by Robert L Wilson

Walking is one of those great exercises that it's hard to find an excuse to get out of doing as most everyone can do it just about anywhere. Walking is a safe, low-impact exercise that doesn't cause excessive wear and tear on the joints the way running or jogging does, and you won't need any expensive equipment or gym memberships to get started, yet the benefits are immeasurable. And, while your dog or the neighbors might look at you a bit strange, you can even walk around the house or right in the backyard if you need to.

Getting Started

While any amount of walking is actually beneficial to the body, ultimately aim for a healthy 30 minutes per day, five days per week at a brisk pace. As always, before starting any type of health program or modification to your usual routine, it's wise to consult with your own doctor who is familiar with your current state of health and will be able to make any recommendations or suggestions.

- The Warm Up: Never underestimate the importance of warming up the muscles before exercising, even before doing a low-impact one like walking. All it takes is about five minutes of slowly walking in place and a few stretches to get the blood flowing to the muscles, limbering them up and essentially protecting them from future injury.

- The Walk: If you're just starting to walk or exercise on a regular basis, this is definitely an instance where slow and steady wins the race as you won't want to tire yourself out too soon, but instead, walk until you begin to tire, and then use that as your base figure for starting out. Two or three shorter sessions of walking per day are excellent for building up endurance, and after a few weeks, increase the length, speed, and time of your walks.

- The Home Stretch: Cooling your body down after walking is imperative to reduce the stress on your muscles, as well as the most important muscle of all, the heart. End your session by walking slowly in place, and again doing the stretches.

Charting Your Progress

Even if you aren't the type to keep a journal, make it a point to chart your walking progress so you can easily see at a glance how far you've come since you started. Use a small notebook or set up a file on your computer where you can record the date and miles or the number of steps you've walked. Either invest in an inexpensive pedometer that attaches to your waistband, or list your progress in miles or by the amount of time you've walked each day.

The Incredible Benefits of Walking

Now that you know how easy it is to get started walking, did you also know of all the incredible health benefits brought about by simply walking?

Here are just a few of those many benefits and improvements to your health you can expect after incorporating walking into your life:

- Elevated mood
- Improved quality of sleep
- Increased "good" cholesterol (HDL)
- Less chance of impotence
- Longer lifespan
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower levels of stress
- Reduced risk of breast cancer
- Reduced risk of heart attack
- Reduced risk of stroke
- Reduced risk of Type II diabetes
- Relief from back pain
- Weight control or management
- Warding off depression

About the Author:

Robert L Wilson manages a regional office for a fortune 500 company and enjoys writing about fitness, self improvement and making money. To learn more, please visit his website

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Do you need to lose weight and know that you need to exercise to make it happen? We all know that exercise is good for us and that it will change our body and allow us to live a healthier lifestyle, but we choose not to do it. Yes, it is a choice for most of us!

Exercise takes motivation and if you are lacking that motivation it doesn't mean that you have to continue to live an unfit lifestyle, it means that you need to make a change starting now. Many people have found that exercise affirmations keep them motivated to exercise and they are able to change their lifestyle in the process.

Think Positive, Exercise, Be Fit

Exercise affirmations are statements that encapsulate your ideals and goals as far as exercise goes. Basically they are statements that will motivate you to keep exercising while focusing on the positive. Exercise affirmations can be something such as, "My body is a well-oiled, precise machine and exercise is its maintenance."

It seems simple, right? It is! When you are having one of those days where you are thinking about driving right past the gym to go to the fast food joint you can say this to yourself and you'll find that you'll actually want to turn into the parking lot at the gym! Exercise affirmations won't get the workout done for you, but they will help you push through even when you are tired, sore, or would rather be doing something else!

It sounds too simple to be true, but the fact of the matter is that affirmations work. You don't need to pay anyone to motivate you; in fact you can use free positive affirmations and get results. As long as you believe in the statement that you are saying you can make it a reality. When you believe in them and use them regularly, especially at your moments of weakness, you will be able to turn your life around by making exercise as important as it should be in your life.

It's simple to drive past the gym each day and head for the coffee shop or head for home, but simple isn't always better. Exercise affirmations will remind you that your body is worth taking care of and though it may not always be your first choice of what you could be doing, it's worth it. When you use affirmations, positive reinforcement is sure to follow because the more you exercise the better you'll look and feel, and everyone loves to look and feel their best.

Whether you are trying to lose weight, tone up, or simply stay fit, exercise affirmations will work for you if you believe in them. These little statements do away with the negative thought processes that you may currently go through and will replace them with positive self-talk.

The power of positive thinking through exercise affirmations may surprise you at first, but it'll be a surprise that you are willing to repeat over and over again once you get started. If you are looking for motivation, you truly do not have to look any further than positive affirmations so long as you believe.

About the Author:

Ronnie Nijmeh is an accomplished author, speaker and coach. He is the president and founder of ACQYR.com, a resource that provides a list of affirmations, motivational articles, and free desktop wallpapers. Get inspired today!

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