie burn
• Increased muscle conditioning
• Body shaping

Following fitness walking tips goes a long way in ensuring that you'll not fall prey to chronic body pains, poor posture problem, beauty related issues like double chin and potbelly. When you'll be away from the clutches of the above-mentioned problems, you'll tend to feel more active and enthusiastic about carrying out your day-to-day routine activities.

12 Tips to Motivate Yourself to Walk

Key to any walking program or for that matter any fitness program is Motivation. It is a fuel for weight loss. And just like any other program, maintaining a regular walking routine can be difficult once the initial newness wears off. Putting one foot after another, day in and day out, can get a bit monotonous. The monotony can have an adverse result on your fitness program.


So what do you do when your pace starts to slacken and boredom sets in? You motivate yourself! And here is how:


Choose different routes: The same old route can get a bit dreary. Explore a new route every now and then. If the environment is enjoyable, miles just fly by. By focusing on your surroundings you may even forget that you're exercising.


Count your steps: Ever heard of 10,000 steps per day plan? You can actually start counting the number of steps that you take and you will probably forget the exercising boredom. Sure you can use a pedometer, but you can also engross yourself in the activity while you are out walking. You can then compare the steps counted with the steps recorded in your pedometer.


Wear a pedometer: Several studies show that wearing a pedometer and having a daily step goal can boost your activity level. It can be a powerful reminder that every step counts, and soon you will be finding ways to add steps to your day.


Get a partner: Find a walking buddy to keep you motivated. Having a friend waiting for you to take a walk gets you out there day after day. Even the discussions, jokes, and tea afterward are great for relaxing. You can even walk with your dog.


Remind yourself of the benefits: Nothing will charge you more than reminding the benefits of walking. And there are so many of them.

• Helps in weight loss
• Lowers your blood pressure
• Strengthens your bones and joints
• Reduces the risk of heart disease
• Reduces risk of diabetes, & the list just goes on!

Maintain a walking journal: Bring a bit of professionalism in your walking routine. Set a goal and plan a strategy to achieve it. Track your walking minutes, steps, or kilometers in a journal or even in an online log and analyze it every month. You will find yourself out walking just to make those numbers add up.


Choose the best time: Choosing the time that works best for you is an important step to ensure a successful walking program and stay motivated. Some people walk in the morning to get ready for the day. Some people walk during lunch hour because they hate mornings. Others walk in the evening or after dinner to relieve tension and relax. If you don't have full 30 to 40 minutes to walk, then break the 30 minutes down into several shorter walks.


Reward yourself: If you achieve your goals, reward yourself with something interesting. New clothes, new walking shoes or even a movie; whatever works best for you.


Walk on the treadmill: When you are absolutely bored to walk outside, jump on the treadmill. You can watch TV or talk to your buddies on the phone and the miles would just add up.


Establish your motivation in your walking activity and you will stay persistent in walking toward a healthy body. The important thing is to set the goals, keep walking and keep shedding those pounds!

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