One of the most wonderful things about walking is its sheer simplicity, so you might be surprised by just how important your walking technique is.

I Love Walking focus in 2017 is teaching proper form to make walking feel easier, prevent injury and speed up your pace. The latter is especially important when you’re looking to get the most out of your time walking. While there’s nothing wrong with taking leisurely walks to clear your head or soak in a beautiful day, clinical research has shown that a minimum of 20 minutes of vigorous walking per day, five days per week, is what offers the most health benefit; 30 minutes or more is optimal for weight loss and fitness.

Good walking technique is easy to master; it all comes down to body awareness. Yes, speed is important. But when you increase your pace without first ensuring proper body alignment, you’ll notice that you may take bigger steps that get sloppier as you go. You may strike your toes, instead of your whole foot, which can ultimately slow you down, fatigue you more quickly and cause pain that spreads to your knees, hips and back, or even injuries such as shin splints and muscle strains or falls.

Join us starting January 9 to learn the elements of a walking technique that will help you crank up your speed and stay safe, you may wonder just how fast is fast enough when it comes to walking for fitness.

The talk test, a rough rule of exercise exertion, is a good gauge: Settle into a pace that’s fast enough that you cannot maintain a steady conversation while walking with friends without panting. Try to do so a few times during your walk to check in on your intensity.

Palo Verde Country Club provides us an inside venue to enjoy during our cold winter mornings. We meet in the lounge 8:00-9:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bring a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes. All abilities are welcome, canes, walkers, and joint replacement friends needing a safe exercise place.

I Love Walking is a FREE program offered by CWPV Connections (www.cwpvconnections.com). For more information contact us at [email protected].