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First you have to get started.
As with all exercise programs, please consult your doctor before starting.
EVERYONE must walk before she can run.
The first time you step outside to start your walking program, we suggest wearing a watch; a comfortable, broken-in pair of shoes; and layers of clothing you can remove as you warm up.
Begin by walking purposefully for a few minutes. Whether it's five or fifteen minutes, know when to say when. Don't push, don't hurt and don't become breathless. HAVE FUN! Walking and running should always be fun, no matter how hard or long you exercise.
For the next three weeks, continue walking every other day. Each time you walk, add a minute and try to go just a bit faster, even if it's by two seconds.
TIPS:
As with everything, start in moderation.
It's not necessary (even discouraged) to walk every day as a beginner. And
don't go too far, too fast.
If you miss a workout, don't feel guilty. We're all human. Just start again as soon as possible. If you miss many days, you may need to start again at a gradual pace.
Keep a training log. Keep a record of how far you went, how you felt before and after, weather and things you noticed along the way.
Intermediates move ahead. Beginners need more time.
By the second or third week, some of you might be ready to move to a more challenging stage of exercise. A good guideline is to increase your distance or time by 10% a week, but not until you feel completely comfortable with your current activity.
It might take weeks or months to get into a routine, depending upon each person's physical condition. This is usually the crossroads where a true beginner determines whether she will stay a walker or become a runner.
If you find yourself wanting to run, don't run an all-out sprint the first time. Try picking up the pace to a fast walk. The next step is to experiment with an easy shuffle. Faster than a walk, slower than a jog. You might think you look silly, but at least you're doing it! Pick out a landmark a short distance ahead and go for it!
When you reach your distance, walk again until you catch your breath. Don't try this too many times your first day.
Repeat this process on all of your walks, adding more and longer
running phases. Once you feel comfortable, you're ready for your running
program.
A Walking Program: A Step-by Step
Approach to a New Way of Living and Looking Great
Walking is one of the most natural things we do. It's such a basic part
of life that for a long time no one thought about it as a fitness
activity. That's not the case anymore. As more and more people see the
importance of exercise but are short on time, training or even the ability
to participate in more vigorous sports, they've decided to look elsewhere
for a workout. Fitness walking - walking with a purposeful stride, arms
pumping, heart rate elevated - which first gained a following in the
1970s, is booming again as a result. It provides women with a wonderful
exercise alternative. You can burn fat, develop muscle tone, reduce bone
mass loss, and improve your grace and carriage.
Walking is going on everywhere: on the streets where you live, in
community fun walks and races, through walking club activities, and at
shopping malls. You can walk anywhere, at almost any time. Most important,
virtually everyone can walk - no matter what your current level of fitness
or activity is.
If significant weight loss is a major goal for your exercise program,
walking may be an excellent way to start. Each time your foot strikes the
ground while walking, it's with the force of one and a half times your
actual body weight; that increases to three and a half to eight times when
running. Running provides too much pounding for someone who is overweight.
Just as there are progressive levels in running, there are different
stages in walking.
Walking form: Walk holding your body in a natural
upright posture with your back straight, shoulders down, and neck relaxed.
Look straight ahead focusing three or four yards in front of you, not down
on your feet.
Your heel should hit the ground first, then follow through your stride,
pushing off with your toes. Hold your arms with your elbows bent at a 90°
angle and pump them back and forth in an opposite rhythm to your feet -
when you stride forward with your left foot, your right arm comes forward
and vice versa.
Keep your stride at a natural length. If you want to walk faster, don't
lengthen your stride. Take smaller, quicker steps instead. Also, don't
lean forward as you walk. Good posture not only enhances your carriage,
but also helps prevent injury.
A Program to Make You a Thirty-Minute Walker.
Once you're able to comfortably walk for fifteen-minutes, it's time to
look at the next stage: working toward being a thirty-minute walker. This
means you will be able to do a thirty-minute fitness walk three or four
times a week. It's the stage at which many of your overall fitness goals
will begin to be realized.
Start each walking session with a gentle warm-up walk for three or four
minutes to loosen your muscles. After you finish your workout, cool-down
with a few more minutes of slow walking and then some gentle stretches.
Becoming a 30-minute walker
This program allows you gradually to build up to a thirty-minute walk
over eight weeks. Not everyone will be able to do the program in that
time. Follow the schedule at a comfortable pace but one that challenges
you to move forward.
The program is based on the hard-easy training method. You make
progress in training by pushing yourself to do more, but your body needs
time to recover from the extra effort. The day after a hard workout when
you walked faster or did extra mileage, schedule a day off, do an easier
workout - less pace or mileage - or switch to an alternative type of
exercise like biking, swimming, or strength training. Make it your goal to
walk three or four times a week, but don't walk more than six days a week
- give yourself a day off. Start each workout gradually, warming up your
muscles by slow-paced walking. When you've finished, complete a gradual
slow down of your pace with stretching exercises to cool down and relax
your body.
No one is judging you or holding you to a timetable. When you reach the
point at which you can do a thirty-minute fitness walk as part of your
regular routine, you'll have something that you can count on for the rest
of your life. If it takes a little more time to get there, don't worry
about it, you're in this for the long haul.
Week 1: Walk 10 minutes, rest 3 minutes, walk 5 minutes. Rest 1 minute,
then repeat.
Week 2: Walk 10 minutes, rest 1 minute, walk 5 minutes. Rest 1 minute
again, then repeat.
Week 3: Walk 10 minutes, rest 1 minute, walk 10 minutes. Rest 1 minute,
then repeat.
Week 4 and 5: Walk 20 minutes each session.
Week 6 and 7: Walk 25 minutes each session.
Week 8: Walk 30 minutes each session. If you're comfortable after the
first couple of weeks, you may want to speed up this timetable and
complete the program in five or six weeks.
TIP: You should always be able to carry on a
conversation while you're walking. If you can't, you're going to fast and
should slow down.
Walking Farther and Faster: The Next Steps in Fitness
Walking.
A personal note: Not only does walking feel good,
but when you accomplish a distance, you are instinctively challenged to
try to go farther. Many of us have never attempted this kind of physical
test before. Once you know you can do it, you become curious about how
much more you can do - and thrilled by the excitement of trying.
After you've become a thirty-minute walker, you may simply want to
continue to reap the benefits that accrue from that level of regular
exercise. But if you feel you want to go on to new goals and levels of
accomplishment, there are attractive options open to you. Two of the most
interesting are going faster and going farther. Increasing your speed and
mileage gives you a more potent aerobic workout with its conditioning and
fat-burning benefits. It can also keep your program fresh so your workouts
don't become boring or routine.
Try to become a forty-five-minute or a one-hour walker by adding a
longer walk to your regular program. Select one day on your workout
schedule for a longer walk and add gradually ten-minute increments to your
workout until you reach a comfortable and invigorating longer distance.
Always schedule a day off after your long walk for rest and recovery.
Here's a four-week program to follow to reach an hour. Bear in mind
that these are only guidelines. It may take you longer to reach the next
level comfortably. Don't go ahead until you are ready.
Week 1: Walk three days for 30 minutes each session. Walk 40 minutes
for the fourth session of the week.
Week 2: Walk three days for 30 minutes each session. Walk 50 minutes
for the fourth session.
Week 3: Repeat schedule for week 1.
Week 4: Walk three days for 30 minutes each session. Walk 60 minutes
for the fourth session.
For more details on walking, for some of my personal anecdotes, tips
and stories, for clothing guidelines, I encourage you to buy my book. Also have a look at: A Running Program: Making the most of your
running.