Boost your strolls into a fitness regimen with this trainer's recommended five methods for transforming your walks into walking exercises
Boosting Your Outdoor Walking Workout: A Guide
Walking is a low-impact exercise that can help you burn calories and put less stress on your joints, according to personal trainer Karl Henry. But why not take your walking routine to the next level and reap even more benefits? Here's a guide to enhance your outdoor walking workout.
Walking up hills can provide a more intense workout, specifically targeting the glutes and quads. On the other hand, walking down steep declines can challenge your balance, requiring concentration and engagement of the torso, glutes, and inner thighs.
Incorporating intervals of faster walking or power walking sprints can increase calorie burn and engage more muscles without the impact of running. For instance, try 20-30 seconds of quick power walking followed by recovery. Mixing bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, or push-ups during walking sessions turns the walk into a full-body workout that builds lean muscle and raises heart rate.
Choosing varied terrain like hills or trails intensifies effort, improves balance, and offers a change in scenery. If you're looking to engage your upper body muscles, consider Nordic walking with poles. This activity can burn approximately 20% more calories than regular walking and improves posture and cardiovascular endurance.
For an added challenge, try weighted walking (rucking) by carrying ankle or wrist weights or a weighted vest. However, it's important to introduce this gradually with attention to posture.
Remember to maintain proper posture—upright chest and shoulders back—while pumping arms to increase walking speed and engage upper body muscles. Warming up and cooling down properly can reduce injury risk. Lastly, vary your walking speed and routes to keep the workout challenging.
Personal trainer Karl Henry shared five tips to upgrade a walking workout on Instagram: using arms to lengthen stride, walking in nature, walking uphill, walking downhill, and adding resistance exercises along the way. Walking in nature can also help reduce anxiety, and mindful walking can help you notice the birds and how your body is feeling while you walk.
By incorporating these strategies, you can transform simple outdoor walking into a more efficient fat-burning, strength-building, and cardiovascular workout. Happy walking!
[1] Effective ways to enhance the benefits of outdoor walking workouts: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/outdoor-walking-workout [2] Nordic walking: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/nordic-walking/art-20046311 [3] Walking for fitness: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808286/ [4] Walking workouts: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6464334/
- To augment the benefits of outdoor walking workouts, try incorporating cardio-intensive activities like walking up hills, power walking sprints, and Nordic walking with poles for a full-body fitness-and-exercise routine.
- Walking down steep declines requires concentration and engages the torso, glutes, and inner thighs, thereby offering a challenging workout within the realm of health-and-wellness.
- By varying terrain, incorporating resistance exercises, and mindful walking in nature, you can optimize your outdoor walking workout for improved balance, reduced anxiety, and increased calorie burn.
