Walking is an Easy & Effective way for improving Activity level.
Walking is a great form of physical activity that’s free, low risk, and accessible to most people
Walking is easy on your knees and other joints
Walking is great for Heart, Mood, Metabolism, Digestion & Bone Density
Ways to improve Walking to Break Weight loss Plateau
- Incorporate Lite Interval Jogs
Add Interval Slow Jogging in between Walks
30 second slow jog – 3 min Walk (vice versa)
This interval training can help improve cardiovascular fitness.
Alternating between walking and jogging can help burn more calories compared only walking.
Alternating between the two can provide a more comprehensive workout helping strengthen various muscles in lower body.
2. Use Tie on Body Weights
Tie Weight on wrist, ankle, chest, back to increase intensity
Wearing weights while walking raise heart rate, it boosts consumption of oxygen by 5% to 10% and also makes glutes muscle work harder.
Adding weights to walking can increase the intensity, helping to burn more calories and enhance muscle engagement.
3. More Focus on Time & distance covered than steps
Try to do more steps and distance in same time
Researchers suggest that going the distance may be the better option when it comes to accurate estimations of overall accumulated exercise and energy expenditure (calories burned).
4. Add Strength Training
Try these exercise with Walking
- High knee walk:
High knee walks increase core strength, work your legs and get your heart rate up.
- Raising legs (on sides & front):
Improves blood flow and lowers the pressure in veins in legs.
- Walking Lunges:
Walking lunges can help strengthen the lower body. They can also help stretch out the hamstring and glutes
- Calf raises:
Calf raises strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet and ankle This supports joint health in your ankles, boosts stability, and helps prevent injuries like sprains. By regularly performing calf raises, you can stimulate muscle growth in these areas, helping to shape and define your calves for a more toned and sculpted appearance.
- Side walks in squat :
Side walks in squats is a great way to strengthen hip abductor muscle in a functional position, providing increased strength and stability of your pelvis during walking and other everyday activities.
5. Have a Goal in mind :- Register for a walkathons
Set a realistic goal. If you’re not used to walking much, start with a smaller goal, such as 5,000 steps per day. Once you’ve reached that goal, you can gradually increase it.
6. Go for hiking or long walks once in a while
Hiking outdoors surrounded by nature, boosts your outlook. according to studies. While you can burn around 100 calories per mile walking, you can easily double that figure when hiking.
7. Practice balancing exercise
Try these Balancing Exercises
- Standing on one leg:
It strengthens the muscles in your ankles, legs, hips and core and also helps bolster your balance.
- Tight-rope walk ( walk on one Line) :
It’s a great exercise for improving balance posture and core strength
- Walk on toes and heels separately:
Walking on the heels stretches the clf muscles and strengthens the foot extensors.
While walking on the toes strengthens the calf muscles and stretches and frequently shortened toe extensors.
Walk on toes and heels Invigorates, stretches and relaxes the whole body and stimulates the circulatory system. Strengthens the leg and foot muscles and is therefore good for flat feet and fallen arches. Encourages venous return in the legs.
Useful Tips for Walking:
- Focus on Posture and stride
- Use Footwear which are comfortable
- Avoid shoes with very thick sole
- Stretch your muscles
- Don’t skip Warm up and cool down
- Slow progression
- Choose the best time ( early morning and late evenings)
- Stay Hydrated
- Only Slow walk post meal
- Take Rest for recovery
- Include HIIT & Yoga
- Keep core / Stomach tight and pulled in while walking
- Use Exercises like Planks Russian twist, boat pose etc to strength core
- Engage your upper body