A walk stimulates digestion and gives you new energy. But did you know that you can even lose weight by walking? Here are three tips to make your walk really effective.
Going for a walk every day is a real health booster. This is mainly because it reduces the risk of many diseases – for example diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular diseases.
Walking also strengthens the immune system, aids digestion and improves mood. If you want to do something extra for your fitness, the following three tips will help.
This change is probably the simplest and yet extremely effective: change the speed you walk every now and then. If you walk faster, you not only burn more calories, but you also stimulate your metabolism.
It is not necessary to goose step. It is enough to increase the speed for a few minutes and then slow down again.
Tip: If you listen to music while walking, you can simply increase the tempo for the duration of a song and then walk more leisurely for the next song. This can help you to consciously increase the tempo every now and then.
If you are already used to increasing the pace, you can occasionally walk on your tiptoes. After just a few steps you will notice the tension in your calves.
If that’s too easy for you, you can also consciously tense your gluteal muscles and train your bottom as well as your calves. Even if it can be strenuous at first, this exercise is extremely effective and turns a leisurely walk into a toning exercise sequence.
At first, it might seem a little strange to suddenly walk backwards in the park. But changing the direction you walk from time to time has numerous positive effects.
Researchers have found that walking backwards can improve balance and mobility in both children and adults who have had a stroke. Older people who regularly walk backwards are less likely to fall. Walking backwards regularly also improves normal walking because it trains coordination.
It’s best to try this exercise first with a training partner to avoid falling. Alternatively, you can practice walking backwards by looking back over your shoulder at the beginning. This exercise is guaranteed to be fun and, what’s more, it gets you fit.
Going for a walk every day is good for your body and mind. However, a walk cannot replace a proper workout.
Whether walking is enough for you depends on your individual goal. If you want to build muscle, then workouts are more likely to help you achieve your goal. But if you want to improve your health and do something good for your body, you don’t necessarily have to do additional exercise in addition to your daily walk.
The original of this article “If you do three things, you will lose weight while walking” comes from FitForFun.