Burn More Calories During Your Walk

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Are you a dedicated fitness walker who’s stopped seeing benefits? Unfortunately, if you walk at the same speed for the same amount of time each day your body eventually adapts and you stop getting those all-important fitness gains. The key jumpstarting your walking plan is to add a little intensity and variety to your workout - so you can start experiencing real results. Here’s how to burn more calories walking.

Vary the terrain

If you’re an outdoor walker, why not add some hills? Walking on level ground not only burns fewer calories, but it doesn’t challenge your heart as much. When you first start walking, it’s smart to stay on level ground until your body has a chance to adapt; but once you’ve been at it a few weeks, adding hills will boost your metabolism and give your heart a more challenging workout. Exercise should never be too easy. It’s all about progressively challenging yourself.

Swing your arms

Swinging your arms may not seem like much work, but it burns up to ten percent more calories than when your arms are still – and the more vigorously you pump the more calories you’ll burn. To get maximum benefit, hold your arms at a ninety degree angle and pump upwards from the shoulder. Walking while holding light weights strengthens the shoulder muscles and burns more calories, but keep the weights no heavier than two pounds to avoid injury.

Vary your speed

You’ll burn fewer calories and challenge your body less if you maintain the same speed throughout your workout. Try “interval” walking where you walk as fast as you can for one minute and then slow down for three minutes. Continue repeating this pattern for a full thirty minutes. Challenge yourself by walking at top speed until you reach the next mailbox or stop sign. Keep those challenges coming so you won’t get bored or slide into the comfort zone. That’s how you make real fitness gains.

Wear a weighted vest

Buy a weighted vest and wear it every other time you walk. You can also buy a product called a Walkvest that has special pockets where place weights for additional resistance. This allows you to add anywhere from two to sixteen pounds to your body weight when you walk. Not only does this increase the number of calories burned, but it also stimulates bone growth.

Listen to music

Listening to music while walking helps to take your mind off of the work you’re doing so you’ll up walking further before realizing you’re tired. This is safest if done on a treadmill unless you have a side walk to walk on.

Why not use these ideas to shake up your walking routine a little? It’ll give your workout a whole new dimension and you’ll soon start seeing real results again.

by Dr. Kristie