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If your exercise time is as limited as most people’s, you’ll become more
accomplished and have more fun if you structure your walking workouts to get maximum
benefit. Here are 10 ways to put more fun—and fitness—into your walking.
1. Get Structured
The best way to enjoy walking to the fullest is to get on a regular training
program—. A good program tells you what to do
each day and it’s organized around sound training. Of course, you can merely do the
prescribed daily workout but you’ll make more progress if you understand how the
workouts are organized.
2. Build Slowly
If your longest walk ever is two miles, don’t tackle a ten-miler next time out. The
body can handle increases in distance but it’s happier—and less likely to get
injured—if those increases are incremental and small. The general rule is to increase
mileage no more than 10% a week. Walking doesn’t subject you to the pounding of
running, but it’s much more of an impact activity than cycling, so gradual increases
will keep you uninjured and able to walk consistently. In general, if you ride too much,
you get tired, but if you increase walking or running mileage abruptly, you risk getting
hurt.
3. Vary the Route
The biggest mistake of novice walkers is to plod along day after day on the same loop or
out-and-back route. Not only is this a recipe for boredom, it also means that your body
gets used to the same terrain. Is your route flat? Then you’ll never get the benefits
of climbing hills. Is the route extremely hilly? Then if you want to stroll along on a
recovery day, you can’t walk easily because you’re always grinding up a climb or
pounding down. Varying the terrain means you can vary the effort—and that’s key
to balancing your workouts. Go hard on the hills one day, easy on the flats the next.
Scout out your neighborhood for several different loops, then choose a route based on the
day’s objectives.
4. Vary the Volume
Just as you vary the route and the effort, you should also walk different distances during
the week. Here’s a good plan: walk shorter during the week when you don’t have as
much time. Thirty to forty-five minutes two or three times during the work week is
sufficient to maintain fitness. Then on the weekend when you have more time, head off for
several hours on the trails or interesting walking tours through historic towns. It makes
sense to plan your workouts based on the amount of time your schedule allows.
5. Walk at Different Rates
Most walkers are like metronomes. They always walk at the same pace on the flats—you
could set your watch by them as they knock off a series of 15 or 20 minute miles. Just as
you walk longer some days and shorter on others, concentrate on walking faster for short
periods of time. The best time to pick up the pace is during a mid-week workout. You
don’t have to race-walk. Simply swing your arms a bit more vigorously and increase
your leg turnover time. Imagine that the ground is hot and you can’t leave your foot
in contact with it for very long. Stride along faster for several hundred yards and then
settle back into your accustomed pace. Several “pick ups” like this increase
your fitness and make your walks more fun.
6. Head for the Trails
You’ll have more motivation to walk during the week if you have a goal for the
weekend. For instance, plan a day-long hike in the mountains or a multi-day backpacking
trip. Pick a country you’ve never visited where walking tours are popular—Ireland
or England are examples—then plan a trip. Or simply drive a few miles to a local
state park and sample the trails. Walking adventures of this sort make training fun
because it means that training is focused on an event, not merely on gaining
fitness.
7. Walk with a Group
Walking is a social activity, so seek out friends with similar goals. Training by yourself
allows you to relax and think through the day’s events, but walking with a group is a
great way to meet people and get inspired by more experienced walkers. While training, the
miles fly by, and the feeling of shared effort, of group enterprise, is addictive. Look
for hiking or walking clubs in your community. Athletic shoe stores or backpacking shops
often have contact information.
8. Monitor your Intensity
Use a heart rate monitor or simply monitor by feel, using a Rating of Perceived Exertion
(RPE). Heart rate monitors (HRM’s) are relatively inexpensive (as low as $60).
However the numbers on the monitor require experience to interpret. To train with a HRM,
you have to find your true max heart rate or lactate threshold with a graded exercise test
(often done in the controlled conditions of an exercise physiology lab), then have a
qualified person calculate your exercise zones. But there’s a simpler way. RPE works
nearly as well once you become accustomed to the scale of 1 to 10. One is no activity at
all (you’re slouched on the couch) while ten is flat-out, as hard as you can go. Five
is moderate activity like a fast walk. Six is experienced as brisk effort. At seven, you
begin to breathe steadily and rhythmically. At eight your breathing intensifies and when
you’re gasping and unable to carry on a conversation, you’ve reached nine. With
a little practice, you’ll be able to stay in a given RPE zone as you walk.
9. Take Rest Days
Training is built around a paradox—you don’t get better when you’re
training hard. You improve when you’re resting. That’s when your body rebuilds
from hard efforts. So schedule one or two days each week when you don’t walk for
exercise. Do some yard work, light resistance training, take an easy spin on your
bike—or prop up your feet and relax in the shade.
10. Keep It Fun
Training should never be drudgery. You’re walking for fun and relaxation and to
improve your fitness. Explore different routes, alternate walks on pavement and dirt
trails, walk alone and then in a group, try to break your personal record for the local
killer climb, sign up for a low-key event. The world of walking is huge—there’s
never any reason to get stale.
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