Easy Mood Boost & Tone Walking Workout

Glowing and out of breath. Go hard or go home. Images in our heads of the perfect body spur us on. So, there's no wonder we believe we need to be red-faced and feeling the burn to see body changes. To improve health. To be fit. When in fact, something simple and easy is on the route. And maybe it's a good thing. Well, the idea of all that puffing and panting and straining can be off-putting. Whereas, some simply push too hard and overdo it.

Anyone that has taken fitness seriously will know how hard it is to stay motivated during these short days and long nights. In the past, I've laid in bed on a cold wet morning and dreamt up excuses. I've avoided a wet and windy trip to an intense class after work. Although, there were times where I've kept pushing my body until overly stressed and fatigued. In the end, the image in my head never became real.

Actually, and I think you'll agree, doing nothing is not good for you and neither is doing too much. Mixing it up and slowing down is the best approach. By doing the same thing over and over again, your body will get used to it and rebalance to accommodate... not good.

Define your Body Shape by Keeping it Guessing

So, your workout routine should contain various exercises at different intensities. That way, you will keep your body adjusting and playing catchup. Within weeks you'll see a difference. Your body shape will change. After all, variety is the spice of life.

In contrast, we always seem to be drawn to the next new thing... today, it is the short intense workouts. Well, it makes sense because we all want to look good but we don't always have the time. So getting in shape during a tight schedule can be appealing. However, you cannot HIT these sessions every day. 

For these reasons, we need easy exercise sessions. Even if you don't currently do anything. Even if you're crushing it... you will need to mix up your days with low-intensity workouts. But before you zone out, know this... these sessions are often undervalued by most, however, take notice of professional athletes. They spend time walking and moving and keeping mobile, especially the day after performing or hard drills. It's known as 'Active Recovery'. Some believe it stimulates the recovery process without inflicting too much stress.

Walking Simply Stimulates Healthy Reaction

Either way, for both, fit or destined to be fit, an easy exercise session is welcome. Something as simple as walking can stimulate your body into doing some wonderful things. While it is easy on your joints, you're still able to raise your heart-rate to really get your blood flowing through your body and to your brain. This not only changes your mood, puts a smile on your face and a spring in your step, but according to a University of Cambridge study, the researchers looked at 334,000 people and found walking cut their risk of premature death by almost a third with just 20 minutes a day.

Plus, Public Health England states that one brisk walk a day is enough to cut the risk of early death by up to 15 percent.

Above all, walking stimulates your body. Your cells use available nutrients... creatine, fats, and glucose are used to make more energy. Now your cells need more nutrients so they open up and ask for more. Therefore, available nutrients flowing through your bloodstream are hoovered up by your cells. This not only reduces the congestion in your bloodstream that could lead to diseases but turns up hormone regulation. You're relieving stress and reducing tension and getting high while your systems get in motion. Continue for long enough without eating and you'll begin to demand stored energy from your fat cells too.

Indeed, this easy and simple exercise works in many ways... from brain function and fighting dementia and improving creativity and memory to toned defined legs that are able to endure more should you need to.

A brisk 10 minutes per day is all you need for some health benefits... although a 45-60 minutes session would do you better. You could slip in a quick 10-minute rush-hour power walk. Or maybe walk the dog with urgency rather than a stroll around the park. Or really get a routine going with a long walk including intensity changes with speed and hills to crank it up.

To get the full benefit from your walking workout, try adding in some high knees and butt kicks and some walking lunges. Get your twinkle toes going... take short steps while keeping pace. And vary your speed. Start with your normal pace and increase it as your warm up. Then, for intervals, walk like you're finishing a walking race. Also, use your arms. Get them in motion. And finally, to increase the intensity, try adding some weight... a backpack or ankle weights.

In the end, a walking workout is simple with few excuses not to add a short session every day. You can join it to your daily commute or replace current sessions. And you can do them anywhere... at the gym, in the park, or around a room... as long as you're moving, you're killing it.