You might have known that walking can burns calories. It’s an easy and healthy way of exercising with least price. According to researchers walking can lead to impressive results such significantly reduce diabetes and heart disease, increase bone density, decrease blood pressure, and so on. Another good news: the studies also shows the benefits of walking for losing weight. Who doesn’t want to lose weight in an easy way? But is it true? Is there any evidence?
There are so much evidence to prove the benefits of walking. Recently it’s been proven by scientist of University of Pittsburgh that even though they did not change any other lifestyle habit, overweight people who do brisk-walking for just 30 t0 60 minutes per day could amazingly lose their weight. Another study from America have found that walking at least 4 hours a week can lose an average 9lb less.
For whatever reasons people want to lose weight whether to have a nice body or stay away from obese walking can be the safest way to try. Though it’s easy and healthy but to lose weight you should know the right methods and have to commit. It’s also depending on the duration, intensity, and and your diet is like.
Running of Walking?
If there’s question “which does burn more calories more? Running or walking?” The obvious answer will be running. The faster you run, the faster you sweating, the faster calories is burnt. But a new research surprisingly shows the inverse. People who walk actually burn calories more than people who run.
So, what is the right techniques to lose weight by walking?
According to the director of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia, Art Weltman, PhD, women who did short fast-paced walks (about 30 minutes) three times, and moderate-paced twice a week ones lost 5 times more belly fat than those who simply strolled at a moderate speed 5 days a week. Though both of the groups burned exactly the same number of calories, that is 400 calories per workout but the lost of fat seems to be significantly different.
For your start, you can do walking for just 15-20 minutes per day. Actually to burn 100 calories you need to walk a mile away or 2.000 steps away. If you have target to lose one pound in a week, you have to burn 500 calories per day or walk 10.000 steps away. Doesn’t it sound too many steps? Actually you can do 10.000 steps a day if you:
- Get up early and start jogging around your neighborhood.
- Leave your laziness on your bed and start walking to your destiny whether it’s your work place or school. But if it’s too far away you can take a bus or train or any other transportation for the half way. Remember to measure your distance.
- If you have your own transportation you can park far enough from your destination and voila! You have your extra walking time.
- Get used to take a stair. If there’s lift or elevator and stair, please take a stair instead.
- Walk back to home.
When you walk remember to keep your chin up, bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle, keep a long stride, make your hand just like a cup shape lightly rather than clenching your fist, focus your eyes about 5 to 6 metes forward, and pull in your abdomen towards your spine. If you maintain theses positions your workout may achieve the maximums benefits.
Walking with Good Pedometers
You might be wondering while catching up your breath “is it enough already? How many calories I’ve burnt? How many more to burn?
Fortunately there’s something which can give you a direct answer. Right! A Pedometers. You may consider to buy a good one. Good quality one. It can help you track your daily activities so you can start counting how many more day you can get your ideal condition.
This device can be attached on your clothe near your hip area. Despite it’s light, it also have many variety features. The main feature is to count the amount of steps you’ve taken the whole day.
With this device it can be easy to calculate the remaining steps you should take. It’s just a simply a matter of mathematics. You can count the remaining steps by look at your achieved steps on your pedometers, then subtract it according to the number of calories you wanna burn.
Example: if you have walked 7.500 steps this morning then you need to walk 2.500 more to gain less 500 calories.
I’m Bored! What Should I Do?
You may bored with your routine. Here’s the ideas if you feel like bored doing walking:
- Try to switch the track of your walking routine. To see the same view may bored you, so try to changes view. Take another way to walk maybe it will be more interesting to do.
- If in your neighborhood have a few parks, try to visit one to another.
- You can walk while hearing some nice music. Music can give you more energy and nice mood.
- Bored walk alone? Bring a family member, a friend, or your mate. It will definitely boost your motivation. They may not be walking with you everyday but you can ask them to walk with you at least once a week on weekend.
- Don’t let rainy day or winter stop you! You can invest your money in a treadmill and place it on the best spot in your house. Walking while watching television may a good way to keep your spirit up.
- If you still feel bored you can try “mall walking”. Mall waking or “mall-exercise” is one way devised by the US’s doctors to encourage cardiac patients to combine indoor walking in shopping malls to hasten their rehab as a personal trainer, Lucy Knight said “It is a fantastic way to walk as you don’t breathe in toxic car fumes, shopping centers are usually open seven days a week and good weather is guaranteed.”.
Those things may helps you keep you on your daily walking routine. Walking, indeed have many beneficial for your health and your gain less-weight effort but remember to do it along with healthy meals. Try gradually change your unhealthy life style with a healthy one may drive to a maximum beneficial of healthy life.