One of the simplest exercises around is just walking.  It doesn’t have to be fancy walking like they do at the Olympics; just getting up and moving around is better than doing nothing!  A simple way to keep track of all the walking you do in a day is to get a pedometer.  Simple ones cost less than $10 bucks but they can get pretty high tech and expensive, too.  I even saw a pedometer application for the iPhone and a pedometer attachment for iPods!  I don’t own an iPhone or an iPod but I did go buy a cheap pedometer and noticed the count was pretty off with it.  I am going to look into buying a different one tomorrow.    I found an article on the Mayo Clinic’s website on walking for fitness that had some good information.  The article lists the benefits of walking as:

• Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)
• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)
• Lower your blood pressure
• Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
• Manage your weight
• Improve your mood
• Stay strong and fit

All of these are good things!  Even though I was less than thrilled to be walking for an hour around my apartment complex at 8 AM this morning after the kids got on the bus, I felt in a better mood when I got home.  If you’ve been inactive and tire easily, it’s best to start slow and easy. At first, walk only as far or as fast as you find comfortable. If you can walk for only a few minutes, let that be your starting point. For example, you might try short daily sessions of five to 10 minutes and slowly build up to 15 minutes twice a week. Then, over several weeks’ time, you can gradually work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of walking most days each week.  Just being active is better than sitting around so even if you can only walk for 10 minutes during your lunch break, you will soon find that you can go longer and it is easier!  The article also had an image of proper walking technique:

The article also talks about how to set goals, track your progress, and the basics of getting started walking for fitness.  Check it out for some good information on walking for fitness.  It will vary by person depending on the size of their step, but generally about 2,000 steps equals one mile.  The general daily goal for steps per day is 10,000 steps for health and 15,000 or more steps for weight loss.  The great part about wearing a pedometer is that ALL the walking you do is added up over the course of the day, including your walking workout.