Walking is great exercise. Don’t think that because you’re walking rather than running or jogging it isn’t of much benefit. It is. And if you want to make it even better so you can burn more calories, it’s dead easy. Make sure you always pair a pair of good walking shoes and then try these hacks.
You can really work on strengthening your abs and burning calories by engaging your core during a good long walk. Suck in your gut as best you can. Not in the way that makes you hold your breath but more in the way that sees your tummy muscles nice and tense. The feeling should be like trying to pull in your stomach through your naval, and doing this for extended bursts during your walk will burn more calories and work out your abs!
When you are in to the rhythm of a nicely paced power walk, something you can do to take it up another level and work out yet another body part is to tighten your buns every time you push off on your toes. Doing it at that precise moment of your walking stride feels natural and you will soon get in to the hang of it. The motion gets your butt muscles working nice and hard, and will burn extra calories while turning you into J. Lo!
When out on a good walk, be sure to put the whole length of your feet to work. Starting with your heel, roll your body forward and finish by pushing off from the ball of your foot and your toes. This might seem silly because that is essentially me telling somebody how to walk, but you would be surprised at the number of people have strange stances and put unnecessary strain on their hamstrings and calves. The more correctly you walk, the longer you can burn calories.
It’s not rocket science to know that you will burn more calories by walking at a brisk pace rather than a pace at which you feel completely comfortable; after all, that is where the exercise comes in! The ideal pace for a nice brisk walk is the sort of speed that you go when trying half-desperately to reach a park bus before it shuts its doors and leaves without you. I’m sure we have all had that experience before!
Make a conscious effort not to slouch and ruin your posture when on a walk. It can be very easy to pop in your headphones and become very insular, and this will be reflected in a dropping of the shoulders and head. Instead, keep your head up and back, looking straight ahead. This extended posture will work more tiny muscles in your body.
Again, this one is just common sense. You might be able to walk for longer on a flat route, but choosing a hillier route with inclines will give your body a better workout in the short time, even if it turns out to be half the distance. The strain you feel on your calves walking up hill will all turn into extra strength and extra burned calories!
Sure, walking is all about using your legs, but that doesn’t mean your arms should be drooping unanimated by your sides. Throw in a nice steady rhythm of arm pumping as you walk. You might look like a comedy extra but you will definitely feel the benefits! You’ll feel those endorphins kick in faster too.
I hope this has inspired you to walk more and walk better. Try these tips whenever you’re walking. It’s exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.