I have written about the benefits of walking for more than 10 years, calling it the ‘Cinderella’ of the exercise spectrum, completely unappreciated. Now comes the Wall Street Journal with a wonderful article on more favorable aspects of walking.
if you are concerned about weight loss and calorie-burning:
Intensifying your fitness routine could come from the simplest change possible: how you put one foot in front of the other.
Walking with more intensity can burn as many calories as higher-impact activities such as running or even HIIT classes, experts say. That could mean incorporating weights, hills, intervals or a faster pace without breaking into a jog.
What about walking faster:
Speed up those steps and research suggests you can boost longevity. Plus, you can get the same—if not greater—calorie burn on a 20-minute walk where you incorporate intervals at a brisk pace as you would from a 40-minute walk at a leisurely pace, Dr. Allison says.
” …for those looking to lose weight: Along with making healthy diet choices, you need to increase the intensity of your exercise. If jogging or running is uncomfortable on your joints, Dr. Allison suggests power walking, where you swing your arms, and race walking, where one foot remains in contact with the ground at all times.
But speed isn’t the only way to up the ante through walking:
Incorporating hills into your walking routine is a low-impact way to challenge the muscles and heart more, says Abrea Wooten, senior national education manager for gym company Life Time Inc. Ms. Wooten walks uphill wearing a weighted vest on a treadmill to help train for ultramarathons. “It’s so much gentler on my joints,” she says. “The incline puts less stress on the knees.”
Finally, you can check out my Page: Why you should walk more if you need further convincing.
Tony
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 