11 Tips to Get Fitter and Healthier by Walking

Everybody that can – walks. To the shops or the car park or an after dinner stroll - even a walk through a park. Centuries ago it was man’s only form of transport. We don’t think about it. It’s just one foot in front of the other. However, there are different types walking – sometime to lose weight, or to fitten up a bit - there’s even an Olympic Category for Race Walking. This article looks at the benefits of Speed and Power Walking that could make a huge difference to your health and wellbeing. We even give you eleven tips how to accomplish your goals regarding health, weight, and fitness. Speed Walking 1. How Fast Do Speed Walkers Walk? Power Walkers are marginally faster than Speed Walkers. They walk enormously fast at an approximate rate at the higher end of the natural range for the walking gait. Their speed is approximately 7 to 9 km/h (4.5 to 5.5 mph). Speed Walkers are walking at a brisk pace of about 3 mph or greater. The heart rate is raised during speed walking. You can burn many more calories this way than walking at your usual pace. Race Walking is an Olympic Event. Their speeds are even faster! 2. Add More in the Afternoon If you decide to do speed walking in another way, you can walk a shorter distance in the morning and walk more – say, in the afternoon. As in, fit in a quick power walk for an hour say, towards the end of the afternoon. Or you could fit in 20-minute power walks during the day after every meal – perhaps you’ll find that more comfortable. 3. Increase Your Walking Speed Increase your walking speed to get the heart pumping and to burn more calories. During this type of walk, increase the pace for a few minutes every 20 minutes so that by doing this, you’ll burn more calories. 4. Hike Uphill to get Fitter & Burn More Calories Hike Uphill, like walking on a hiking trail with hills. This is one way to increase intervals in your walking routing without torturing yourself. Uphill burns more calories and helps build muscle in the lower body area while increasing your metabolism. Staircases can be used instead of hills. 5. Exaggerate Your Arm Swings Use Your Arms. Exaggerating your arms swings as you walk has extra benefits. Arm swings help you to speed up the pace and work your upper body by burning about 10% more calories when compared with an average arm swing. If other people say it looks silly, remember that there are additional benefits to exaggerating your arm swings while walking. In particular, it will help to speed up your pace and work your upper body. You need to burn up to 10% more calories when compared to a normal arm swing. To perfect the technique of your arm-swing technique; use these tips: Bend your arms to 90 degrees and maintain this form. The arm should extend behind the body as far as you can do it comfortably and naturally. On the upswing, the hand should rise to the level of the chest. (Like soldiers on a military parade). 6. Focus on Form Focus on Form. Correct posture helps improve your workout and calorie burn. Focus on keeping your back relaxed to elongate your spine and keeping your shoulders natural. Keep your eyes ahead on the horizon, which keeps it aligned with your neck and shoulders. Remember that your heel should go down on the ground, then your foot should roll smoothly forward, and you’ll push off from your toes. Dr. Michael Gleiber, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, says that this method helps absorb the impact and minimize stress on the joints. 7. Have a Step Goal Have a Step Goal. One of the best goals a walker can have is a step goal so that you can increase the number of steps you take per day. The more steps you choose to take, the more calories you burn. If you’re serious about losing weight, why not aim for 10 000 steps per day, to begin with, and increase from there. 8. Keep Calorie Consumption Low Keep Calorie Consumption Low. Walking is an excellent de-stressor, and it improves health, strengthens muscles, and bones with any risk. Last but not least, it helps you lose weight quicker and more safely but, for that weight loss, you’ll need to concentrate on a diet to make the weight loss happen. Focusing on lean proteins and vegetables and limiting sugary and processed foods is where you should start. Keeping track of your daily caloric intake helps you shed pounds quicker and more safely than opting for one of the many fad diets instead. 9. Include Strength Training. An excellent way to break up your walks, strengthen your muscles, and burn more calories is to include bodyweight exercises during your workout. Two or three times per week, stop and perform one of these exercises every five minutes during your walk. How many you do is up to you: Pushups (do them inclined on a park bench or against a wall to make it easier) Squats, bending the knees to 90 degrees Walking lunges Front or side planks 10. Avoid Sugary Drinks & Consider a Playlist Avoid Sugary Sports Drinks & Consider a Playlist. Walkers and other endurance athletes should not opt for sugary sports drinks during their workouts. The calories from these beverages negate most of the calories you’re burning, and in most instances, they aren’t needed to sustain your activity. Stick with water, and save anything else for more strenuous workouts. For those days when you need an extra boost, try some tunes. Something that can be incredibly motivating is an upbeat playlist. So, you want to walk further and faster while staving off boredom. 11. Be Healthy Walking is really healthy for us. We are Blessed with two legs and, therefore, we’re intended to walk. Movement from one place to another in the ancient days was accomplished by walking – sometimes for days Life was simpler then. They got up when the sun got up, and started work then. They went to bed when the sun went down and, if they wanted to go somewhere – even a far distance – they either walked or rode a donkey! But they mostly walked. Nowadays, our legs are rarely used to transport us anywhere except to walk for a few metres from the car park to the shops. Evergreen Never let your body get too much overweight, or you’ll pay a high price for it in the pain of bringing it back to the size it should be. You’ll keep your size much more easily if you eat correctly and healthily and exercise regularly. That extra weight you pick up occasionally will go quickly – by using the methods in this article. Hence you’ll stay younger and fitter for much longer! Getting Started Say you and one of your friends decide to go walking - getting up at 04h30 and outside -meeting on the road at 04h45 before the sun is up, or you’ll get too hot. Also at these times, you can do this before going to work or talking the kids to school This activity might draw some interest from the neighbourhood and maybe it results in a few others joining you. This makes your little group a lot safer. So, you all get together and walk every morning of the week – 7 days a week – no less. No matter what the weather: even if it was pouring with rain – you walk – starting off at a brisk pace and then increasing the stride into speed walking. At first, it’s a little rough on your bodies as you’re not used to it. But you push on through the aches and pains and other people come and go, joining you and leaving, returning or staying, depending on how they feel. If your group is around four or six or more, the safer you are – never go out alone. Your numbers might keep changing but as long as you have two or more, you can still go walking. Walking with more people probably helps to encourage you to stay the course. A few months into this seven days per week, early morning, ‘self induced torture’, something changes. You all begin to enjoy it to the point where you even consider walking a longer route because you’re now enjoying it. Limbs are No Longer Stiff or Hurt Your limbs no longer hurt. You can walk and talk at the same time without running out of breath. You’re all finally feeling the benefits. Some of you have weighed yourselves and seen litke difference a the bdy is now producing muscle; but yu have noticed a looseness in your clothing. You all decide to switch up a notch to power walking. The second month is marginally better, but by the end of the third month, the weight had just dropped you all – it could be up to 10 kgs per person. You Can Get Hooked on Exercise Exercise gets to a person in a way nothing else does. So eventually, you do it because your day isn’t right without it. You do it because you need to. You’ve become hooked on it. Every early morning you are excited to begin the day with your walk. You’ve changed things a little – you begin with speed walking and after about 15 – 20 minutes you switch to power walking. You feel fitter, healthier, happier, and more content and whole. It’s like a tonic and it’s doing you so much good. The weight drops off, and you feel lighter, fitter, and healthier than ever before. You’ll sleep better, and notice other little bonuses so you’ll feel happy. You Need to Know The point here is you must be confident that you’re fit enough to engage in this (or any) form of physical exercise. Walking may seem harmless enough for most, but you might be in one of the minorities of people who have an underlying condition that makes you vulnerable to a specific (or any) form of physical exertion. Therefore, if you have reason to be unsure or have a pre-existing condition, check with your Doctor before continuing any physical fitness regime. Final Thoughts It’s said that you were given legs so that you could walk. Not just to the corner shop and back, or the car park, but at least several miles a day. No matter what your age, if you have legs and the Doctor’s ‘OK’ then I agree with you - get walking. The results of consistent walking could mean fewer visits to the doctor, and a smaller size in clothing. Most importantly you could be fitter, heathier and stronger – look younger and live longer. So, no promises but, give it a try and find out for yourselves! Ann Roberts