Walk your way to stronger bones and good health!

Posted under female workout

Exercise plays an important role in bone building during childhood and adolescence, maintaining bone before 50, and slowing down bone loss after the age of 50. One way to effectively build stronger bones is by walking. Walking is the easiest exercise program to begin. It is a simple exercise that you can do anywhere, any time, without any need of expensive equipment or health club membership. A mere 30 minutes a day, three days a week, walking assures adequate aerobic conditioning. Walking is also an insurance policy against a weak and crumbling skeleton as it lessens and combats osteoporosis by strengthening of bones.

Getting started
A healthy walk workout starts with a good posture. It makes you look years younger too. Proper posture is simple to do; all you have to do is to stand erect, keep chin parallel to the ground, and pull your head back to allow your neck to be aligned with your spine. Pull shoulder blades together as you relax your shoulder and hips. Tuck in your tummy and straighten your back, and pull your buttocks in so the small of your back won’t sway or bow. It is normal to feel a little awkward at any change especially on posture. The more you practice good posture, the more you will get use to it. You can check to see if you have a good posture by standing your back against a wall and see how much of your back and shoulders touch the wall. Lift your arms out to either left or right side so as to provide stretch and additional posture checkpoint.

Walking
Once you are aware of the proper posture, let’s begin your walking experience. You should invest on proper walking shoes designed for walking. Dress yourself appropriately for the work out. Expect to shed a layer as you warm up. After gradually warming up, start your way to fitness!

Take shorter and quicker strides to prevent any problems with the joints. Walk with the heel leading. Bend arms at 90 degrees angles and allow to swing naturally. A study found that women who regularly walk 7.5 miles a week lost bone mass at a slower rate (four to seven years longer) than women who did not walk. Apart from promoting stronger bones, walking has been known to lower blood pressure especially for those who have dangerously high blood pressure on a long-term medication treatment. It only takes a month of regular walking to lower blood pressure and even cholesterol levels to a normal range.

Facts of walking:
1. Walking a mile in 30 minutes burns 120-180 calories.
2. Walking boosts energy.
3. Walking exercises over 600 muscles and 200 bones.
4. Walking improves self image.
5. Walking decreases stress and depression.
6. Regular walking decreases risk of heart disease.
7. Regular walking reduces hypertension.
8. Regular walking helps you lose weight.

Exercise will greatly benefit your bones no matter when you start. The key to walking is to exercise regularly when you’re young and continue to exercise throughout your life. Exercise helps build stronger bones and slow down bone loss. You can do a combination of strength training exercises with weight training exercises. Strength training makes your muscles and bones in your arms and upper spine stronger. Weight training namely walking, jogging, running, stair climbing, skipping rope and impact producing sports targets the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine. you can also try swimming, cycling, and exercise machines such as elliptical trainers that provide a good cardiovascular work out.

Technorati Tags: female workout, fitness, strength training, stronger bones, walking, weight training