Walk Talk Series

Day 2 – Goals and Patterns

Body Check

If you have any pain or stiffness from the walk yesterday, go at an easier pace today or cut a few minutes off of the walk. Make sure your stretches are gentle, not bouncing or stretching past the point of comfort.

Warm-Up Stretching Routine
Gentle stretching can be part of your walking routine. Opinions vary on when to stretch. Traditionally, you would do these gentle stretches after five minutes of walking at an easy pace, as part of your warm-up.

To learn more about stretching, please visit: https://walking.about.com/cs/stretching/a/howstretch.htm

Today’s Walk

  • 15-30 minute walk – at a comfortable pace
  • Warm up with 5 minutes at a very easy pace
  • Find a safe spot with a wall or pole to do a 5 minute easy stretching routine
  • Now resume your walk at a comfortable pace
  • End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching

Advanced walk

If you are not new to walking for exercise and would like to move on to a more advanced challenging walk routine you may want to try the Distance Walking Workout.

Distance Walking Workout

Walk at 65-85% max HR for 5-10 miles.

Benefits – Builds endurance and burns off calories (approximately 100 per mile for 150-pound person.) Those training for longer distance events should build up their mileage steadily. Those training for a 5K or 10K competitive walk should exceed the event distance by a mile or two in their distance workout.

Realistic Goals

Yesterday you thought of what you wanted to change. Today select just one thing as your goal and then consider – what is realistic.

Weight Loss

Plan to lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week. You may experience rapid weight loss the first few weeks of more than 1-2 pounds per week, but this is just water weight, and after that things go slower as fat is burned. As your weight loss progresses you may experience a plateau where the weight comes off slower as your body adjusts. Although individual results vary, using the following weight loss guidelines may help to guide your progress.

  • 1 month: 5-10 pounds
  • 2 months: 10-17 pounds
  • 3 months: 15-25 pounds

Event Goals

Look for one far enough in the future to give you time to train.

Patterns

Look at your food diary from yesterday. Do you see any patterns such as delaying eating and then eating too much? Did you have cravings? Did you eat enough servings of fruits and vegetables? Note one thing in your food diary you plan to change today.

Congratulations – You just accomplished your first GOAL!!

Hope that felt great. Stay motivated and keep going!!