At Z-CoiL, we believe that walking is living. Walking makes your body healthier, improves your mood and engages your mind.
If you haven’t started walking regularly, it’s never too late to start. Here are some tips:
Start Small. Even if you don’t walk too far the first few times, what matters is that you’re walking. And any walking is better than being sedentary all day.
Walk Daily. The best way to develop a new walking habit is to not have to make the decision to go on a walk every day. Just make it part of your daily routine. It helps to always go for a walk at the same time of day. Then you don’t have to think about, it’s just normal to go for a walk at that time.
Have A Route. When you go for your daily walk, it helps to walk the same route every day. This helps to reinforce the routine. And you’ll be able to measure progress when you notice over time you’re able to complete the circuit more quickly as your fitness improves. Recognizable landmarks help spur you on.
Increase The Length Of Your Walk. As your fitness improves, begin to extend the length of your route. The longer you walk, the greater the health benefits. As you extend your regular route, it becomes very gratifying to walk past old endpoints and see how you’re able to keep walking. This tangible sense of progress will spur you on so you keep up your walking habit.
Try Walking Faster. As your fitness improves, try walking more briskly so you make the most of your time. Perhaps you only have 30 minutes a day to devote to walking. The faster you walk, the greater the health benefits that you can get from those 30 minutes. The aerobic activity that comes from faster walking improves your heart health and helps you lose weight.
Interval Training. As you find yourself walking farther and faster, try adding some interval training. Pick stretches along your route where you walk at a very fast pace, and then other intervals where you slow to normal speed. Moving from fast to normal, and back to fast, gives your heart and lungs a workout, improving overall vascular health. And it’s a fun challenge.
Give Your Brain A Workout. One of the reasons people don’t like walking, is they find it boring. So make sure you’re working out your brain too. Invite a friend to go with you, so you’re talking as you’re walking. Or listen to an audiobook, so you’re learning as you’re walking. Some people like to do math problems as they walk, or some other brain-teaser. Or give yourself a mental challenge each time you go for a walk: try to notice new things each time. Not only will this keep your mind busy, it helps fend off Alzheimers and memory loss as you age.
What are you waiting for? The journey to better health and better living starts today. Get out there and walk! Don't let pain hold you back. Put some Z-CoiLs on and get walking. Our patented spring coil dramatically reduces the stress your body feels from the impact of walking, while the built-in rigid orthotic gives your foot the support it needs so you can walk in comfort.
Ready, set, walk! And remember, how you walk is important. Check out the first blog post in our Walking Is Living series for advice on the proper way to walk.