Give walking workouts a try if you’re looking to improve your fitness in 2018.
“Most people don’t realize that walking is an aerobic exercise, so it can help improve insulin sensitivity, help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure, increase cardiovascular conditioning and improve your cholesterol levels,” says Cary Raffle, a certified personal trainer and certified orthopedic exercise specialist in New York.
[See: 8 Tiny Lifestyle Changes That Deliver Huge Health Rewards.]
The blood sugar-lowering benefits of walking occur even after shorter walking workouts, says Los Angeles-based personal trainer Christel Oerum, founder of the website DiabetesStrong.com.
With all those benefits, walking can be a great fit when you are living with diabetes.
“It all starts with that first step,” says registered dietitian Paul Salter, a nutrition editor for Bodybuilding.com who is based in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Here’s a primer on how to make walking your go-to physical activity for better health this year.
Check with your doctor or other health care professional first. Make sure that starting a new exercise regimen with walking is OK.
Get your feet ready for walking. “The most important things to do first are to get the right shoes and socks, some petroleum jelly and trim your toenails,” Raffle says. Although that advice applies to people with or without diabetes, those with diabetes are more prone to nerve damage, so you could get injured and not notice it. Quality socks that are seamless and moisture-wicking or that help with circulation are great investments. In terms of shoes, look for cushioning, support and an all-around good fit. Use the petroleum jelly on your feet before walking to prevent blisters and chafing, Raffle recommends.
Set your walking goal. Are you walking to improve your cardiovascular health? Take part in a walking 5K? Build up to running? Your goal will help guide your walking workout plans, Oerum says. Generally speaking, if you’re new to exercise, keep your initial walks shorter and build up from there. “If you do too much at first, you can get discouraged and injured,” she says.
The general recommendation for physical fitness is 150 minutes a week, or 30 minutes a day, five days a week, Raffle says. However, that recommendation increases to 300 minutes a week (or one hour, five days a week) if you’re looking to lose weight.
Approach walking with the right attitude. If you’re hesitant to exercise, you may think of a walking workout as a chore. That’s why acupuncture physician Dr. Dominique Vonador of Acupuncture and Herbal Solutions in Bradenton, Florida, recommends an attitude adjustment. “Don’t think of walking as a laborious activity. Think of it as a time to get some fresh air, see the plants and even connect with neighbors,” she says. If that still doesn’t do the trick, find a walking buddy. It can make walking more fun and help keep you accountable.
[See: 7 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise.]
Put your walking time on your daily or weekly calendar. Oerum says to think of your walking workout time as a meeting with your boss — and you wouldn’t ignore that, right? However, give some thought to how you’re going to squeeze in your walking time, be it in the morning before your day gets started, after dinner or any other specific time. One bonus: If you walk after meals, you’ll both lower your blood sugar and enhance digestion, Salter says.
Aim for shorter, brisk walking spurts if one longer walk is harder for you. Here’s some great news about walking workouts: “Living in our fast-paced lives, taking 30 minutes or an hour each day can become stressful, so breaking the workouts into multiple small chunks is fabulous,” Vonador says. “Doing it that way, it won’t seem like exercise, and you may do more than if you did it all in an hour.” Take advantage of other time throughout the day when you can fit in walking, such as parking farther from stores when shopping or taking the stairs between floors in a building.
However, make sure you’re keeping up a good pace; if you’re walking a slow-moving dog, you may miss an adequate workout. And when possible, fit in a longer workout. While short workouts can add up, “people tend to do better when they create some real time dedicated to their walks or exercise,” Raffle says.
Change things up to keep it challenging and interesting. Perhaps you’re already a walking pro, and you want to step up your walking game in 2018. There are several ways you can do that: Add training intervals with higher intensity, increase the incline (outside or on a treadmill), wear ankle weights or a weighted vest, change the scenery, walk backward or sideward (if you’re not self-conscious!) or listen to music or a favorite audiobook or podcast. Continue to set new goals to compete against yourself to stay motivated, Oerum advises.
Or, get the kids involved. “See who can spot the most flowers or who can walk to the end of the street the fastest,” Vonador advises.
Monitor how walking affects your blood sugar. If you use insulin, you may need to adjust dosing to avoid exercise-induced hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Check your blood sugar before, during and after a walking workout to get a sense of your numbers, and discuss them with your medical team, says Oerum, who has Type 1 diabetes.
Add some strength training. Even if you’re excelling with your walking workouts, you still need to make time for strength training at least twice a week. Strength training will build your muscles, boost your metabolism and help you sustain lower blood sugar. Strength training is especially important if you’re over 40, as that’s when you’ll lose muscle mass more rapidly, Salter says. You don’t need a gym to do strength training — there are plenty of body resistance exercises you can do at home or anywhere, Oerum says. Talk to a trainer if you’re not sure how to start.
[See: The 10 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Top Trainers.]
Bring water and a source of glucose when you walk, Raffle recommends. Wearing a medical ID bracelet is also a good idea.
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Get Walking in 2018 to Boost Fitness and Lower Blood Sugar originally appeared on usnews.com
