Exercise of the Week - Walking
One reason some people think walking is lame is because our bodies are so good at it. The better you are at an activity, the fewer calories you burn doing it. It also takes a little work to keep the intensity up during walking workouts, while higher-impact activities (like running) are naturally more intense simply because they are high-impact. What's interesting, however, is that when you walk at a fast pace, say more than 4 mph, you burn about the same number of calories as running. That means, if you want to lose weight with walking workouts, you may need to spice things up to add more intensity:
- Add hill training. Powering up a hill can raise the heart rate and challenge your body in new ways. Try a medium-sized hill or raise the incline on your treadmill and walk up as fast as you can. Recover by walking back down, or lowering the incline, and repeat several times.
- Use your arms. Holding weights while you walk is a no-no, but you can increase intensity by pumping your arms or using walking poles to involve your upper body.
- Go faster. If you walk outside, you may have a tendency to slow down without realizing it. One way to make sure you're in your target heart rate zone is to monitor your pace and make sure you're walking briskly. Pretend as though you're trying to catch a bus and you have to walk as fast as you can to make it.
- Add high intensity moves. Try high intensity moves throughout your walking workout to get your heart rate up and burn more calories. Running, jumping jacks, walking with high knees or walking lunges are all ways to work harder during your usual workout. Don't forget to cross-train with other activities and try strength training to keep your muscles strong and avoid injury.
If walking is your thing, check out these resources for making sure you get the most out of your walking time:
Don't forget to leave a comment to tell us your opinion about walking!
Comments
Why is it not good to walk and hold weights? Some people walk and wear weights. I enjoy walking at times but I need to do more of it. Just put on a walkman and get into the music. It makes the walk seem faster, you enjoy the scenery and your work-out/exercise is done before you know it.
I would also like to know why walking holding weights is a no no? Can you wear ankle weights?
Over the last 3 1/2 years, I have lost over 30 lbs. In 2005, I dropped 18 lbs on a treadmill walking over 4 mph. In 2006, I started using a heart rate monitor. In mid-2006, I started using an elliptical machine with heart rate programs.
From 2007 to the present, I lost an additional 14 lbs. In my elliptical workouts, I target an average heart rate anywhere from 140 to 150 for a given workout. The speed of movement is between 3.5 to slightly over 4 mph. It’s hard to tell if you’re “running” on an elliptical, since your feet aren’t leaving the surface. I can compensate for the slower speed by selecting a program with a higher heart rate. I can also manually dial in a higher resistance level.
My reason for not running on a treadmill is that I am 62 yrs old and want to avoid pounding the joints and jarring the body. I know you can increase the intensity by changing the elevation on a treadmill, but I wanted to minimize getting plantar fasciitis, which is more likely to happen at greater elevation angles, and which I was getting from time to time.
I found it very difficult for me to achieve a heart rate over 140 by walking on a treadmill. The elliptical machine allows me to increase the exertion level without the need to move faster and faster. The handle bars also allow for working the arms the same time, so it’s not just all legs.
So my answer to the question, “Can you get fit/lose weight by walking?” is, yes, it can be done.
One reason I walk is I enjoy walking and it is a health benefit. I had a stepper and stationary bycycle in home and both became clothes hangers. I enjoy being out and about and I will not run or jog at 62 I want my joints to last. I just recently got involved in the 10,000 step a day program it was a little rough at first but I turned it around my blood pressure has dropped making my doctor a happy camper.
Walking is OK, but it’s not the answer. Sure it’ll burn some calories, but not many unless you do it for several hours or mix-in some resistance training and intensity. The answer is circuit training. Get the heart-rate doing the parabola move; i.e., up and down. Let’s talk about our biggest problem weight-control. You will not burn many calories taking your little walks – rev-it-up – the more intensity the more burn – and the more you can eat and remain stable or deduct weight from your frame. Just-Do-It !
The best most effective exercise is one that you enjoy so you do it a lot. For decades that was walking as far as I was concerned. Then the knees developed problems and I had to go to the gym instead.
Walking has some advantages of it’s own. It is an impact exercise, good for your bones, but not high impact like running which can damage your joints. Okay my joints went anyway but they wouldn’t have lasted as long if I’d been running.
2nd you get to walk all sorts of interesting places. One afternoon I walked from the Southern tip of Manhattan to Grand Central Station. Yes it was a workout…..Or another time I walked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, crossed the river on a footbridge, wandered along the plateau for two days and then climbed back to the top. Okay that’s more than ordinary walking but it was also a lot more fun. And for serious hiking or backpacking you need to take in a few thousand extra calories a day (more in the winter to keep warm)and you still loose weight if it’s a long (a couple of weeks) trip, even if its car camping with lots of long day hikes. Maybe go to Yellowstone or Sequoia or somewhere else nice and walk all day everyday……..what could be more enjoyable?
So yeah if you’re going to take a leisurely 2 mile stroll it’s not that much exercise although it’s better than nothing and hopefully fun. But a brisk 5 mile walk will definitely be a good workout, only takes a little over an hour, you can start from your house and not drive to the gym, and it incorporates a variety of movements, up and down hills, maybe watching your footing, and all that other stuff that you don’t get with the repetitive motion of treadmills and ellipticals.
Off course now I walk around the block slowly and think of it as movement therapy rather than exercise.
Curt
I began walking over a year ago, and let me inform you that I have lost
22 lbs. so far. At first I wasn’t sure if walking was the answer, but after reading and learning different techniques, I began to challenge myself
more each day, and feel great. My sex drive is up, (which my husband
loves) my energy levels are back to normal, overall I feel like a brand new person. Last month I joined the gym to add cardio exercise, but I still spend most of the time at the gym on a treadmill. So for all those who feel that walking is not enough, I guess that they are looking for an over-night quick weight loss. Just keep in mind,
your weight gain wasn’t over night, so try giving walking a chance. My younger sister
was the first person who had commented that I was wasting my time on walking, and if I wanted to loose the 30 lbs. which I had gained over the past 10 years, I should starve myself or order a miracle diet plan. (YA RIGHT) Three weeks ago, she
started a walking program, and informs me that she’s feeling a whole lot better.
So for all who don’t believe, just give it a try, hook yourself up to an ipod, and follow the road………
P.S. My first night walking, I was only able to walk 1.5 Km/ today 15 months later,
I’m walking 9-10 Km. 4 times a week.
How about Nordic pole walking. Its a fantastic form of exercise as it gives an endurance workout to the whole body. A good website to learn about it is: http://www.poleabout.com.au
Walking for fitness can help you achieve a number of important health benefits.Walking is a gentle,low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It is one of your body’s most natural forms of exercise.It is safe,simple,doesn’t require practice,and the health benefits are many.