Dear Director,
I’ve always been one to go for the power workout, sweating my butt of on the Stairmaster or going for a five-mile run. But my mom swears that whenever her weight creeps up, she loses it just by walking. I always thought you had to work hard to get those pounds off. Can you really lose weight by walking? It seems too easy.
It may seem easy, but walking to keep weight off and decrease body fat actually works. They key is to expend more energy than you consume and to stick with it. I spoke to Amy Magnuson, a registered dietician at Thagard and a former exercise physiologist, to find out ways you can be more effective at walking to lose weight.
“Weight
loss occurs when energy expenditure exceeds energy consumption,” said Magnuson.
“Energy expenditure can be increased through any type of physical activity,
including walking, jogging, cycling, aerobics, and sports. For people who get
little to no exercise, simply adding in some regular and consistent walking
could be the factor that results in weight loss.”
Walking at a moderate pace for 30 to 60 minutes burns stored fat and can build muscle to speed up your metabolism. Walking an hour a day also has other great benefits like cutting your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and stroke.
If you really
want to turn your walk into a workout, there are a few
simple techniques that can help maximize the benefits walking and
make it more of an overall body workout. Magnuson gave me these suggestions to
pass along to you:
Try interval walking. If you want to make walking more effective, break up your walk into slow and fast segments. Vary the pace of your walk so that you work hard for a few minutes followed by a recovery phase where you stroll slowly, bringing your heart rate down. Don't forget to warm up for at least 10 minutes before each session.
Head for the hills.
To increase body toning and cardiovascular fitness, walk uphill. Magnuson
said that walking uphill works a greater range of muscles, which means you burn more calories.
Rough it! If you normally walk on paved
roads or sidewalks, it might be time to challenge yourself by hiking a trail. According
to Magnuson, walking on a rough but level track requires 50 percent more energy
than walking on a paved road. There are walking trails all around
Circuit train. You don’t have to have a gym membership to strength train. The next time you're on a power walk, think of creative ways to tone specific muscles. For example, use a park bench to do push-ups or a curb for calf raises.
Swing those arms! Ever make fun of those walkers who swing their arms? They know something you don't. Magnuson said that by bending your arms 90 degrees at your elbow as you walk, you’ll quicken your pace, raise your heart rate, use more muscles, and burn five to 10 percent more calories.
Enter an event. Register for a 5K or 10K a couple of months in advance and then train for it. Magnuson suggests that you decide how fast you want to complete the course and then set up your training schedule to help accomplish your goal. Be consistent in your walking workouts, and reward yourself as you train to keep yourself focused on the event.
An
added bonus is that walking is an easy exercise routine to keep up with. Many
people who begin a more rigorous program don’t end up staying with it.
According
to Magnuson, “The main downside to doing too much exercise for most people is
that they can’t stick with it. Trying to maintain a high intensity workout
schedule is too difficult for many, in addition to the possibility that
injuries are more likely to occur.”
Many
people think that walking to lose weight doesn’t work, but as you can see, it
does. What’s more, there are plenty of options to turn it into a more
challenging workout if you choose.
For
more specific information regarding weight loss or weight management, Thagard
Student Health Center offers individual nutrition counseling and nutrition
education workshops. Students interested in an ongoing weight management
program can contact a Thagard nutritionist by calling 644-8871.