It reduces body fat and weight, helps regulate chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, boosts your mood and cognitive skills and dissipates stress in your body and mind.
This most accessible form of workout can get a little too routine, though, especially if you’re taking a similar path every day. Fortunately it’s also extremely adaptable, with the sky pretty much the limit on the directions you can take.
Here are ideas to play with:
- Find a new route, either from home or by driving to a different park or neighborhood.
- Listen to a different genre of upbeat music or try out a new podcast.
- Invite a friend or family member — in person if possible, but talking on the phone works wonders, too!
- Bring your dog(s), borrow some from a friend or if you really love canines consider a dog-walking service side hustle.
- Take yourself on an in-depth historical tour of downtown Prescott, Chino Valley or climb the hills of Dewey-Humboldt!
- Cycle between intervals of slower and brisker walking or try bursts of jogging to see if you might enjoy running (if you don’t already).
- Vary the length and intensity of your walks.
- Walk to the grocery store, doctor’s office or a friend’s house for lunch.
- Dictate an email, memo, essay, novel or other literary work.
- Listen to a guided meditation or practice mindfulness on your own.
- Train for a charity walk such as a 5K.
- Walk on different surfaces — concrete, granite, grass, dirt, sand, treadmills, etc.
- Instead of following the same YouTube workout at home, walk to a spot in the park and recreate it there.
- Look for malls, gyms or other indoor routes for too cold or too hot weather.
- Take up geocaching for extra motivation.
- Look up Prancercise!