If you’re walking regularly, good for you! Walking for around 30 minutes five days a week has been shown to benefit nearly every aspect of your general health.
But if you’re been walking for a while and feel like upping the tempo a bit to provide a little more of a challenge, that’s even better!
Williamsbridge Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has four ways that you can ramp up your daily walk to get that heart pumping faster.
- Increase the Tempo
Give yourself about 10 minutes to warm up, and then increase the speed of your walk for 20 minutes. You’re going fast enough if holding a conversation is hard. After the 20 minutes are up, cool down at a slower pace for five to 10 more minutes.
- Entertain Your Ears
Studies have shown that listening to something while doing aerobic exercise gets people to do that activity more frequently and for longer durations. Music has been proven to improve performance, and listening to podcasts or audiobooks are also great ways to pass the time while walking.
- Find More Challenging Routes
Work hills and other natural terrain into your walk to increase the challenge, or you can head to your local running track (at either a park or a school stadium) and test how fast you can walk around the track. Mark your time and then shoot to beat it the next time you’re there.
- Don’t Let Rainy Days Stop You
As we start to transition towards winter, if you are a member of a gym or have access to a treadmill at home, be sure to harness the full power of it. You can increase the speed and incline of it at certain intervals or browse through pre-loaded routines that will vary in difficulty.
To learn more about Williamsbridge Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://williamsbridge-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
