Walk Before You Run.
Building a base with walking.
If you’re already exercising regularly and your exercise program includes four or five days of cardio activity such as an exercise bike, elliptical, or swimming, then you can probably skip this first blog and wait for our “Beginner runners” blog, which will appear next week. Please read on though, if you’re still in the, “always siting my butt on the couch, eating chips, dreaming about running, losing weight, feeling better, getting healthier and impressing my friends” stage.
In a real sense, you will need to walk before you run. Even before walking, if you are over 40 and/or you have been sedentary for a long period of time, you should consult with your physician to make sure that a walking/jogging program is appropriate for you. Like running, walking is a great way to exercise and requires very little investment, primarily in a good pair of sneakers. If you plan on quickly transitioning to jogging, then it will probably be best to invest in a good pair of running shoes. There are stores specializing in only selling running shoes, which will be the best place for you to go for additional guidance on footwear and proper fit (call our office for store recommendations). If you wish to simply remain a walker, then a good walking shoe or cross trainer will be fine.
Start small.
Initially, your walks short be brief. To make sure, you will need to measure how much walking that you do. You can go old school and drive your mileage beforehand, or get up to date with a Fitbit that can track the number of steps taken, or download one of a thousand apps that are available for your smart phone that can track your mileage through GPS. The simplest way to measure your walks though would be to just wear a watch and progress your walks by time. We recommend starting your first walk at around ten minutes per day. If you feel fine during and after this walk, then increase your next day’s walk by another two or three minutes (increasing only after each, well tolerated, walk). If you are diligent with this program, walking four or five days per week, increasing as recommended, then you will be walking a half hour or more in no time. Once you are able to walk thirty minutes per day, four or five days per week, then it’s time to increase your pace. You can do so by increasing how far you walk in a given period of time and comparing that to previous walks.
Helpful tips:
“A goal without a plan is a wish.”
Before you establish your plan of attack, you must first set specific goals for yourself. If your goal is “better health”, then specify what this means to you. Does it mean weight loss? If so, how many pounds, and by when? Does it mean improved function? If so, be specific (i.e., kicking the soccer ball with the grand kids, participating in a walkathon, etc.). Once you have established you specific goals, with time frames, then create your plan for achieving these goals. How many days each week will you walk? How quickly will you increase the time walked each day? What supplemental training will you be doing in addition to walking (i.e., stretching, weight lifting, yoga), and how often will you do this training?
“Plan your work and work your plan.”
Get started and stick to your plan. If this healthy endeavor is truly important to you, then act like it by remaining committed to your plan. Once you establish how many weeks you will have set to achieve your goals, how many days each week you will be walking, and how long you a walk you aspire to get to, then begin and stick with it.
Schedule your walks and workouts.
If you schedule a daily time that you will exercise, and treat this as an appointment with a very important person, yourself, then you will keep this appointment.
Find an exercise buddy.
Studies show that those who exercise with a friend or group are more likely to stay committed to their workout program.
Feed your machine.
Become food conscious. Read nutrition labels. If you’re seeking to lose weight don’t dramatically cut your calories while at the same time increasing your caloric needs by beginning an exercise routine. When in doubt, consult with a registered dietitian for additional guidance. Our office will be happy to recommend one for you.
Achieve you goals and create new ones.
Every goal that you achieve through hard work will provide an enormous sense of accomplishment and will improve your self-confidence. As you achieve lesser goals and become more fit, set new, more challenging goals. You never know how amazing you could be until you try.
Join us next week as we teach you how to progress walking to jogging with our blog on beginner running programs. As always, the staff here at Physical Solutions is here to help with all of your physical therapy and exercise needs.