Walking at a continuous pace not only boosts your energy level but also reduces your weight. Walking should be aimed at a particular distance or duration covered to maintain proper health and control weight.
Walking is one of the best exercises to control weight and burn excess calories if good methods of walking are practiced.
Walking Styles:
It is always necessary to maintain a good walking style to get the maximum benefits of this exercise and at the same time minimize any health risks. The following walking styles should be maintained for obtaining the benefits.
✅ Try to be as straight as possible including back while walking.
✅ Your arms should be swinging in front and back straight at a maximum angle of 90 degrees centigrade with the body.
✅ Take more steps per minute instead of taking longer steps.
✅ Walking should be maintained in a straight line as possible and try to keep your foot very close.
✅ Try to breathe deeply.
✅ You should start walking slowly in the initial days and should increase the speed and miles gradually as you proceed, keeping in mind your body’s response to these exercises.
Losing Weight and Fitness Level
Being overweight can cause a decreased level of fitness. Burning extra calories by walking will not only make you slim and trim but also increase your overall fitness level. A lack of exercise always causes a decrease in the efficiency of muscle and energy levels.
Trainer’s Advice for Walking
Heart rate is one of the factors for burning calories and thus controls weight loss. The higher the heart rate, the higher calories will be burned and thus walking will be more effective for you, but at the same time, you should also consult an expert trainer, physiotherapist, or physician for maintaining a specific heart rate.
Aging may cause some reduction in the efficiency and pump ability of the heart and a 20-year-old male can achieve a maximum heart rate of 200 beats per minute and the same person at the age of 40 may achieve a maximum heart rate of 180 only. Your trainer may advise you to attain not more than 60 % of the maximum heart rate, if you observe any difficulty you should consult the trainer or the physician.
Program For Walking
Make a simple program for walking.
✅ Start with a few minutes in the initial days and gradually increase the duration.
✅ For achieving effective results of the walking you should continue walking for a minimum of 30 minutes daily or at least 5 to 6 days of a week.
✅ If your conditions allow you to walk briskly, walk as much as you can. In case you observe any symptoms of breathlessness, vomiting, dizziness, or any unusual symptoms, you should contact your doctor.
✅ Before walking do exercise for stretching of the body parts such as arms, head, shoulder, ankles, stomach, back, etc, for a few minutes.
✅ If you get tired during walking, you should gradually slow down your speed.
✅ Too much brisk walking can cause breathlessness in some people.
✅ You should adhere to your walking schedule daily and try to convert your walk in three time zones, first slow walking for 4-5 minutes, second brisk walking and third slow walking for 4-5 minutes.
✅ The first and third time zones are for warm-up and clod-down zones. Brisk walking should be gradually increased from 405 minutes in the initial week to 25-30 minutes after 8-10 weeks.
