Walking is an activity that just about anyone can enjoy. The first step (pun intended) is to begin building a walking habit. In order to do that you should make a walking plan. Ask yourself the following questions to help you build that plan:

• How often will I walk?
• How long should I walk?
• Where will I walk?
• What time(s) of day can I walk?

You will also want to consider why you are awlking. Are you doing it to decrease your blood pressure? Do you want to lose weight? Be clear on what your reasons on so that you can remind yourself why you walk when you don’t feel like walking at all.

Enlist support. Find a walking buddy. This can be a family member, your spouse, a friend or your dog. Some people need the social aspect of the activity to stick with it. If you don’t know anyone in your direct circle that will walk with you, you can join a walking club or start one yourself online. The Walking Site has a fantastic forum you can post your daily walking logs to, share your walking challenges and successes with and, of course, find walking buddies in your local area.

While walking, you should make sure you wear comfortable clothing and appropriate shoes. Drink water to keep yourself hydrated. You should drink before, during and after your walk about 1.5 cups for every 20 minutes of activity.

Finally, you should spend some time learning how to walk properly. Yes, you read that right. Proper walking technique requires you to keep your chin up and shoulders back. Walk with the heel of your foot first. Then roll your weight back. Swing your arms as you walk to increase the intensity. You should also divide your walk into parts. The first few minutes should be gentle and considered a warm-up. Then, you can increase the intensity for the middle portion, which will comprise the bulk of your walk – note, if you can’t talk while walking, then you should slow down a bit. You should also plan for a five-minute cool-down at the end of your walk, bringing the intensity back down so your heart rate and muscles normalize.