Fall and Winter Walking for Staying in Shape

As the seasons begin to change from summer to fall, the activities in which people partake to stay in shape often change. However, walking is one of those recreational exercises that can be enjoyed any time of year regardless of the weather.

Walking provides a low impact workout that is appropriate for just about anyone as a wonderful way to work off stress (As with any new exercise, please consult your doctor or health practitioner to make sure that walking would be recommended for your health condition). It can be performed indoors or outside. Walking trails can be found in a multitude of places: gyms, parks, designated areas, and even in your own neighborhood. If you are shopping at the mall, you can also take a walking tour around it to get in your exercise while you also enjoy making your purchases.

Recommendations for items to get to prepare for walking are:

1.A good, supportive pair of walking shoes - My husband is a big fan of the Rockport Pro Walker shoes. These can be purchased online at http://www.onlineshoes.com/mens-rockport-prowalker-black-p_id3640. I personally wear a pair of Easy Spirit tennis shoes which can be purchased at Walmart.

2.Shoe inserts (if desired or needed) - My husband wears these because of his past bout with plantar fasciitis.

3. Appropriate attire for the area and season in which you will be walking - If you are walking on an indoor walking track, then, you can wear your usual everyday attire. However, if you are walking outside, and the temperature is cool, I would recommend wearing a jacket. Your body will warm up as you walk, but don't make it have to work hard at the beginning.

4.A bottle of water to take with you - Depending on the speed at which you walk as well as the distance that you cover, you will need water to help keep you hydrated. I recommend taking either a metal or BPA free plastic bottle filled with filtered water. However, if you do not have one of those, then, a prepackaged bottle of water will do.

5.Pedometer (if desired) - Most designated walking tracks or trails provide you with how much distance that they cover, but if you are walking around your neighborhood and do not know how far you are traveling, you may want to invest in a pedometer. Too, you can keep track of how many steps you have taken throughout the day. My husband and I have a certain track that we walk around our neighborhood, so we drove our car around the area to see how much distance that it covered. You can also do this if the area where you will be walking will allow for this.

My family and I love to walk together regardless of the season, and our walking sessions are a great time for us to talk and discuss our day. I hope you will choose to make walking one of your exercises of choice for the upcoming fall and winter seasons, and take a friend or loved one along with you. Have fun!