(Image: Caminodesantiago)
Walking is important for your health among other things. Here’s our top 5 tips for putting your best foot forward:
1. Walk It: If you want help planning routes, you must check out an app called Walk It.They have a website and app that helps you plan your urban walks which also tells you how many steps you’ll need to take, how many calories you will burn and how much CO2 you will save. The planner will also route out a circular route for you if you just want a walk and don’t need to go from A to B. All your walking route problems solved in one handy site.
2. Get a walking buddy. Ask a friend or even your dog to be your walking partner and it’ll add to the enjoyment of getting out and about. Having a buddy will help the time go by faster (as you will be nattering away) and will keep you motivated (no one wants to wimp out first after all). A brisk walk is best when it elevates your heart rate but you can still maintain a conversation, so chatting along the way is a good idea.
3. Dust ‘em: To motivate yourself when you are walking on your own, play a game called ‘Dust ‘em’. You pick someone else who is walking up ahead of you and then try and pass them. It’s a never ending game and really brings out your competitive side without any of your ‘fellow competitors’ being any the wiser.
4. Walk to the beat: Listening to music when you walk is a great idea so why not download Walkcast 105 for the perfect beat while walking. With 105 beats per minutes (the same beat that most people walk to), 17 tracks by 17 artists and nearly an hour of tunes it is a must for any music maker.
5. I Spy as I Walk On By: Have a game of ’I Spy’ as you walk. Set yourself a list of fun things to spot like three red haircuts and two fixie-riding hipsters before you can finish. Keep your eyes peeled and you’ll start to see the hundreds of interesting and beautiful things all around you, like that pond full of waterlilies, that humorous graffiti or that sexy cyclist that just rode by.
