Today is National Walking Day, which means that it is of utmost importance that you spend some time getting out and sticking your things down on the sidewalk.
Honestly, walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do on a regular basis. The American Heart Association Recommend that you participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense aerobic activity each week to keep your heart healthy. What better way to sweat than to go on a trail and go for a quick walk?
You do not have to be an experienced runner or hiker to reap the heart-healthy benefits of aerobic exercise – you can intensify your walk with the help of hand-held weights and intervals. In fact, walking for an hour every day can be enough to help you achieve sustainable weight loss, depending on your pace and the terrain you walk on. (Related: 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work).
Below we have compiled a list of four tips on how you can maximize your weight loss.
A 2016 study published in Diabetology, revealed Walking for 10 minutes after each meal helped to lower blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes more than walking for 30 minutes in a row at some other time during the day. As Melissa Rifkin, MS, RDN, CDN point out, managing blood sugar (sugar) can make weight loss much easier, whether you have diabetes or not. Going after eating can help increase calorie burning and encourage your body to use fat as an energy source.
Getting out in the sun during the working day can provide a number of health benefits, namely increased vitamin D absorption, which can improve immune function and even support bone health. A study from 2020 published in Physiological reports can give you additional incentives to get out during peak hours, as it suggests Exercise in the afternoon can increase fat burning.
More specifically, the study revealed that overweight men who exercised in the afternoon not only burned more body fat but also improved blood sugar levels (and sugar) and experienced less insulin resistance for 12 weeks compared to those who worked in the morning. Consider taking a brisk walk in the afternoon to achieve the greatest calorie burn.
As Dr. Amy Lee, Head of Nutrition for Nucific explained to us earlier, walking 10,000 steps (or the equivalent of 50 miles) every day helps you maintain weight, but if you want to lose weight you want to take another 5,000 steps. In addition, you want to increase the intensity a bit as well. Consider walking on a slope on the treadmill or walking up and down hills in a subway park near you.
“If you always walk in the same loop in the park or in your area, try to find a hill or places with more slope. That way, you increase your cardio,” says Lee.
Exercising with a friend not only helps time pass when you exercise and keeps you accountable, but it can also help you work harder. The results from a 2017 study published in Nature communication suggest that friends can greatly influence each other’s exercise routine. Another study from Michigan State University found that doing aerobic exercise (such as walking or running) with a partner motivated participants to work harder and longer, compared to those who worked alone.
For more, be sure to check out 5 new weight loss facts you need to know right now, science says.
