In recent years, recreational walking has become increasingly widespread. People choose it as an alternative to fitness classes. In addition, doctors have long proven that aerobic exercise received by a person while walking contributes to the effective consumption of fat deposits.
If you need to set aside precious time to visit the gym, then there are no obstacles to walking. It is enough to walk a few stops in the morning on the way to work and in the evening on the way from work to get the necessary exercise for losing excess weight. This explains why walking to burn fat has become popular.
On average, every person walks at least 1 km per day. And this, even if you don’t leave the house at all. Working people who are moderately active during the day walk an average of 7 to 10 kilometers. At the same time, they do not experience fatigue or tiredness. At the same time, people who sit at a computer most of the day will not be able to walk this distance without getting tired. But with due patience and proper preparation, they will conquer this distance. They will be able to walk long distances and still feel great.
If a person decides to take up walking to lose weight, it will be useful for him to know how many calories walking burns. This information will help you choose the right diet and determine the intensity of your exercise.
How do age and gender affect calorie expenditure?
Not long ago, scientists conducted studies to determine the effect of age and height on calorie expenditure when walking. It was possible to establish that children and short people spend more energy than tall people. This is explained by the fact that to cover the same distance, small people have to take more steps due to their short legs.
Tall people have much wider strides, so they spend much less energy on movement. It turns out that for tall people, regular trips to the store and to work will not be enough to lose weight, because fewer calories are spent, even taking into account the greater energy expenditure to maintain greater body weight. That is, tall people need to purposefully engage in walking to lose weight.
Factors affecting calorie burning when walking
It's no secret that if you walk the same distance over rough terrain and on smooth asphalt, the calorie consumption will be different. Energy burned while walking is influenced by the following factors:
Ideally, it is enough for any person to walk a couple of kilometers a day in a sporty style over rough terrain to feel in excellent shape. Such a walk takes little time, it does not tire you, strengthens the muscle frame, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. At the same time, such walking burns enough calories to reduce body fat.
How many calories does walking cost?
To understand how much energy will be burned when walking 1 km, you need to take into account your own weight and average speed. For example, an average person in terms of height and weight will spend approximately 200 calories during a normal walk over a distance of 1 km at a speed of 2–4 km per hour. For the same person, race walking at a speed of 5 km per hour will burn at least 300 calories. And if you combine different styles and methods of walking, then energy consumption during movement can be increased even more.
To increase energy burning, it is very useful for walking over rough terrain. Even ordinary city stairs and hills can be a good way to increase the intensity of exercise. Movement along them will allow you to better develop your muscles. It is very important to monitor your heart rate. Excessive loads can negatively affect your well-being.
Rules for burning calories while walking
If the purpose of walking is to get rid of excess weight, then to achieve maximum results you need comply with the following conditions and rules:
How long does a beginner need to walk?
An untrained person should not immediately take up walking long distances at a fast pace. It won't do any good. It would be right to start with hour-long walks at a leisurely pace. In this case, you will need to do it a couple of times within an hour. speed up for 5–10 minutes. Such accelerations will not allow you to get tired, but will be a good training load for the body. Gradually, a person will come to hour-long walks at an average pace.
Increased calorie expenditure when walking
The human body adapts very quickly to various stresses. Walking is no exception. At some point, the amount of calories you burn while walking will decrease. How to get out of this situation? There are several ways to deal with the problem.
The first and simplest is to increase the pace of movement.
The second way is to add weight. You can purchase special weights for your arms and legs. However, you need to remember that they can lead to injury.
Third way - start walking with poles. This is the so-called Nordic walking. Poles allow you to use more muscles while walking and increase energy expenditure during movement by almost 50%.
The fourth ability is to start walking up stairs. This will increase your burn by 45-50 calories per hour. Any flight of stairs is suitable for practicing. The main thing is not to take on a large load right away. You need to start by walking for 10-15 minutes and gradually increase the exercise time to 30 minutes. If your muscles start to hurt while walking up the stairs, take a short break.
Here's an interesting fact.
Two women are walking. One walks quickly, and the other waddles. Each one burns about 400 calories.
But here's the question.
Who do you think will burn more belly fat?
To answer the question, I found some fact. According to recent studies, it turns out that walking faster helps you lose weight faster and remove belly fat.
It is said that you can lose up to 7 kg in just 30 days if you start walking more and more intensely.
Here's another interesting study... Researchers from the University of Virginia found that women who walked three times a week at a brisk pace and twice a week at a more moderate pace burned belly fat 5 times faster.
They compared them to those who simply walked at a moderate speed 5 days a week. And here's the proof: both groups burned the exact same number of calories (400) during the workout.
Plus, those who were more active were also able to reduce their waist by 5 cm. In addition, they reduced the amount of fat in the hip area by approximately 3 times and burned 4 times more total body fat.
And most importantly, the most active were able to lose almost 4 kg within 16 weeks. And all this without diets or fasting.
Fast walking for weight loss
Continuing the topic, we can also mention that high-intensity walking helped burn 3 times more visceral fat.
This is the most dangerous belly fat that envelops your major organs such as the liver and kidneys. This fat leads to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
« Vigorous exercise increases your fat burning rate and helps balance your hormones“,” says lead researcher Arthur Veltman, director of the laboratory.
Program
As the same Arthur Veltman says, if you haven’t lost weight by walking every day for a long time, it’s all about intensity.
Here are some more facts:
- Slow walks: Burn about 238 calories per hour.
- Fast walk: burns up to 340 calories per hour (speed up to 6 km per hour). Instead of gossiping with a friend, or better yet, on the phone, think about intensity.
- Power Walking: burns approximately 564 calories per hour (speed up to 8 km per hour). When walking at this pace, use your arms to make it easier and take your steps a little longer. You can even do the acceleration in spurts if you find it difficult to maintain the pace right away.
In addition, Health magazine featured a 3-week program for losing weight through intense walking. Here she is…
1 Week(burns about 200 calories)
- Warm-up: Walk very slowly for 5 minutes.
- Training: just walk at a normal pace for 30 minutes.
- Rest: Walk slowly for 3 to 5 minutes.
2 week(burns about 355 calories)
- Warm-up:
- Training: Maintain a firm walking intensity for 5 minutes. Slow down slightly for 1 minute. Repeat a total of 5 - 6 such jerks.
- Rest:
3 week(burns about 405 calories)
- Warm-up: walk for 5 minutes.
- Training: Maintain a firm walking pattern for 2 minutes. Recover your strength by slowing down a little for 1 minute. Add intensity and repeat 15 times.
- Rest: Walk for 3 - 5 minutes.
If you find some of these workouts difficult, try reducing the number of repetitions.
Additional Health Benefits of Walking
In addition to the fact that walking is good for weight loss, there are a number of other health benefits from this exercise. Here is the list below...
1. Walking burns calories and belly fat
Walking is good for those who are just starting their journey to healthy weight loss. An hour of walking every day along with a healthy diet is a good tool to reduce muscle flab.
The number of calories burned is directly proportional to the speed and distance traveled when walking.
This makes walking one of the best exercises for weight loss.
2. Reduces the risk of heart disease and more
Walking increases blood circulation in the body, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease. They also help lower and stabilize blood pressure.
Regular walking also increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
Many studies show that regular walking will significantly reduce the risk of diabetes, colon cancer and breast cancer.
3. Increase metabolism
Walking stimulates blood circulation in the body and at the same time increases metabolic activity in the body, which fires up your metabolism faster.
Brisk walking improves your mood, revitalizes energy levels and regulates blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
4. Easy workout
Walking is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to stay physically active. You just need to have sneakers or other shoes that are comfortable for you.
This exercise can be done almost anywhere and at any time. Although walks in the fresh air are very useful and refreshing, if the conditions are right, they can also be done at home on a treadmill.
5. Reduce stress levels
Walking is directly linked to reducing stress levels. Their benefits can be compared to exercises such as aerobic exercise and others. They help calm the nerves.
During a walk, the body produces endorphins, which in turn stimulates relaxation.
6. Strengthen muscles
Walking keeps bones, muscles and joints healthy.
Regular walking strengthens the muscles of the legs, abs, especially the hamstrings and quadriceps. Therefore, they are important in the fight against cellulite even at home.
To make your walking even more effective for weight loss and burn fat faster, you can use some tips:
- It is always better to do them early in the morning (you can combine them with going to work). In the morning, the body is quite energetic and blood circulation increases faster. In addition, walking in the morning is also beneficial for the body to absorb vitamin D from the first rays of the sun.
- Brisk walking is essential to burn more calories if you have a goal to lose a few extra pounds. The faster you walk, the more calories you burn. You may also want to walk more on stairs or on rough terrain.
- Don't walk after eating. Although some say that walking immediately after eating can improve digestion, this is a false concept. Walking or exercising after eating affects the secretion of digestive juices, thereby preventing the breakdown of food. Rest a little after eating and move on.
- Fuel your body with plenty of fluids. Drink natural juices before you go for a walk or after finishing your workout. Drinking natural energy juices, like beet juice and others, before walking can revive your metabolic processes, thereby helping the body burn more calories.
Final Thoughts
For all those who want to burn more calories or are simply looking for effective exercises to start losing weight, you definitely need to start walking more. It is these weight loss exercises that have many additional values for you.
Explore all the benefits of walking below so you don’t put off until later what you can do today. Remember that walking for weight loss and health is very effective.
Do you like to walk and how does it help you lose weight? Share your experience, write in the comments below.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with others.
Warning: The methods, strategies, and suggestions expressed in our shared resource are intended to be used for educational purposes only. We do not diagnose, prescribe or treat any disease, condition or injury.
It is imperative that before starting any nutritional strategy or exercise program, you obtain full medical clearance from a licensed physician.
There is a misconception that you can get rid of excess weight only by sticking to and exhausting yourself with long workouts in the gym. But nutritionists and fitness trainers argue that this theory is not entirely true. To correct your figure, you need to change your lifestyle and make it more dynamic.
If a person does not have the opportunity to visit the gym or purchase a swimming pool membership, this will be a real salvation. Numerous clinical experiments and reviews from people confirm that constant walking and race walking will help you get rid of excess fat deposits and make your thighs and legs more toned and attractive. But in order to achieve the expected effect, you need to figure out how to walk correctly in order to lose weight.
There is only one way to remove excess fat - it is burned by muscles during physical activity. Experts warn that it is quite difficult to get rid of extra pounds by limiting your food intake and constantly consuming laxatives or diuretics.
This is because more than 90% of fat is “burned” in muscle fibers in the presence of oxygen. This fact must be remembered and taken for granted. To achieve results and lose weight, you will have to not only adhere to proper nutrition, but also constantly move. Moreover, this will need to be done daily.
To speed up the process of burning and oxidizing fat, an excessive amount of oxygen must be present in the muscles.
In this case, weight loss will occur not only during exercise or physical activity, but even if the person is at rest. The difference is that in working muscles this process takes place many times faster.
People who want to lose weight need to remember that leading a sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity negatively affects the ability of muscle fibers to oxidize fat. This fact has been confirmed by the world's leading nutritionists.
In people who lead a passive lifestyle, the ability to activate fatty acids is higher than the ability to oxidize them. This leads to more than 70% of incoming fats are deposited in subcutaneous fat tissues. To develop the ability to burn fat, a person needs to move as much as possible.
Important! Most of the muscle fibers that have the ability to oxidize fat deposits are localized in the thigh and calf muscles.
Why walking is better than running
When deciding how to lose weight faster, many people wonder what is better to choose: running or walking for weight loss. Nutritionists and fitness instructors advise beginners to stop at walking. The choice falls on this method because it has the following advantages:
Running will also help you achieve a slim body, but unlike walking, it has more requirements that must be taken into account:
- a person must have sufficiently strong menisci and intervertebral discs, otherwise jogging can cause complications;
- when running, your legs will become slimmer faster, but if the training is done incorrectly, the lower limbs may become too pumped up;
- if a person runs on asphalt, this will increase the load on the joints and may contribute to their damage. To prevent such complications, you need to run in parks on the ground, or in stadiums with a special coating.
If a person has not exercised for a long time, it is best to start with walking, and the first workouts should be quite short. In the future, the loads can be increased (move at higher speeds, climb uphill).
Despite the fact that walking is considered the safest form of physical activity, it also has certain contraindications. It is not recommended for people who have recently suffered knee or ankle injuries. Patients suffering from severe heart disease should also avoid walking.
What processes take place in the body when walking?
Not all people understand how walking and excess weight are connected. This is why many people prefer to spend time in gyms rather than outdoors. Moreover, doubts often arise due to the fact that while walking a person will not sweat in streams, and the next morning all his muscles will not ache.
However, walking against cellulite and fat is very effective, this is due to the following processes:
If a person walks in the fresh air every day for at least 45 minutes and adheres to proper nutrition, he will be able to lose 1.5-2 kg per week. It is impossible to say how many calories will be burned during such activities, since it depends on the intensity and duration of the training.
Does walking help you lose weight in your legs and thighs?
Since during walking the main load falls on the lower limbs, the first thing to lose weight is the legs. This is due to the fact that when walking, the thigh and calf muscles mainly work. Accordingly, fat will be burned first on the legs and hips.
Types of walking for weight loss
It must be borne in mind that the final result largely depends on what type of walking is chosen, since this determines how the muscles will work. If a person just likes to walk in the fresh air in the evenings, then such walking will help to lose a maximum of 1 kilogram per week, since the load on the limbs will be minimal.
But such a pastime is perfect for people who do not have problems with excess weight, since such walks will help keep the body in the right shape. If a person wants to get rid of extra pounds as quickly as possible, he will have to do more intense training at a sports pace.
Currently, there are several types of walking, the most popular are:
- race walking;
- upward movement;
- moving backwards;
- treadmill.
Sports type
The optimal way to quickly burn extra pounds. This type of workout not only helps tone your buttocks and thighs, but also strengthens your abdominal muscles. Before starting your workout, you need to warm up properly.
The step should be fast and short, and the person also needs to learn to transfer weight from heel to toe. During execution, the back should be straight and the stomach should be retracted. To achieve the expected result, it is very important to change the speed periodically.
Walking up
Taking the stairs or walking uphill is the best way to reduce hip size (especially in the front and back). 
During such training, it is strictly forbidden to hold the railing with your hands; the forelimbs must be bent at the elbows and move back and forth along the body. You need to breathe this way: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Moving with your back
Such loads strengthen the muscle fibers of the lower limbs and back. Before you start training, you need to find a flat area (preferably not paved).
Place your hands on your belt, straighten your back and begin to move at a slow pace, gradually accelerating.
Exercises on the track
The main advantage of such walking is that during training you can monitor your heart rate and load. Both nutritionists and fitness instructors assure that this type of exercise is no different from walking in the fresh air.
Conclusion
In order to achieve a positive result as quickly as possible, you need not only to regularly walk in the fresh air, but also to change your diet and start leading a healthy lifestyle.
Walking is best done in the evening, as it will help improve your health and burn fat. The best option is to alternate each of the above methods (each type of walking should last about 15 minutes). When the body gets used to the loads, they will need to be increased.
From this article you will learn what type of walking activity is most effective for solving a particular problem, how to calculate the number of calories burned, and how long a walk should be. We will also answer the main question - Does walking help you lose weight?.
The weight loss effect is achieved due to the breakdown of fats during a walk and accelerated metabolism after training. But for this process to begin, The duration of the walk should be more than an hour.
In addition to losing weight, walking solves other problems:
develops the cardiovascular system;
stimulates muscle activity, forming a correct and beautiful leg shape;
gives the body elasticity and tone.
Which is better: walking or running for weight loss?
No matter how strange it may sound, it has been proven that proper walking and running give approximately the same results. The following experiment was conducted: for several months, one group of women walked, the other ran. As a result, the group that exercised at a relaxed pace lost one and a half times more weight than the “runners.”
During the experiments, it was found that while running, about 550 calories and 50% of fat mass are burned in an hour, while walking quickly will burn about 350 calories, but 65% of fat in the same time.
Hence the conclusion: walking helps you lose weight faster than running. The conclusion is simple: you need to train regularly and in the right mode. Walking at moderate intensity is ideal in this regard.
Another advantage of walking is that even with little physical fitness, you can easily cover 20 km. Only a few people can run the same distance.
Walking, unlike running, has no contraindications (except fast and uphill). According to doctors, this type of cardio training is completely safe for health and the most effective in terms of weight loss.
Walking with weight is contraindicated:
for any heart problems;
with respiratory failure;
for kidney diseases;
with diabetes mellitus.
How long should you walk to lose weight?
The daily minimum is 10 thousand steps, which equals 5-7 kilometers. Less is also good, but to start the fat burning process, you need to walk continuously for at least an hour.
Another important point influences weight loss: You need to walk in the “fat-burning” heart rate zone– this is 60-70% of the maximum (MP). To determine the working zone, you need to calculate the maximum threshold of your own heart rate. For example, if you are 30 years old: 220 – 25 = 195 – this is the maximum heart rate (MP) for you.
Pulse at the correct frequency gives better results - Walking in the “fat-burning” heart rate zone allows you to burn up to two times more fat.
It is worth understanding that a one-time walk will not bring results. To lose weight, you need to walk regularly, at least every other day, gradually accustoming yourself to daily walks.
Not only the short-term result of losing weight depends on how you walk. Below we have presented the most important tips on how to walk correctly in order to lose 100% weight.
The duration of your walk for weight loss should be at least 1 hour
Fat reserves do not begin to be used up immediately. The body first gets energy from glucose, which comes from the digestion of carbohydrates. Energy is then taken from glycogen (a source of glucose stored in the liver). And only when all energy reserves are exhausted does the body turn to fat. This moment comes around after 45 minutes of continuous walking.
Walk in the morning.
It is better to exercise in the morning, but not on an empty stomach, but after a light breakfast. Then fat reserves will begin to be used up earlier. Another benefit of walking in the morning is that it speeds up your metabolism throughout the day. Thus, during the day you will burn more calories than on a day without exercise.
Hence the conclusion: Morning walks promote better fat burning.
Choose comfortable clothes and shoes.
Of course, if you practice walking for weight loss only on the way to work and back home, it is enough to wear comfortable shoes. If walking has become a full-fledged workout, take the time to choose comfortable, loose clothing and sneakers with good shock absorption.
Think over the route.
To get the most benefit from walking, do it in a park or in an area away from traffic. Ideally, plan your route over rough terrain, where you will have to constantly overcome ups and downs.
Don't forget to warm up.
Especially if you do interval walking or stair climbing. A fast pace and forceful load on an unwarmed body can lead to injuries. Therefore, start walking at a slow pace, and before climbing the steps, it is advisable to perform a series of warm-up exercises, familiar from physical education lessons. The same goes for finishing a workout: walk for 5 minutes at a calm pace, let your heartbeat calm down.
Keep an eye on your equipment.
As you walk, land heel-to-toe, pushing off forcefully for the next step. When increasing your speed, watch your step - it should not be too long, it is better to move with short, frequent steps. Your hands should also not dangle idle - be sure to actively work with them. Bend your elbows and move them from your waist to your chest.
Drink water.
With any physical activity, the body loses a lot of fluid. Therefore, drink a glass of water before and after, and if walking lasts more than half an hour, then take a couple of sips during training to avoid dehydration.
Without maintaining a proper balanced diet, nothing will come of it. It is impossible to lose weight by walking, even with long and daily walks, if you exceed your daily calorie intake. You should also avoid any diets that are an example of an unbalanced diet. They provide only a short-term weight loss effect - the weight quickly returns.
To adhere to proper nutrition, it is enough to give up fatty foods, processed foods, baked goods, soda, sauces and sweets. If you can’t imagine life without sweets, replace milk chocolate with dark chocolate, sweets and cookies with nuts and ice cream.
We talked about proper nutrition for weight loss and its principles in this article.
It is also important to understand: the less we move, the more carefully we need to approach menu planning. For example, if the daily calorie intake is 1500 calories, and the walking duration is 60 minutes (200-300 calories are burned), but 2000 calories are consumed, then you will have to either increase the walking time by an hour, or reduce the number of calories by 300 units.
How many calories can you burn by walking?
You can walk quickly, up stairs, at a stroll, and even on the spot. In each case, burning calories, including fat, will be different. Let's consider how energy costs change with different degrees of activity.
This type of walking is recommended for absolutely everyone, including people with a low level of training and those for whom other types of physical activity are contraindicated. The speed of movement is low - 4-5 km/h. An hour's walk can burn about 200 calories. This workout improves health, maintains leg muscle tone, and also promotes weight loss.
In this case, all muscle groups are involved in the process, since race walking involves active work with the arms. The technique is as follows: while walking, the foot changes its position from heel to toe, pushing off with force at the last point. The steps are quite short, but frequent. The arms are bent at the elbows and move from the waist to the chest. Speed at least 6-7 km/h. At this pace, you can burn up to 350 calories or more, depending on your own weight.
This type of activity is designed for advanced athletes and is completely contraindicated for people with health problems. The number of calories burned depends on your weight; on average, in an hour of going up and down the stairs you can lose up to 500 kcal. The exact energy consumption when climbing stairs at a frequency of 60-70 steps per minute is 0.14 kcal per kilogram of weight. When descending, the number of calories burned decreases noticeably. Different methods of ascent and descent achieve different goals. Walking up and down at an accelerated pace is best for losing weight. At a calm pace, you will strengthen the muscles of your legs and buttocks.
4. Nordic walking with poles. This type has no contraindications and is suitable for people of any age. When walking with poles, up to 90% of the muscles of the body are involved. Accordingly, calories are burned faster compared to a regular walk. You can burn up to 400 calories in an hour of exercise.
Let us recall the Nordic walking technique:>
The foot changes its position from heel to toe while walking;
one arm is extended forward and slightly bent at the elbow; -
the second hand is located at hip level and reaches back;
We repeat the positions, changing the position of the arms and legs. 
You can increase calorie consumption by 10-15% using an interval system - alternating between walking at a fast pace and walking at a moderate pace. The idea is that first you walk at a fast pace at a speed of 6-8 km/h, then switch to walking at a calm pace at a speed of 4-5 km/h. The duration of each interval is selected individually, for example, 1 minute at a fast pace and 2-3 minutes at a calm pace. This interval system not only increases calorie expenditure while walking, but also triggers fat burning throughout the day, which contributes to faster weight loss.
6. Walking uphill or downhill on a treadmill. You can increase your calorie expenditure by walking over rough terrain. Similar conditions can be created on a treadmill by increasing the incline. Walking uphill combines two types of exercise - cardio and strength, so it is effective not only for losing weight, but also for strengthening the muscles of the legs and buttocks.
7. Walking in place. If you don’t have the opportunity or desire to go outside, you can walk at home. The effectiveness of such training is disproportionately lower, but it is better than lying on the couch. Walking in place involves moving the hips with varying knee heights, but without moving horizontally. Since calorie consumption is relatively small, it is advisable to actively move your arms during such walking.
Walking for weight loss: reviews and results
It is worth understanding that one-time training will not bring results. As reviews show, those who walk daily lose an average of 5 kg per month.
If you adjust your diet and walk daily, you can lose 2 kg in a week, which will allow you to lose up to 8 kg in a month!
For many, walking is a way to solve many problems. Firstly, you don’t need to go to the gym, secondly, you don’t need to buy sportswear, and thirdly, you can combine training with a walk with friends or shopping. You just need to move more, because any activity is better than inaction.
Having started to take care of himself, a person losing weight asks many questions. For example, what kind of exercise will be best for burning body fat? What can you do every day and not hate it? When playing what sport, a fat man will not look funny and clumsy? Which physical activity is the least traumatic?
Reasoning in this vein will inevitably lead you to walking, because it can get rid of excess weight, but at the same time it is as convenient, safe and accessible to absolutely everyone.
Why walking and not running?
Walking is much better for losing weight than running. Running puts stress on the heart, lungs, joints and spine. Just look at the flight phase, after which the foot hits the asphalt with a weight of at least half a ton! This cannot but affect the spine and joints, no matter for a heavy person. Such an exorbitant load is fraught with serious injuries and illnesses.
Fat deposits in the body are burned not by diets and fasting, but by muscles during physical activity, with an increased supply of oxygen to the body. There are no options here. But they can be burned in two main ways:
- Just as the trainer in the gym told you, that is, half an hour after the start of an intense workout, after processing the reserves of carbohydrates and glucose that are in the body.
- And in the mode of weak and moderate physical activity, when there is fat, not carbohydrates with glucose. That is, in vigorous walking mode.
Unlike running, walking has no contraindications – neither age nor weight. In addition, of course, to existing joint injuries, for which you need to consult.
For daily walking you do not need special clothing, except comfortable shoes without heels. It is necessary to think through the routes in advance so as not to say that there is “nowhere to go.” Let it be a few stops on the way to and after work, trips to the store, purposeful walks in the park. Routes can and should be changed, enjoying walks along the previously untrodden streets of the city, which is recommended to take 10 thousand steps a day. This ranges from 5 to 7 kilometers.
Record your walks in a notebook: routes, distance and time it took. Analyze the information to make your next walks more effective. Your goal is to burn fat for an hour or more.
Joints before the hike and about the bottle of water that you need to take with you. Or simply drink a glass of water before your walk and one or two glasses after.
Walking means losing weight
Healthy walking is the most physiological exercise for the human body. The body does not perceive walking as any kind of stressful load at all. For him it is even more natural than swimming or running. Energy expenditure during walking is almost entirely supplied by the energy that the body receives from the breakdown of fat. And even under intense loads of a different kind, carbohydrates are consumed first (see above!).
You need to walk 15 percent faster than you usually walk, that is, not 5, but 6 km per hour. 30-40 minutes a day will be enough, and these minutes may include mileage on the way to work, home or to the store during a break. But the longer and more vigorously you walk, the better. You should look like a person who is late for something, so he walks very quickly. This pace burns three times more calories than regular walking.
Morning brisk walking on an empty stomach, after a glass of water, is very effective. In this way, you continue burning fat tissue, which the body began at night. If you put even a tiny bit of something in your mouth, the body's systems will begin to burn glucose and carbohydrates left in reserve, as the body decides that it is being fed, so you can do a simpler process - processing carbohydrates. more complicated, so this process is only activated under special circumstances. Long walks, especially in the morning, are precisely that “special circumstance”.
Try taking breakfast with you to work, and walking half an hour to an hour before work. Arriving ten minutes before the start of the working day, you will easily have time to have a snack and drink tea. By the way, it is an energetic “walk” in the morning, and you will spend more calories during the day than if you sluggishly get to work by car or in transport.
How to walk correctly to lose weight
For a noticeable weight loss effect, you need to burn at least 500 additional calories per day. To do this you need:
- Walk faster. When walking intensively, it is difficult to speak - your breathing becomes difficult, but it is this kind of activity that will help burn fat, and not leisurely walks in the park with the dog. When walking at a high pace, your muscles get a good workout and burn almost as many calories as when running, but without the stress that comes with running.
- To speed up the movement, the arms also make vigorous movements from the chest to the hips. The steps are short, there is no need to lengthen them. To properly distribute the load, it is better to step on your heel and push off with your toe.
- Buy yourself a sports gadget . After all, a heart rate monitor will not allow you to be lazy and will help maintain a uniform heartbeat.
- Increase the duration of your walks. Half an hour three times a week will be enough only at the initial stage, while you get used to the new loads. Then go for an hour-long walk every day.
- Vary your walking speed. always burns a lot more calories, so feel free to alternate periods of fast walking with very fast walking when you have difficulty speaking. To do this, you can time it: two minutes of normal speed are replaced by two minutes of a higher speed. Or navigate along the landscape, park paths or stadium sides.
- Go uphill - this will increase energy costs by 50%. Including stairs or hills in the route increases the load: the legs work more actively, and the buttock muscles are well strengthened. It's best to be on higher ground for most of the walk. Don't forget about your posture: your body should be slightly tilted forward if you're climbing a mountain - this takes the strain off your lower back and knees.
Listen to the voice of your body after your first walk - and you will understand that this is exactly the physical activity that it expected from you, perhaps after many years of physical inactivity.
And once you start losing weight wisely with the help of vigorous walking, you are unlikely to part with this affordable