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Walking: A Wonderfully Efficient Quick Weight Loss Tool
Walking is one of the most popular forms of exercise for several reasons: it's easy, most people can do it, it's free, you don't have to go to a gym, you can do it inside if the weather is bad, it's good for your health, and it can help you lose weight.
If you want to burn fat and get into great shape, walking is for you. Here are some tips for turning your walk into quick weight loss workout.
An important part of walking is posture. Carrying yourself correctly can help your body avoid becoming injured and can also make your walk more efficient.
* Keep your head and back straight.
* When you walk, step forward from the balls of your feet. When your foot hits the ground, make sure the heel strikes first.
* Point your toes straight ahead. Many people walk with their toes facing in or out. This can cause hip and leg pain.
* Walk with your head up in a natural way. Don't make your neck or back rigid. Tucking your butt in and moving your hips slightly forward will position your back correctly.
Now, to get more from your walk:
1. Get your arms involved.
Don't let your legs do all the work. Bending your arms at right angles and holding your hands in loosely curled fists will help you burn a bunch more calories than if you just let them come along for the ride.
When you step, move your arms in a straight forward and back movement while keeping them tight to your body. Don't flail around like a windmill.
Keep the arch of your arms even with your breastbone; you don't need an exaggerated movement. Try a few minutes at first and then progress until your arms are actively involved in your entire walk.
2. Walk More
Quick weight loss comes from challenging the body. If you stop seeing results from your walk, it is time to add some more miles or minutes to your routine. Go from thirty minutes to forty-five on every other walk. When that is too easy, progress to sixty minutes.
At this rate, you'll have to walk for hours to see any results! Don't worry; you can always add some variety with hills or faster intervals so your body is challenged.
3. Add hills
It doesn't seem fair sometimes ? you work to achieve weight loss, and the second it get easy, you have to work even harder. Your body quickly becomes used to doing the same exercises. The walk that burned you so many calories when you started is a walk in the park for your body now. You always have to add intensity.
Take advantage of the hills and uneven ground that the great outdoors has to offer. Keeping your pace fast while you climb the hills is a great way to challenge your body and keep it working ? and losing weight.
It is also easy to get more intensity out of your walks inside. On your treadmill, up the incline and keep your pace fast. Add high intensity periods to any walking video; you can even throw in some intervals of jogging.
Don't let your body ever become used to an exercise. It needs to be challenged constantly in order to keep your heart healthy and your body working at its optimum.
4. Add some variety.
It is hard to sustain a level of quick weight loss when you only do one type of exercise. It is a good idea to add strength and flexibility workouts into your exercise program.
You can do this a few days a week, or cut your walk in half (just make it more intense) and then do some weight training for the remainder of the workout. You'll really see big results in weight loss, as well as more toned and defined arms.
Using walking to lose weight is so effective, but only if you make it intense enough to challenge your body. A leisurely stroll won't cut it.
Walking is a great tool for quick weight loss. To see that weight loss and maintain it, always keep your body challenged.
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