Honestly, walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do regularly.
The American Heart Association recommends participating in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (exercises that increase breathing and heart rate) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly to keep your heart healthy. your healthy.
You don’t have to be a seasoned runner or hiker to reap the heart-healthy benefits of aerobic exercise. You can increase walking with the help of dumbbells and high-intensity interval training.
In fact, walking an hour a day may be enough to help you lose weight sustainably, depending on your pace and the terrain you’re walking on.
Here are four walking tips that will help you maximize weight loss.
1. Time of day is very important.
A 2016 study published in the journal Diabetologia found that walking for 10 minutes after each meal reduced blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes more than walking for 30 minutes continuously at any time. any other point of the day.
According to nutritionist Melissa Rifkin (USA), managing blood sugar can make weight loss a lot easier, regardless of whether you have diabetes or not. Walking after eating can help boost calorie burning and especially encourage the body to use fat as an energy source.
2. Walking in the afternoon can be most effective.
Getting out in the sun during the workday can have many health benefits, namely increasing vitamin D absorption, which can improve immune function and even support bone health.
A 2020 study published in the journal Physiological Reports may help keep you motivated to get outside during peak sun hours, as it shows that exercising in the afternoon can increase burnout. fat.
More specifically, the study found that obese men who exercised in the afternoon not only burned more body fat, but also improved blood glucose (sugar) levels and suffered less insulin resistance over the course of 12 years. week, compared with those who exercised in the morning.
You should consider going out for a brisk walk in the afternoon to burn the most calories.
3. Walking uphill burns more calories.
As Dr. Amy Lee, owner of Nutrition for Nucific explains, walking 10,000 steps (or the equivalent of 5 miles, that’s about 8 km) a day will help you maintain your weight, but if you want to lose weight, you will. want to take another 5,000 steps.
In addition, you will also want to increase the intensity a bit. Consider walking the incline on the treadmill or going up-down the steep path in a subway park near you.
“If you’re always walking the same lap in your park or neighborhood, try to find a hill or places with a steeper slope,” says Dr. Lee. his cardiovascular strength”.
4. Ask a friend to walk with you.
Exercising with a friend not only helps the time pass and keeps you accountable, but it can also help you train harder. Findings from a 2017 study published in Nature Communications suggest that friends can greatly influence each other’s exercise habits.
Another study from Michigan State University (USA) found that doing exercises that boosted respiration and heart rate (such as walking or running) with a partner motivated participants to exercise harder. just longer and longer, compared to those who exercised alone.
