Walk Toward Spring

Now is the perfect time to start a walking program. By the time Spring rolls around, you’ll be fit as a fiddle.

Weeks 1 and 2 - Just Do It - Focus on savoring the outdoors, even in winter and you’ll be a natural walker. If you choose to stride inside, listen to music while strolling in a mall or walking on a treadmill. “Think of this as your time and make it joyful. In the first week, walk in 10-minute bouts three to four times a week. Add another two minutes per walk in the second week.

Weeks 3 and 4 - Fine-Tune It - Try to walk from 20 to 30 minutes at a time, picking up the pace and add an extra day’s walk by month’s end. Focus on form during these two weeks. Stand up straight, with shoulders back and tummy tight to protect your back. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. Raise your intensity - and pulse - by making pistons of your arms: Bend your elbows at an 85-degree angle and move them from mid-chest level to your hips and back.

Weeks 5 and 6 - Change It Up - Keep it interesting by changing routes and music. And add something called intervals to one or two walks a week: First, walk five minutes at a steady pace. Then walk as fast as you can for 90 seconds. Recover for the next 90 seconds by walking at a leisurely pace. If you’re outside and without a watch, speed up from one light pole to the next. Repeat another four times. Cool down with a five-minute stroll.

To be continued...