Organize a Walking Club

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise. It provides a full body workout complete with cardio work and muscle toning. However, it can be one of the most boring forms of exercise when done by yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a certain small envy for those lone walkers that find comfort in the quiet time spent walking the neighborhood. But if you are anything like me, it won’t last long and then it will become a hellish tedium that will quickly end up scratched off the calendar.

What is a Walking Club?

It is simple really, it is a group of people with some common interest (maybe you all have kids in the same class, or you are also a book club or maybe you just all live on the same street) working towards a common goal of physical fitness. However it is a little more organized than just walking from one home to the end of the street and back. You have a preset workout before you head out. You determine the distance and route as well as plan for pit stops. Pit stops are where you drop and do 50 crunches, or you get out your hand weights and do 2 sets of 20 bicep curls on each arm.

You need to set up a starting point and time that works for your group of walkers as well as a frequency schedule (maybe you only do Monday, Wednesday, Friday). I am hoping to start one with other moms from my son’s school in the fall. I want to start the walk at the school just after drop off time and return to the school. This way even if we don’t live near each other we can still walk together without having to drive across town. Convenience is a big deal to me, if you haven’t noticed.

This is Exercise with a little bit of Social

AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! We all love to get together and chat with our gal pals, and there is truly nothing wrong with that, in fact it is vital to your survival as a mom and woman. But if you are going to be part of a Walking Club, you need to remember that it is exercise first and socializing second. This means you need to keep a brisk pace, not a leisurely meandering. In order for walking to achieve aerobic benefit, you must get your heart rate up to 85% and keep it there for at least 20 minutes. I am not encouraging you to turn into a Boot Camp Drill Sergeant from H-e- double hockey sticks. Just remember that this is a workout not a hangout time.

Equipment is Important

You can get away with not having the fancy clothes or the ankle weights and dumbbells, but if you are going to be walking for exercise, you need to have a decent pair of shoes. You can learn lots about selecting the correct shoes in my article: These Shoes Were Made for Fitness. If you do choose to go for the ankle weights, be sure that you work up to them and that they are adjustable. You want to try the kinds that have removable weights so that you can adjust your workout to your level of energy that day.

Sample Workout

0-3Minutes Stretching

3-8minutes Warm-up – start out with a slow pace and work up to your steady pace

8-15minutes Brisk Walking

15-20Minutes Pit Stop

20-30Minutes Brisk Walking

30-35Minutes Pit Stop

35-45Minutes Brisk Walking

45-50Mintues Pit Stop

50-56Minutes Cool Down – gradually bring your heart rate down to resting levels before you stop.

56-60Minutes Stretching

Pit Stops

You can get creative with these. Look at the route you have choosen to walk. Are there monkey bars or chin-up bars easily accessible? Then use them.

5 sets of 20 Crunches (make sure to bring along a roll-up mat or towel) You can also get creative with side crunches, supermans, etc.

5 sets of 20 Bicep Curls on each arm (bring easy to carry hand weights)

5 set of 20 Tricep Presses on each arm

Up and Down the Bleachers

50 Jumping Jacks

50 Push-ups

1 minute intervals (1 minute on, 1 minute off) sprinting in place