6 Ways to Lose Weight By Simply Walking
Although walking doesn’t seem like it would do much for weight loss, this simple activity is actually one of the best for our health. As walking is low-impact, it doesn’t hurt our joints and is a sustainable, easy-to-maintain exercise. Try these six tips to get even more out of your walking routine.
1. Hit the Hills (Or Trails)
Adding hills or uneven terrain to your walk can make your muscles work harder and get stronger. While a regular 45-minute walk might burn about 175 calories for an average-weight person, walking on a hiking trail at the same pace can burn upwards of 300 calories.
2. Add Some Weights
Walking with ankle or wrist weights can build endurance and muscle mass by adding more force than what you’re used to, which helps your body burn more calories at rest. However, be careful to use them correctly and take breaks between use (especially with ankle weights) because they can cause too much stress on the joints.
3. Try Intervals
Instead of walking at the same pace throughout your entire walk, increase your pace for 1- to 2-minutes every 10 minutes or so. Adding several short intervals of fast walking during a longer walk can burn an extra 30 calories from your slower walking pace.
4. Take the Stairs
Whether you’re at work, home, or running errands, taking the stairs instead of the elevator is great for burning calories, raising your heart rate, and building leg muscles. Climbing stairs for just 5 minutes a day can burn almost 50 calories.
5. Increase By 15 Minutes
If you usually walk for 30 minutes, try increasing it to 45 minutes. These extra minutes can help your mind and body learn to do more challenging things. Adding just 15 minutes of walking per day burns an extra 470 calories each week — that’s almost 2,000 for the month.
6. Add Lunges
If you’re walking in a park, adding in a few walking lunges — or stepping up and down from a park bench — can increase your calorie burn and help tone and build leg muscles. Lunges also help with balance, hip flexibility, and core strength.
1. Hit the Hills (Or Trails)
Adding hills or uneven terrain to your walk can make your muscles work harder and get stronger. While a regular 45-minute walk might burn about 175 calories for an average-weight person, walking on a hiking trail at the same pace can burn upwards of 300 calories.
2. Add Some Weights
Walking with ankle or wrist weights can build endurance and muscle mass by adding more force than what you’re used to, which helps your body burn more calories at rest. However, be careful to use them correctly and take breaks between use (especially with ankle weights) because they can cause too much stress on the joints.
3. Try Intervals
Instead of walking at the same pace throughout your entire walk, increase your pace for 1- to 2-minutes every 10 minutes or so. Adding several short intervals of fast walking during a longer walk can burn an extra 30 calories from your slower walking pace.
4. Take the Stairs
Whether you’re at work, home, or running errands, taking the stairs instead of the elevator is great for burning calories, raising your heart rate, and building leg muscles. Climbing stairs for just 5 minutes a day can burn almost 50 calories.
5. Increase By 15 Minutes
If you usually walk for 30 minutes, try increasing it to 45 minutes. These extra minutes can help your mind and body learn to do more challenging things. Adding just 15 minutes of walking per day burns an extra 470 calories each week — that’s almost 2,000 for the month.
6. Add Lunges
If you’re walking in a park, adding in a few walking lunges — or stepping up and down from a park bench — can increase your calorie burn and help tone and build leg muscles. Lunges also help with balance, hip flexibility, and core strength.
