My Sugar Free Sweet Life

Brisk walking may look like an exercise regimen that does little contribution to keeping fit and healthy but it is not. In fact, recent finding that were presented in the 55th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine suggest that walking is the easiest way to lower blood pressure and decrease obesity. All 14 morbidly obese patients who were studied showed that walking alone can achieve at least 70% of maximum heart rate and that it served as an aerobic training stimulus.

Aside from helping the obese burn fat, brisk walking also provides the following benefits:

• Releases toxins from the body through perspiration;
  
• Improves cardiovascular endurance;
• Relaxes the mind and fights stress;
  
• Relieves backaches and a great treatment for arthritis problems;
  
• Tones and strengthens muscles, bones, and joints; and,
  
• Enables you to have a good sleep at night.
  

Brisk walking can be done at least for 30 minutes a day. Use comfortable walking shoes for brisk walking and don't forget to hydrate yourself. Drink at least 10 8 oz. glasses of water when you briskwalk to replace the lost fluids and to help the kidneys in diluting and removing toxins from the body.

I try to brisk walk daily except when I haven't had a good night's sleep and the weather's not cooperating. The downside of not brisk walking regularly is that I have to condition my leg muscles again for the walk. I also find it better to brisk walk with just my pedometer and music player to keep me company. Walking with a buddy makes it hard for me to walk on my own pace. There are also days when I just walk for only 15 minutes but I guess it's still better than nothing at all.

Have you tried brisk walking? How do you find it? Are you already reaping benefits from it? I would love to hear your own brisk walking experience.