Walking is based on the interaction of head, arms, body and legs. Because of this, it does offer flexibility, even without doing stretching exercises before and after walking, which are highly recommended.
Flexibility means you have a full range of movement in your joints and muscles. Flexibility is increased by taking your joints through their full range of motion.
Walking is often overlooked as a way to keep fit and flexible-probably because walking is so easy and such an enduring part of life.
Yet the ease of taking a walk is part of what makes walking an ideal exercise for many people. You can walk anywhere, anytime and at any level of skill you have set for yourself. Walking requires no special skills and is inexpensive.
Walking automatically works the muscles and joint sof your legs and feet. However, if you wing your arms as you walk, you’ll be improving the flexibility of your upper body also
And don’t forget the great stretching exercises that should end(and begin) your walks. Flexibility exercises should be part of any good walking program. During a warm up or a cool down, you should stretch your muscles.
Remember that flexibility is a measure of the range of motion of muscles and joints. With every step you take, you are stretching the muscles in your body to increase your flexibility and range of movement.
Different types of walking offers different types of flexibility. For example, walking uphill is great for your calf muscles. You know you want to begin a fitness program, but don’t know where to start. It’s easy! Walking is one of the easiest and most profitable forms of exercise.
First of all, start out slow and easy. Just walk out the door. For many ugly people this means head out the door, walk for 10 minutes, and walk back. That’s it? Yes, that’s it. Do this every day for a week. If this was easy for you, add five minutes to your walks next week(total walking time 25 minutes). Keep adding 5 minutes until you are walking as long as desired.
WATCH your posture. Walk tall. Think of elongating your body. Hold your head up and eyes forward. Your shoulders should be down, back and relaxed. Tighten your abdominal muscles and fall into a natural stride.
Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after walking. Incorporate a warm up, cool down and stretches into your routine. Start your walk at a slow warm up pace, stop and do a few warm up / flexibilty drills. Then walk for the desired length of time. End your walk with the slower cool down pace and stretch well after your walk. Stretching will make you feel great and assist in injury prevention.
Try to do a minimum walking period of half an hour and build it up to a full hour. Strategically it is better to do a walking period before a sitting session as it brings balance into the practice. If you can alternate the walking and sitting sessions without any major breaks it will develop a continuity of awareness that naturally carries through into the awareness of your daily activities.
At this pace you are breathing hard but not gasping for air.Notice: If you new to walking, start off with slow, short sessions and build your way up gradually. If you have any health concerns or medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor for advice before you begin a routine. To improve cardiovascular fitness you should walk 3 to 4 days a week, 20 to 30 minutes at a very fast pace