Thanks to global warming, the weather is finally cooling down a little bit. It’s a great time to get outside and take a walk without being drenched in sweat or covered in pollen. Also, if you have to wear a mask, you’ll be able to breathe a little easier. If you’re looking for some motivation, MyFitnessPal offers a lot of tips on the benefits of walking, how to solve any issues that arise from walking (a.k.a. excuses), and a six-week walking plan to help shed some pounds. We’ve been hit with a lot of rain this hurricane season, so it has been a little more challenging to get my walks in, but it is always refreshing to be able to get outside and enjoy nature. Check out the resources below, and let me know if you are excited to add walking to your fitness routine.
BENEFITS OF WALKING
As you lose weight, your metabolism adapts and requires fewer calories. One of the reasons many people struggle with weight regain is they return to their pre-weight loss diet with this newly adapted metabolism. One way to help keep your metabolism churning is via non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). “This includes walking around the house or running errands, which can help keep your metabolism running at a higher level to maintain your body composition,” explains Nick Garner, a certified personal trainer.
“Because it’s a lower-intensity form of exercise, it’s easy to recover from a walking workout,” says Garner. There are a couple big benefits here. First, if you’re doing other forms of exercise, your performance in those won’t be impacted by walking. This means you can add to your activity level without compromising your primary workout.
Second, there may be benefits to getting your heart rate up multiple times a day. “Being active keeps the heart pumping blood, delivering nutrients all around the body and aiding digestion,” says Garner.
Not only is walking easy to recover from, it’s also active recovery in its own right. “Walking will help you recover from workouts so you can train with high intensity more often,” Garner says. “A recent review found several things can be done to accelerate recovery from training. Active recovery, like walking, was found to improve symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness to allow for more training throughout the week. While walking was not as effective as therapies like massage or compression garments, it is much more accessible and cost-effective.”
You can find the rest of the benefits of walking from MyFitnessPal here .
NO MORE EXCUSES
The fix: If you’re experiencing knee pain during or after a walk, a good place to start is with your footwear. Having a proper walking shoe that fits your foot correctly and changing it every 500–600 miles can help prevent knee pain. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not overstriding and increase your total weekly mileage by no more than 10% each week to allow your body to adapt to the activity.
Stretching post-walk can also help improve flexibility and icing sore spots can reduce inflammation. If the problem persists, it’s a good idea to speak with a medical professional.
The fix: If you don’t have enough energy to get through a walk, take a look at what you’re eating (or not) pre-workout. Opt for simple carbohydrates that can easily be digested before a workout. “For workouts less than an hour, a small snack like a banana or piece of toast would do the trick,” says Stephanie Nelson, a registered dietitian and MyFitnessPal’s in-house nutrition expert. If you’re walking for more than an hour or upping the intensity, you may need additional fuel such as a small portion of oatmeal or a smoothie. You can experiment with what works best for your body by tracking your food and noting how you feel in an app like MyFitnessPal.
The fix: Even if you only have 10 minutes, you can still get in a good workout. One easy way to increase your calorie burn, get stronger and make your walks more difficult is to hit the trails and take advantage of inclines, which work more muscle groups. You can also include short, high-intensity intervals where you pick up the pace several times during your walk. Another way to add more challenge: Include walking lunges, stepups on a park bench and other bodyweight exercises.
You can find the solutions to the rest of your excuses here.
WALKING PLANS
Looking for a structured walking plan? MyFitnessPal also has a six-week belly fat-blasting walking plan just in time for the holidays!
