It’s hard to commit to a full-blown workout routine or a daily gym habit. As a compromise people often opt for walks, to convincing themselves that this could compensate for their lack of physical exercise. That is why, going on walks is not considered to be effective cardio by many fitness experts.
However, there is a way by which you can optimise your morning or evening walks, and even shed excess body fat.
Walking Can Help You Shed Body Fat
The Cambridge Dictionary defines cardio as a ‘physical exercise that increases the rate at which your heart works.’ While some may argue that this can not apply to walking, the reality is far from this.
As per New Mexico Orthopaedic Associates, ‘Walking is an excellent type of cardio activity.’ The only condition is, as they stated, that your walking routine should be of high intensity, so much so that it challenges your cardiovascular system, and gets your heart, lungs, and muscles working harder.
Recently, Dr Mike Diamonds, a fitness coach and Instagram and YouTube influencer, shared that walking can do wonders in your weight loss journey, mainly because it helps to burn calories stored in fat cells.
Also Read: What Is Silent Walking? Here’s How This Research-Backed TikTok Trend Can Help You Deal With Stress
High-Intensity Walk
Dr Diamonds recommended that there are two ways to add walking to your workout routine. The first one is an informal way, which is just going for a morning or evening walk outside your home.
However, the formal way is to do it on the treadmill. Here are a few things you should know:
- Start with 8,000 steps daily. Might seem like a lot but it is easily manageable.
- Gradually increase your daily step count by 2,000 steps every week.
- To see a significant reduction in body fat, you might want to go as high as 20,000 steps every day.
- You can further incorporate the elevation mode in your treadmill. This inclines the treadmill belt and gives you similar benefits to walking uphill.
- For a significant reduction in body weight, increasing your step count by 1,000 every week should bring noticeable results.
In conclusion, walking is one of the simplest ways to shed fat, and it even has proven benefits for your emotional well-being and mood. However, this does not mean that walking can compensate for strength training and high-intensity workouts. Rather, your morning walk can be a pleasant and less strenuous way to add a sprinkle of fitness to your daily life.