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It’s National Walking Day! But this year, you don’t need a national holiday to draw attention to a popular movement. Walking is at an important moment. From the “hot girl walk” to his 12-3-30 workout, people are putting their own twists on the most basic exercises.
But unlike many viral workout trends, walking isn’t a passing fad. On the contrary, simple movement has long been an accessible, free, and easy way to keep our hearts healthy, shed unwanted pounds, and improve our mental health.
In fact, the simplicity of walking may be the reason why it’s so underrated. With all the sleek gym equipment, viral workouts, and fitness technology on the market, is walking the pavement in sneakers really the best option? For many, the answer is yes.
benefits of walking
change from us Start Group Today These are direct examples of how a walking routine can transform your physical and mental health. As previously reported by TODAY.com, the benefits of walking are:
- Improve cardiovascular health and function
- increase aerobic capacity
- improvement in blood pressure
- Control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes
- boost metabolism
- weight maintenance
- Reduce risk or osteoarthritis
- maintain mobility
- lower the risk of dementia
Are you sure a walking routine is right for you? In honor of National Walking Day, we’ll answer frequently asked questions and set you up for success.
Scroll up to read all these benefits again. The answer is yes. TODAY Fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour says, “Walking often gets the bad rap that it’s not intense enough to create real change, or intense enough to get you out of more effective exercise, but whichever. is completely wrong!”
Of course, there are ways to increase the intensity of your walk or change your plan to meet specific goals, she added. You can increase it and add strength training to tone your muscles. Here she shares her five ways to make your walks more enjoyable.
10,000 has long been the benchmark to hit when it comes to daily step goals.
Studies show that just 11 minutes of walking a day can lower your risk of illness and early death. One study found that aiming for 8,000 to 9,000 steps a day was optimal for reducing the risk of hypertension and diabetes, while another found that walking 8,000 steps once or twice a week was the best. alone can significantly reduce the risk of death over the age of 10. Year.
While the exact number of steps required for optimal health may still be inconclusive, experts say that taking short breaks to get up and walk throughout the day is a great place to start. I agree that it is a place. You might be surprised at how many steps you’ve accumulated!
If you’re walking for weight loss, it may be more beneficial to walk for time rather than distance, says Mansoor. She recommends that at least she walks the sidewalk for 30 minutes (preferably more) a day.
With that said, if you’re into distance and love tracking miles and steps, give it a try. At the end of the day, it’s the consistent commitment to action that brings results. So choose a method that encourages you to stick with it.
Short answer: yes. Low impact exercise that burns calories and helps you lose weight. Additionally, the best exercise is one that you enjoy and work on consistently, and walking ticks those boxes for many people. However, to see results, you need to increase the amount of time you spend walking. Experts suggest 45 to 60 minutes, making necessary adjustments to your diet.
Walking at any pace can help you burn calories and improve your cardiovascular fitness. Power walking raises the stakes by getting your upper body involved as well and getting your heart rate up. research Like power walking, taking more steps per minute has been shown to help improve insulin levels and BMI. Proper form when power walking is important — learn how here.
You can turn walking into a more intense workout by adding intervals that alternate between slower walking paces and faster, more strenuous paces. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) like this has been shown to reduce body fat and improve cardiovascular fitness. Try it out with this 10-minute HIIT walking workout for him.
I think walking is boring. What can I do to make it more fun?
Think of walking as “me” time, not training. Listen to podcasts, invite your friends to chat (or call them on the phone), and find different scenic routes to keep them entertained (we love parks and shopping malls!). . The members of Start TODAY love taking steps to their favorite music. They shared their top tunes to make you sweat.
