If you look at all of the potential health benefits provided by walking, you will soon realise just what a positive impact walking for exercise can have. Increased lung capacity, reduced blood pressure, less risk of heart problems and stroke, less risk of depression and even lower risk of contracting certain types of cancer. Factor in weight reduction, higher energy levels and generally feeling better and you begin to see just how beneficial this exercise form can be.

Consider also the fact that you can fit walking into your daily routine whenever it suits you and the fact that there are no expensive monthly gym membership fees, and you have to ask why don’t more people make walking a part of their exercise regime? It’s also worth remembering that, apart from a pair of comfortable shoes, you don’t need any special equipment, training or expertise to get a regular walking workout.

One possible answer as to why more people aren’t including walking as a part of their exercise regime might be that they aren’t aware of the long list of available benefits. We do have a bit of a “no pain no gain” culture which might make it hard for people to understand that a low impact, low injury workout such as walking could produce so many positive effects.

However, the evidence is clear. Walking has the potential to provide tremendous health benefits. The key is consistency - you need to take exercise on a regular basis. Ideally, it should be part of your daily routine.

And there are plenty of opportunities to do this. Why not leave the car in the garage and walk to work for a change? Or how about taking the stairs instead of the elevator from time to time? Maybe you could take a 10 or 15 minute stroll around the block at lunchtime. Small, almost unnoticeable changes can make a big difference.

Of course, the fact that the effort required is so small may be part of the problem. Many people may find it hard to believe that they will achieve such a high value of benefits based upon such a small investment of time and effort. One possible way to overcome this, should you find yourself in this category, would be to use a pedometer. Use this every day to record the number of steps you take, the distance you cover and the number of calories you burn.

It should soon become obvious that small changes to your daily routine - walking instead of taking the car from time to time - can have a major impact on your fitness and health. Raising the visibility of your walking workout benefits may well be all the encouragement that is necessary to ensure that you exercise daily and reap the rewards available to you in terms of health, fitness and general well being.

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