So far, walking has been proven to be a great way to include physical activity in your daily life. Walking is simple and requires no special equipment other than shoes, and maybe a knee brace, or orthotics for your shoes. Best of all, its benefits can be quite numerous!

Although often overlooked, experienced fitness coaches, trainers, and athletes know that stretching is an essential part of any fitness or physical activity regimen. Just like walking and jogging, it requires no unique tool, and its benefits are many, especially for fitness enthusiasts. That is why stretching exercises before walking, or other workout sessions are important. This period is often known as "warming up." It only takes about 5 minutes to loosen the muscles and be ready to exercise.

When you are in high spirits on a beautiful day or just as part of your routine, you may be eager to get started on your walk. However, just like you treasure your walk, make time to properly warm-up and stretch before you start walking or cooling down before you stretch again after your walk.

Stretching before you walk has been found to reduce the chance of injury and increase flexibility, thereby boosting your performance as you walk and decreasing muscle soreness after your walk. Tight muscles can create tension in other areas of your body, pulling you out of proper alignment and making you cranky. However, when you take time to stretch before your walk, it helps to keep your body in the right position and mood, so you become more efficient at walking — and potentially burn more calories — and reduce your risk of being affected by an injury.

There are several types of stretching exercises before walking for different parts of the body. As important as the stretching exercises are, a post-walk stretch is also good for your joints and limbs. If the weather is good, you can stretch outside. Otherwise, head indoors, switch on the blender for a recovery smoothie and sip some healthy juice while you stretch.