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Walking to lose weight: the walk becomes a fitness

BECAUSE IT IS GOOD TO WALK – The walk is the simplest of the aerobic activities and belongs to us from early childhood. It is a complete and harmonious way of moving: like all aerobic activities, it improves the functionality of the heart and lungs, involves the entire musculoskeletal system and activates the metabolism. Constant training helps to reduce overweight, regulates blood pressure, reactivates circulation, helps keep cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control, and even has positive effects on intestinal function. But the advantages are also felt on a psychological and mental level: walking lowers stress and anxiety levels, improves mood and, as happens with all forms of physical activity, especially if practiced in the open air, free endorphins, substances friendly to well-being. The healthy tiredness that comes from a long walk also promotes a good night’s rest.

HOW TO GET EQUIPPED – To get to burn calories it is essential that the walk has a brisk pace: for this it is essential to wear suitable shoes: sneakers are fine, but specific footwear is ideal because they guarantee the foot a certain cushioning. It is advisable to wear comfortable clothes and above all to be free from anything that can hinder movement, such as bags, backpacks or other. If we have to bring some objects with us, we can store them in a small pouch, while the simple mobile phone can be stored in one of the special bands to hold on the arm. It may be helpful to wear a tracker, that is a bracelet device, able to count the number of steps, the distance traveled and, above all, the heart rate. These devices are very useful for monitoring the intensity and duration of training, keeping its effectiveness under control.

HOW TO WALK TO TRAIN Sport walking should not be confused with a simple walk. The pace is much faster and must reach at least 4-4.5 kilometers per hour. To get an idea, it is the pace at which we walk when we are in a hurry. Steps must have regular cadence, with a wide stride and accompanied by the movement of the arms, which helps to maintain the rhythm and stabilize the balance, supporting the whole sole of the foot, from heel to toe, with an upright posture and keeping the abdominal and back muscles active. Breathing must be controlled: we inhale deeply through the nose starting from the diaphragm, and exhale through the mouth. When we have acquired some training, after an initial warm-up phase we can reach 5.5-6 kilometers per hour. To find our optimal speed, we start moving, increasing the pace until we feel our heart rate go up and we start to feel a little sweaty. Breathing will also increase in pace: we keep the pace we suffered from before feeling breathless.

HOW MUCH TO WALK – The walk, to be effective, must last at least 40 minutes: if we consider that the first ten are usually warm-up and are used to reach the optimal speed, here we get the canonical 30 minutes of training that we usually talk about and which are considered the minimum threshold for an effective and fat-burning workout. If we can keep up the pace without getting tired, we can continue for 70-80 minutes. If we realize that we are slowing down or that our breathing becomes labored, it means that fatigue is starting to be felt. Better to finish the workout and devote to ten minutes of stretching, to relax the tired muscles. The optimal cadence for those who want to drop weight effectively is five workouts per week: you can start with three, to gradually increase. Instead, it is wrong to train every day: at least two days a week it is better to rest or devote yourself to a different activity.

HOW MUCH IT BURNS – The consumption of calories is highly variable depending on the walking speed, age and weight of the person. Young people “burn” more than those who are older in years because the metabolism is more active in youth; at the same speed, those who weigh more burn more calories because they have to move more body mass. Indicatively, an adult weighing 70 kilos, walking on the flat at six kilometers per hour will burn about 400 calories in an hour. A person of 55 kilos, at the same speed, will burn 360 instead.

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