With this beautiful warm weather comes an irresistible urge to get out and walk. We love taking walks everyday to enjoy the fresh air. Walking is one of the best exercises to get healthier and to build strength. It is also one of the cheapest. To help you start walking for exercise, I would love to share with you what I have learned over the years.

How to Start Walking for Exercise

Here are my personal tips:

Pay attention to your posture

Always walk looking forward with your head up and visualize being tall and straight. Contract your abdominal muscles to prevent your pelvis from shifting from side to side. This was my biggest challenge when I started walking for exercise. I did not engage my abs so I waddled quite a bit. A proper posture is essential to avoid injuries and improve your health.

Choose the right shoes

Walking shoes must be lightweight and breathable. You also want  to make sure that the sole is flexible enough to bend easily. I love my Skechers GOwalk 4 because it has it all. It is highly breathable and very light.

The Skechers GOwalk 4 are super comfortable thanks to the innovative 5GEN midsole design and a seamless one piece mesh fabric upper. The new Skechers Goga Max insole provides midsole cushioning which is exactly what you should be looking for when shopping for walking shoes.

My daughter has a pair of SKECHERS Burst that are also perfect for walking. She can’t stop talking about how cool and comfortable they are. We love the slip on bungee-style laces, it gives them a really fun and fashionable look. The SKECHERS Burst also has an air-cooled memory foam insole and a responsive cushioning sole for even more comfort and protection.

Take it slow

Start out slow and easy. Slowly build your endurance with short sessions of light intensity. Gradually start to add a few extra minutes to every walk that you take. I started by adding 5 minutes each time I would go for a walk until I reached my goal of one hour. Once you master the art of walking for exercise, you might want to read Running for Beginners. Please Slow Down!.

I hope my personal tips to start walking for exercise will help you achieve your own goals. Whether you are walking to lose weight or to get your heart pumping, I am sure that you will enjoy all the health benefits that come with it.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by SKECHERS. All opinions are mine.