May is National Walking Month, and with the weather getting brighter every week, it’s the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and try something new!
Ajuda always strive to promote a positive and healthy lifestyle for all of our customers, and hope we can inspire some of our blog readers along the way. This week we will be sharing some advice and tips on ways you can introduce more walking into your daily life, which is a great form of light exercise with plenty of benefits.
Regular walking is a great way to keep your lungs and heart healthy, along with building body strength and help with losing weight. Walking can also improve mental health by allowing you time and space to process your thoughts and enjoy some amazing scenery at the same time. Another positive is that walking is easy to do, and doesn’t require any special equipment or level of fitness before you begin.
Here are 5 ideas for fitting in a bit more waking into your daily routine. If we have inspired you, please take some time to read about our director Dawn’s amazing walking challenge for charity (more details at the end of the post).
1. Walking to work (or part of the way…)
Distance permitting, this one could be a great way to get started on your journey to fitness. Even if you walked for a few days out of the week rather than every day you would still feel the benefits of a regular walk and fresh air. If you live a little further away, you could try to get off the train or bus a few stops earlier, or park your car a short distance away from the office and walk the rest of the way.
2. Taking the stairs/long way
It’s always tempting to take the elevator up to the office in the morning, or to your next meeting. But these are easy steps that you’re missing out on every single day, which you can slot into your routine simply and regularly. The same can be said for any shortcuts – try taking the longer route and see how many extra steps you’ll fit in a day!
3. Walk to chat with a co-worker
The beauty of advancing technology is that we can speak to anyone, anywhere, with the press of a button. Perfect in some situations, but what about when the other person is simply a few doors away in another room? Rather than email them, why not get up from your desk and go and actually speak to them! Not only is this a great way of adding some walking into the day, verbal communication can also improve teamwork and understanding between staff members too.
4. Walking Meetings
The idea of walking meetings has likely been around for years, but has recently seen a big revival in popularity among office workers and managers. If little or no note taking is required during a meeting, and you feel the topic is suitable for the occasion, then taking the meeting during a walk could be the perfect way of combining work and exercise! You may even find that the meeting becomes more productive as a result, too.
5. Try walking as a get-together.
Trying to balance work life, home life, exercise, healthy eating and maintain a social life with friends seems almost impossible at times. If you are agreeing to that statement, then perhaps your friends are feeling the same way too.
Invite some friends for a walk on the weekend, as a form of meet-up. Instead of meeting at a restaurant, or bar where you’d usually meet, you could meet at the bottom of a mountain and take a walk up instead. You never know, it could end up becoming a regular plan among your friends!
Ajuda’s director, Dawn, loves walking and has set herself a massive challenge for this year – walking up Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Dawn is undertaking this difficult walk to raise money for ABF Soldiers’ Charity, which is very important to her. The walk will take place
You can donate to Dawn’s fantastic cause and follow her training progress here.