Is walking just another way to get from point A to point B? According to experts, it’s more than that. Walking has the status of exercise since 1989. It was at that time that researchers discovered that walking enhances and maintains physical fitness. So, if you want to shed a few pounds, but you hate exercise, try walking more. You’ll be surprised to see the results that you’ll get.
Why walking is good exercise
Walking is the most underrated forms of exercise. As a matter of fact, many people don’t even think that walking qualifies as exercise. Oh, but it does. Physical exercise is any type of body activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive. Is walking planned? Although most of the time it’s completely spontaneous you can plan a walking session. Is it structured? Well, there’s nothing to organize when it comes to taking a stroll, yet if someone accompanies you, you have to consider your steps carefully. The last thing you want is to leave the person behind. Is walking repetitive? Walking is all about repeating steps.
How walking can help you shed off those unwanted pounds
Studies say that walking is just as good as running. While you won’t be able to burn 800 calories, you can burn at least 400. That’s a lot considering that the only thing that you’re doing is getting from here to there. The more calories than you consume, the more you’re going to have to burn. Attention needs to be paid to the fact that not just every type of walking is effective. Only fast-paced walking can help you slim down. If your daily strolls haven’t helped you reach your weight loss goals, you now know why. How fast is fast-paced walking? You should be walking 20 minutes per mile.
Start with 20-minute walks per day. This will help you shed off those unwanted pounds and help you control your blood sugar levels. What you need to be doing from time to time is walking at a really fast pace for 1 minute or 2. If you’re not particularly a fan of the great outdoors, you can go straight to the gym. Walking on the treadmills is just as effective. You can lose weight from certain parts of your body, including the abdomen and this. The point is that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you advance on foot at moderate or intense speed.
Have we been deceived all this time?
There are many voices out there claiming that the benefits of walking for the health have been exaggerated. What these people are trying to say is that taking a stroll through the park isn’t enough and that people who want to become slim need to engage in other forms of exercise. The thing is that these are just opinions. Researchers have managed to prove that walking has incredible benefits for health and, implicitly, for weight loss, but the opposite can’t be established. Until it is, it’s not a good idea to listen to just about anything you hear.
References
The Relationship of Walking Intensity to Total and Cause-Specific Mortality. Results from the National Walkers’ Health Study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3834211/ Accessed November 2017
The Fat-Burning Walking Workout Plan. https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/walking/fat-burning-walking-workout-plan/. Accessed at: November 2017
Is Walking Enough?. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/is-walking-enough#2. Accessed November 2017
