Boost Your Walking Workouts: 5 Trainer-Approved Tips to Challenge Yourself
Walking workouts have surged in popularity, offering accessible and health-boosting benefits. However, to maximize the benefits, it’s essential to challenge yourself. Here are five expert-backed tips to make your walks more intense:
Increase Your Pace: Push your speed to a point where you breathe more heavily. Shorten your strides, bend your elbows, and pump your arms for momentum. Aim for a pace that almost feels like jogging but remains low-impact.
Incorporate Interval Training: Alternate between low and high-intensity activity. This can involve speeding up for a minute or two, then slowing down to recover. You can also add step-ups on a park bench to increase heart rate.
Gradually Add Distance: Avoid injury by not increasing distance too quickly. Aim for 10,000 steps a day, but start by adding 1,000 steps weekly if you’re currently at a lower count.
Use a Weighted Vest: Instead of hand weights, opt for a weighted vest to maintain a natural walking gait and provide equal weight distribution. This can improve bone density and strengthen your core.
Walk on an Incline: Whether on a treadmill or outdoors, walking uphill increases heart rate and engages more muscle groups. Vary the incline on a treadmill or find hilly routes for outdoor walks.
These tips will help you get the most out of your walking workouts, enhancing fitness, calorie burn, and overall health.