If you are looking for a good outdoor cardio workout and running is not for you, power walking can be a reasonable and fun alternative. It is a way of helping to build your stamina without causing damage to knees or needing too big of an investment.
You never want to go cheap on a pair of shoes; remember they are taking care of your entire body. You want to make sure the shoes you wear are ideal for your feet. Just because they are expensive, does not mean they are the best shoes for you. You can go to a running store and tell them you are interested in shoes for power walking. Make sure you talk to an expert before you purchase a new pair of shoes, as sometimes the changes they make are not great for your feet.
Next, find some great podcasts or inspiring music to help you keep moving. You can try some walking programs or other inspiring podcasts to help push you a little further than you might have gone on your own.
A pulse watch is a great way to follow how well your health is improving. You can monitor your pulse, and see how much of a workout you are getting. Heart rate watches are not too costly, and they can be a fun motivator. You can combine your pulse data with your other mapping data and figure out how many calories you are burning for each walk.
You don’t need much to do power walking, but if you have a few gadgets, you can certainly use them to your advantage. Try a few different apps for your phone – there are many that give ‘rewards’ for different walks and exercises in the form of badges and points. You can track your distance using many different programs like Runkeeper or Nike’s app. Then you can compare your progress to others, and also see how far you walk in a year.  Can you make it all the way around the earth?
Check out online where other people in your neighborhood like to walk. Put your own walks up, and give pointers to other power walkers as to good hills, trails, and other things walkers might enjoy.
Finally, meet other walkers online or in person, and set up group training sessions to add incentive so that you can continue your workout.
