Whether your aim is shedding a few pounds, getting in shape, or focusing on your thoughts, walking is still one of the most common, yet underrated, method of achieving your goal. It is an exercise that is easy, low impact, and all one needs is a nice pair of sneakers and fresh air. I have a golden retriever and to make both of us happy and healthy I start every day with a 30-minute walk. Honestly, the question of how much energy I was really using by walking never even crossed my mind before. I only realized that when I did one small thing and it made a big difference.
Why Does Walking Work
The consistent act of walking not only improves heart health but also helps with digestion, increases the ability to continue with the activity, and also is very important in weight loss. However, in addition to that, if your purpose is to burn more calories during walking, there are more efficient ways to make it.
What I Did to Burn More Calories the Easy Way
Flat terrain was one of the reasons I couldn’t find uphill routes in my neighborhood to burn more calories. And I’m not ready to do running in the middle of my dog walk. Instead, I included changes in my walk routine, that is I used intervals—high and low speed of walking alternately.
It was neither running nor race-walking–indeed, the intention was to gain some extra momentum and to keep the correct position. The whole time, I was focused on the correct posture of my body–head up, my abs pulled in and I was working with my arms, for instance. These intervals were so efficient that my pulse rate rose fast and I didn’t need to run or use some other appliance.
Week One Walking Interval Routine
That’s how I kick-started the first step in my 30 minutes workout:
- Warm-up: 5 minutes at a comfortable pace
- Intervals: 2 minutes at a regular pace, 2 minutes at a fast pace (repeat 5 times)
- Cool-down: 5 minutes with an easy pace
By the end of this first walk, I was already able to tell the difference. First of all, I was breathing with more frequency, and secondly, my heart rate had undeniably risen. It was not as if I was sweating a river, but I could tell that I was putting in more effort than usual.
Going Forward In a Stress-Free Way
As the days of the week went by, I would extend the time spent on walking fast a bit. For example, on the fifth day, I decided to walk faster for 4-minute intervals and then go one-minute slower for the walk after that. This minor change didn’t add any discomfort to my sessions and they worked even better in tone with my workout goals.
Not only that but I didn’t need to follow up on anything really fancy other than my Apple Watch 10, such a device. It had a custom workout setting that was very easy to set up. But of course, you can just as well do it with your phone’s timer or even count your steps to know when to change the intervals. For instance, walk fast for 40 steps, and then, for the next 40 steps, just keep to your regular walking pace. Repeating these steps.
How This Method Gets Results
The interval strategy does the job because it rapidly increases your exercise intensity. In other words, in a short period of time, the speed increase of a few minutes makes the heart rate acceleration, turns the metabolism on, and arranges the muscle group. Besides, the challenge posed by the speed elevation also makes the posture, the core exercise, and the coordination play an important role.
If you want to make the walk more valuable, you do not have to go in for running, climb high hills, or wear a weighted vest. Those are only a few examples of what short walking periods elevate your workout without obstacles such as difficulty or overwhelming feeling. And still, if you find conventional cardio boring or hard on your joints, then this virtually zero-impact change is an appropriate choice for you.
Thus, the next time you prepare to walk, try walking intervals. You may feel so much better and more energized.
