Want to Make Walking Worth It? Tips to Make Walking More Fun and Healthy

Walking is one of the best activities you can do for your overall health. It is a type of low-impact exercise that has many benefits, however, there are ways to make walking more fun and healthy for you.

How do you make walking worth it as a good form of exercise? Let’s find out. Here are tips to make walking a better, healthier, exercise.

Benefits of Walking?

There are many ways that walking is incredibly beneficial to health. If you walk for about 30 minutes a day, you will see an increase in cardiovascular health, bone strength, and endurance. It can even help boost energy and reduce your risk of stroke. 

Not only physical but there are mental health benefits to walking as well. Walking daily can help improve mood and memory while decreasing your risk of diseases. By moving your body during the day while walking, you can drastically improve your sleep quality.

5 Tips to Make Walking More Fun and Healthy

Here are the top tips you can do to make walking more fun and healthy today! Find out how to get your steps in the right way and boost wellness with ease.

1. Walk in Water

Walking in water is just as it sounds, taking a stroll in water. This can be in a pool, whether it is in your backyard, gym, community, etc. Walking in water creates a tension that increases the work you need to do to walk. At the same time, it is easier on the joints. When you walk in water, it is also a good way to make the activity even less impactful on the body. Next time you get an opportunity, try to take a stroll in the water. Check your local gym to see if they offer any water-based classes you can try as well. Walking in water is also a lot more fun! If you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know it feels like floating or walking on the moon.

2. Increase Inclines

When you increase the incline of your walk on a treadmill, this causes you to increase the intensity of the workout. The sharper the incline, the harder it is to take a step forward. Increasing the incline is a good way to make walking a bit more challenging, fun, and healthy, as it makes you work harder quicker. This can be a good way to challenge the body if you feel your workout becoming stagnant. There’s even a treadmill challenge called the 12-3-30 challenge. It centers around walking and consists of setting the incline to 12 and walking 3 mph, for about 30 minutes. Don’t have a treadmill? Check out the next tip.

3. Find New Hikes

If you don’t have a treadmill, no problem! The best thing is going outside and finding new terrains. This is a great way to train the body to smoothly cross any surface. Plus, many studies have found that being outdoors is very beneficial to physical and mental health. You can find local trails to explore, parks to walk around, or even areas to hike. When you hike, it usually involves elevation and incline. This is a good way to make walking more adventurous and difficult. Plus, it makes working out fun since you are exploring and enjoying the scenery.

4. Interval Train During

If you want to make walking more fun and healthy, a great way to do so is to practice interval training during your walk. This is when you increase and decrease speeds. Training like this will boost cardiovascular health exponentially as it forces your body to raise and lower your heart rate, which can boost endurance, stamina, and VO2 max. Next time you go for a walk, make it an interval training workout. Jog or fast walk for a minute or two, then slow down and rest for a minute by walking slowly. Repeat this for about 30 minutes until you complete your walk. Interval training is an easy yet exciting way to make walking much more beneficial to you.

5. Backpack Up

A great way to make walking fun is to add a backpack to it. I know what it sounds like, boring, but hear me out. Heading a backpack adds weight to your load. This makes walking more intense and challenging, which is very beneficial to your health. Plus, depending on what you pack, you can go on a walk and adventure. For example, if you pack a blanket, snacks, and drinks, you are well on your way to finding a perfect picnic spot. If you pack binoculars, nuts and seeds, and a water bottle, you’re halfway to finding the perfect spot to bird watch. No matter what, adding a backpack is a great way to increase stamina, endurance, and cardiovascular health while simply walking. If you don’t want to use a backpack, simply add some ankle or wrist weights. Make sure it’s nothing too heavy!

Bonus Tips: Switch it Up

At the end of the day, walking will always be what it is. A simple, easy, low-impact exercise that is good for you. If you get tired of walking, it might just be time to switch it up completely. You can try other forms of cardio such as swimming, dancing, or even running. If you hesitate to start running because you don’t know how check out this complete guide on how to start running here. You can also try completely different forms of exercise such as weight training or resistance training. This can help you build strength and boost muscle mass. Any form of movement is good movement, so make sure you find what works for you and use it.

The Takeaway

Walking is a great exercise, but it can be better. These tips are a great way to make walking more fun and healthy for you. Best of all they are easy to implement and can help make your overall wellness flourish.

Remember that health comes from within, so eat healthy foods, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. Daily habits become the building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.