The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao Tzu couldn’t have been more correct when he said this. Even at the physical level, this holds true. Before you advance to the more complex forms of fitness workouts, nothing quite beats the basics. And one of those basics is walking.

No matter how many new fitness contraptions come out each year, or whatever fitness craze is currently drawing crowds, walking is and will always be a good form of exercise. It’s a gentle exercise with low impact, and helps ease your way up the ladder of more intense workouts. Virtually anybody from any fitness level can walk. It’s easy to do, and hardly requires any practice.

Walking as a form of exercise has numerous health benefits which cannot be discounted. It is known to lower your blood pressure and helps manage diabetes. Walking also raises the levels of good cholesterol in your body. Overall, your body stays strong, fit, and you get a general sense of well-being.

The nice thing about walking for fitness is that you don’t have to push your body to the limit just so you could reap its health benefits. Research shows that brisk walking on a regular basis helps reduce your risk of heart attack in the same way vigorous exercise does. Walking is a no-strain exercise regimen.

Although walking is pretty much low impact, you should still take extra care when preparing for it. Wear shoes with proper arch support.

To warm up, start off by walking slowly for about five minutes. You can increase the pace once you feel warm.

When you’re done warming up, you can do some stretching before your actual walk. Remember to stretch your calf muscles and hamstrings. To make it easy on your heart and muscles, end each walking session by cooling down. You can do this by walking slowly and then repeating those stretches.

As with anything, easy does it. Once you get the hang of walking, it’ll soon be a regular part of your fitness routine. Putting one foot in front of the other never felt so much fun.