Walking can be a great way to boost your physical and emotional well-being. It is a great exercise that can easily be done anywhere. Walking increases your blood flow and circulation between your brain and your body, this positively impacts your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is responsible for the response of your central nervous system and stress responses (Brennan, 2021). Basically, what this means is that the body functioning while walking helps to alleviate stress, increase your overall mood, and even help you to sleep better. Walking obviously has its benefits in more ways than one, so how do you go about incorporating this into your routine? The following are tips and tricks on how to begin your walking journey.

Find a time that works for you: Pick a time of day that would work best for your schedule. Would this be after work, on your lunch break, the morning, or in the evening? Finding a time that feels comfortable for your day-to-day schedule helps to easily transition into an ongoing routine to set you up for success. The first time you set yourself up for may not work as well as anticipated, but that is okay! Try a few different times to see what feels right.

Set Small Goals: When you start your walking journey, it is important to set small goals for your walks to slowly increase your endurance to not overwork your body. Begin with a short walk that you feel would be comfortable to start with, typically it is good to begin with a ten-minute walk to gauge your endurance level. Each time you go for a walk, evaluate if you would like to add on more time. As you continue to walk more frequently, the time of the walk will increase.

Comfort: Make sure to wear shoes that are appropriate and comfortable for walking because you don’t want to have sore feet or blisters. Additionally, wear clothes that are comfortable and weather appropriate.

Location: Waking is a versatile exercise that can be done anywhere which is something that can add to the experience. The location you walk does not have to be consistent with each walk, get out and explore if you would like! You can walk around your neighborhood, a local park, a track, or even on a treadmill.

Make walking a social activity: Walking does not have to be done alone! If you’re feeling up to it invite a loved one to go on a walk with you or even join in on your walking routine.

Invest in some headphones: listen to music or a podcast that you are interested in, listening to something while walking can make the experience more enjoyable.

Safety is key: Ensure that you are being safe on your walk by adhering to traffic and walking in cross walks. If you are walking during the night wear bright colors are reflectors.

Be patient with yourself: As always, starting a new routine or habit can take time. Don’t be angry with yourself for missing any days or give up.

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