Written By: Sanae Shea @ Zumba with Sanae
Walking is great way to take in the view especially this time of year. It’s enjoyable, it’s easy on your joints and your body and it’s the perfect first step if you are at the beginning of your fitness journey. But is it helping you to achieve your fitness goals? If you’ve been walking for months or years it might be time to step it up (pun intended).
Your body will adapt to your fitness routine and eventually you will stop seeing results. For continued fitness improvements, your exercise program should provide gradual increases in frequency, intensity, duration and mode of exercise. This is referred to as the Principle of Progression according to AFAA (The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America).
It might be time for you to shake things up (Zumba pun not intended)! Here are a few ways to add a little umph to your daily stroll:
Take a new route
Add hills and/or stairs – The KHS track in Kearney is a perfect place to add stairs in between laps around the track. And be sure to take advantage of those killer side hills!
Increase your speed and distance
Pump those arms – no matter how silly you feel
Run – A short burst of increased exertion after every few minutes of walking will wake up your muscles and get your heart pumping.
Walk in a bikini – Or not! But if you pretend to be in a bikini you will engage your core muscles and keep your abs tucked in nice and tight.
Invest in a Fitbit – Read about my Fitbit obsession here. Fitbit has recently introduced a new devise called the Zip. It costs less than the original and it syncs wirelessly to your smart phone.