For Day 5 of my fitness challenge, I decided to break the recent routine of workouts, by taking a brisk walk. Walking is, without a doubt, my favourite form of exercise, as no equipment is needed, and it gives us a break from being indoors to benefit from the lovely sunshine, and fresh air!

What are some of the health benefits gained from regular walking?

• Weight management
• Helps to control blood pressure and/or blood sugars
• Can decrease the risk of heart disease
• Increases our metabolism
• Improves muscle strength and flexibility
• Helps our concentration and memory

During your walk, you should be able to maintain a conversation. So, be aware of how your breathing sounds – if it’s too light, you need to increase your pace, but if you can’t catch your breath, you should slow it down.

This should be one of the easier activities to fit this into our lifestyle, as we can take a walk at lunchtime, or after work, in the local area, or we could even swap half an hour of TV, for a brisk walk with a friend, in the evening. Also, if you’re feeling energetic, remember climbing is an excellent way to strengthen your heart, so take the stairs wherever possible.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be a 5 mile trek to begin with! You should start off with a 10-20 minute walk, particularly if you’ve been inactive for some time, and then build up the length, and intensity, as you become stronger.

I’ve extended this challenge to anyone who wants to join me, don’t worry that I’m on Day 5, you can join in at any time! Please drop me a line to let me know if you do join in, I’ll be glad to hear how you’re getting on!

Also you may want to check out Fitness Challenge for my Readers, Fitness Challenge – Day 2 – Are You With Me?, Day 3 – The Challenge is Heating Up, and Join My Ballet Fitness Challange.