Walking at a brisk pace is beneficial. When, how much and how to walk to lose weight - tips for losing weight
Do you suffer from joint pain, heart problems, stress, depression or obesity? Because according to the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, walking helps reduce the risk of all chronic diseases. In fact, most health professionals will choose a brisk walk over a run, as it is a low-stress exercise that is gentle on the heart and joints.
1) 45 minutes of walking can help strengthen and tone your leg and back muscles and prevent muscle loss 2) 30 minutes of walking daily can help you lose weight, improve your metabolism and gain lean muscle mass 3) 30 minutes of interval cardio can help lower your blood pressure and relieve you from shortness of breath
1. Boosts Heart Health
Walking helps improve heart health. Irish scientists report that walking is the best exercise for sedentary individuals, especially adults, to reduce the risk of heart and vascular disease. In another study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers confirmed that men and women 65 years of age and older who walked at least 4 hours a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So don’t forget to walk at least 4 hours a week so that stroke and other heart troubles avoid you.
2. Promotes weight loss
Walking is a great exercise to lose weight and is so effective it's hard to imagine. American scientists conducted an experiment in which obese patients walked with each other (a concept called the “walking bus”) to places they usually took public transport in the city. After 8 weeks, weight measurements were taken and it was found that more than 50% of participants had lost an average of 5 pounds. You might also think it's a good idea to walk there and back instead of getting in the car.
3. Regulates blood pressure
Walking can also lower blood pressure. Researchers from Wakayama Medical University, Japan, conducted an experiment involving individuals with moderate hypertension in which 83 patients took 10,000 steps every day for 12 weeks. By the end of 12 weeks, they experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure, as well as improved endurance. Even if 10,000 steps a day is beyond your ability, walking for at least 60 minutes every day will certainly benefit your blood pressure.
Find out more without using pharmaceutical drugs.
4. Fights cancer
Cancer has taken more than a million lives. One of the causes of cancer is a sedentary lifestyle, and this is where walking can help you. Scientists have found that by going for a walk every day, you can reduce body weight and remove several kg of fat, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. It turns out there is no question about whether walking is beneficial for those undergoing cancer treatment because it reduces the side effects of chemotherapy. It may also reduce the risk of breast cancer.
5. Improves blood circulation
Believe it or not, walking can make you smarter by providing your brain with the necessary amount of oxygen and glucose, which helps it function better. It also lowers levels of LDL cholesterol, which clogs arteries, increasing the risk of stroke. Thus, blood circulation, brain and cell functioning are improved.
6. Reduces the risk of diabetes
A sedentary lifestyle leads to an exponential increase in one of the most common diseases - diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes, scientists recommend taking 3,000 to 7,500 steps a day, sitting less, and being more active overall. Walking every day can help control your blood sugar levels, which in turn can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
7. Strengthens bones
With age, bones become more fragile. However, there is good news: daily walks can help you strengthen them. This low-stress exercise prevents bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis, fractures and injuries. Since bones are the foundation of the body, stronger and healthier bones mean good posture, endurance and balance. Walking can also prevent arthritis and relieve associated pain.
8. Strengthens muscles
With age, a person loses not only bone mass, but also muscle mass. And here, too, walking can help you, because it strengthens and tones the muscles, and also prevents the loss of muscle mass. Regular walking can strengthen the muscles in your legs and back.
Poor digestion can lead to intestinal discomfort, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and even colon cancer. Thus, it is very important to keep your digestive system in order. To do this, you need not only to develop healthy gastronomic habits, drink more water, but also walk regularly. Walking after eating is wonderful. It will help you lose weight and also help digest food.
10. Strengthens immunity
The body's immune system must always function properly to fight infection, disease and death. Walking is a great way to strengthen your immune system. Walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help activate immune cells such as B cells, T cells and natural killer cells. This stimulates faster production of white blood cells, which allows the body to heal faster.
Dementia or dementia is a neurological condition characterized by the gradual loss of memory and cognitive functions. Over time, it can deprive you of the opportunity to do household chores and make you completely dependent on others. Walking at a moderate pace every day can help prevent dementia, improve memory and make older adults more confident.
12. Increases lung capacity
Walking can also increase lung capacity. When you walk, you inhale more oxygen compared to when you are at rest. This increased exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide can affect lung capacity, which also contributes to endurance and exercise ability. The best thing about all of this is that you don't even have to run to do it. All you need to do is walk at an average pace for 60 minutes (with breaks, of course!).
13. Slows down aging
A study of 17,000 Harvard graduates found that students who walked for at least 30 minutes every day lived longer than those who were sedentary. Walking is sometimes associated with the activation of the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA and is an important factor in the course of aging, but walking in any case has a beneficial effect on all problems associated with age-related changes in the body.
14. Helps produce vitamin D
Walking in the morning is a great opportunity for the body to produce vitamin D. It is very important for strong bones, prevents cancer, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. So the best way to recharge your batteries is to go out and walk for 10-15 minutes in the morning sun without worrying about harming your body.
Learn more about and how to get it in sufficient quantity.
15. Relieves stress
Walking can help reduce stress levels by improving blood circulation, which in turn provides oxygen and nutrients to cells. It also stimulates receptors in the nervous system and reduces the production of stress hormones. Regular breathing while walking will also help you cope with anxiety.
16. Uplifts your mood
Several scientific studies have supported the idea that physical activity can help prevent depression. Walking is highly recommended by doctors and psychiatrists as a way to improve your mood. So, if you're feeling down or sad, take a walk, get some fresh air, realize how beneficial it is - and you'll feel better.
17. Improves memory
Japanese scientists have found that walking has a beneficial effect on the memory of elderly patients. Exercise helps increase the size of the hippocampus, while a sedentary lifestyle shrinks it, leading to memory loss. Try to walk every day, this will significantly improve your memory.
18. Increases productivity
Regular walks can also make you more active and energetic. This, in turn, can increase your productivity. Walking is good for everything, be it school, work, memory, flexibility or response to various stimuli - all of this will change for the better.
19. Gives a creative boost
Walking can help you when you feel stuck creatively. They will calm your nerves and relax your brain. When you walk, you are not pressured by deadlines or the need to satisfy someone else's expectations. This helps you start thinking strategically and sorting everything out. So if you are stuck with any problem, take a walk!
20. Helps you make new acquaintances
Walking can help you find new acquaintances and, perhaps, new friends who will inspire you to walk every day, because you will want to meet them again. You can also go to social events. By the end of the day you will be charged with positive energy and peace.
It's clear from this list that walking is beneficial and can improve your health in many ways, but what preparations do you need to make to start walking daily? Let's find out what might be useful to you.
What do you need to start walking?
To start walking, you need a few basic things. Here is the list:
- Walking shoes
- Comfortable clothes
- A bottle of water and an energy bar for long walks
- If you decide to walk to the office, wear office clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes that you can change into while at work.
- Raincoat
- Motivation is absolutely necessary at least in the first 5 days.
Below you'll learn how to stay motivated to walk every day.
Many elevate walking to the rank of a real panacea, which can heal the body from most diseases, both existing and possible (age-related). True, not everyone thinks so. Can you rely on walking and expect miracles from it? Let's try to understand how great the benefits of walking are and what doctors and scientists say about this. Yes, it is scientists who talk about the great benefits of walking, but many doubt it, and for good reason.
How long should you walk a day to lose weight?
Surprisingly, many conversations about the benefits of walking begin with this question. Most likely, this is why there are not so many people who want to walk. Remember that to lose weight you need to walk not at a normal walking pace, but as if you are in a hurry to catch the last train, and there is no other way to get home.To start the weight loss mechanism, the average walking speed should be 6 kilometers per hour. You need to walk at this pace not for several minutes, but for at least half an hour. Healthy walking or walking for weight loss is a full-fledged physical activity that should make you sweat (one of the main conditions). With this approach, there is a real chance to lose several kilograms in a month without a gym, exercise equipment and other equipment used by athletes.
If the walking speed is lower, then at best the person will become slightly more resilient, and at worst, he will get tired and quit exercising without feeling the positive effect.
How much do you need to walk to lose weight? The bigger, the better. The main thing is that your muscles begin to work actively, your heart rate accelerates and sweat flows like a stream. By the way, professional walkers lose up to 5 kilograms of weight for every 50 kilometers of walking, which means you have something to strive for.
How is the average speed of a person measured when walking?
We have already reported that the benefits of walking appear only at a speed of 6-7 km/h (which is close to running). However, there is one nuance in walking that does not fall into these rules - different people have different step widths - this radically changes the measurement of walking speed. Even walking in place can make the whole body work.It is convenient to measure the average speed when walking in steps per minute. By the way, this is how professional athletes who practice physical therapy recommend measuring walking speed.
To make it more convenient for us in the future, let's classify the average walking speed based on the number of steps per minute:
- Very slow walking – 60-70 steps.
- Slow walking – 70-90 steps
- Average walking – 90-120 steps
- Fast walking – 120-140 steps
- Very fast walking - 140 or more steps.
If you still have doubts about the benefits of walking, we present to your attention the opinion of the British Department of Health - you need to take 10 thousand steps every day. This rule is also followed by the inhabitants of Japan, perhaps this is why this people have an average life expectancy of about 82 years, while in Russia people live on average only up to 67 years.
By the way, taking 10,000 steps daily is quite easy, since each of us visits stores, walks to the car, to work, around the house - on average this is 2-3 thousand steps. The remaining amount must be completed separately, and it is advisable to speed up your pace. As a result, in an hour you can easily get the necessary steps up to standard.
What are the benefits of walking?
The benefits of walking are very multifaceted; it affects the entire body as a whole, and not just the legs, as some people think. Even an average walking speed calls on the human body to work at a completely different level, and the higher your pace, the better it works out. It must be said that all the benefits of walking cannot be fit into one article, so we will briefly talk about the most important things.We’ll start with the spine, which has a fairly large nerve network and affects a person’s entire life. In addition, a straight spine allows organs to occupy the correct position. If you walk a lot, the tissues of the vertebrae and joints are massaged and strengthened, due to the fact that when the muscles are tense, blood enters the most inaccessible places, enriching all places with oxygen, and a slight “rocking” of the vertebrae creates the effect of a soft massage.
Also, walking (especially fast) has a positive effect on all organs, saturates them with oxygen and expels poisons and waste from tissues.
If you regularly walk at a good pace, you will reduce the likelihood of problems with blood vessels and heart. Cholesterol will leave the body and blood pressure will improve. Even osteoporosis and oncology are receding. Of course, the same weight loss that was mentioned above is definitely present.
That is, walking is useful; just half an hour of daily walking will help you:
- Strengthen bones and muscles.
- Relieve stress (at least partially).
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and normalize blood pressure.
- Regulate blood sugar levels.
- Finally, get some alone time.
When, how and how much to go
The first and basic rule is that the duration and intensity of walking must correspond to the state of health. You need to start gradually, forgetting about quick results, because you can easily “burn out” and quit classes on the third day. At first it is better to walk longer than faster, then you will have endurance, and then it will be easier to add speed to it. After several months of regular walking, it will be possible to accelerate the average speed to 110 steps per minute (you should try to reach 130-140 steps per minute).By the way, it’s good to walk often and a lot. Ideally, an hour every day, but here you need to look at your own workload and strive for the standard. If a forced break occurs, you need to start with light loads and gradually raise the “bar”, otherwise you can harm yourself. It is useful to go on an empty stomach - an hour and a half after eating.
The maximum benefits of walking will be manifested when the spine is in an upright position and the shoulders are widely spread to the sides. You can’t slouch, because the position of all your internal organs when walking depends on this. It is important to learn to walk upright and gracefully.
It is equally important to establish proper breathing - inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Try to get into a rhythm with your walking; your breathing should not be confused or chaotic. For this reason, it is better to walk in silence. You can also breathe through your mouth, but only if you carry water with you and are in a warm climate, far from road dust and city smog. If you are short of breath, you need to slow down.
Walking in place
As we said above, not everything is determined by a person’s walking speed. You can torture yourself by standing still, so let's talk about walking in place.If you don’t have the desire or opportunity to go outside or on a treadmill (for example, it’s very cold outside or you’re shy about someone), the best choice for you is walking in place. When performing this procedure, it is advisable to observe the following rules:
- Feel free to wave your arms vigorously.
- Raise your knees high.
- Don't hit your heels on the floor, walk on your toes.
Walking up the stairs
If it’s raining outside, you can change your recreational walking along the street to walking up the stairs. Again, in this case the duration and pace will not be the same.If physical exercise and walking up stairs are not yet familiar to you, then you need to start by climbing 1-2 floors (2-4 flights) per approach, and then rest until your breathing and heart rate stabilize.
At first, do not step over the step; it is better to methodically count each step, stepping on your toe. And when you are able to reach the last floor in one go without shortness of breath, you will be able to step over the stairs. Don't forget the railings. You need to walk up the stairs until you get tired, it is important not to overdo it.
Heart rate while walking
An integral part of healthy walking is monitoring your pulse (heart rate) and breathing. If everything is very simple with breathing - if shortness of breath means you need to rest, then with the heart rate everything is much more complicated.To monitor your heart rate, you need to arm yourself with a stopwatch and a simple formula: 220 minus your age. This will be the maximum allowable safe heart rate for you. To prevent the benefits of walking from becoming harmful, you need to slightly understretch to the maximum level, otherwise you can damage your heart. Therefore, you can multiply the resulting figure by 70-80% and get the required heart rate value.
Walking shoes
There are not many recommendations here, but they should not be neglected. If your average walking speed exceeds 3-4 kilometers per hour, then there is a real chance of rubbing or damaging something.To avoid injuring the spine and leg bones, you need to choose your walking shoes wisely. Definitely, it is best to choose sneakers with light, soft and shock-absorbing soles, otherwise you can damage your foot and in particular your heel; we have already written about what to do if. Also, the central part of the sneakers should bend well. Be sure to choose the right size for your shoes; your feet should fit snugly and not slip on the insole.
What is healthier, running or walking?
There is no clear answer to the question of which is healthier, running or walking. So let’s answer briefly – everything has its time.It's better to start with walking to lose weight, and then either learn race walking or running. Whatever you choose, you can only start running if you are of normal weight and endurance, otherwise you can harm your heart and joints. We have already written about this on the pages of our website..
Over time, when you begin to feel strength in your body and after training harmony and peace come, and not fatigue with a desire to abandon what you started, you will realize that all this was not in vain, because you can live with pleasure and fully only in a healthy body.
People seeking to improve their health by any means understand the constant importance of intense walking. A proper balanced diet and the eradication of bad habits play an important role in a healthy lifestyle. But inactivity minimizes all the titanic efforts aimed at achieving the necessary results.
The benefits of walking are so great that many doctors believe that an hour-long walk is much healthier than running for 30 minutes. When planning your activities, you must take into account the time for daily walks. Moreover, in this matter, regularity is important, calculating the walk in a time interval, taking into account the amount of physical activity. The right walk is not at all as simple as it might seem at first glance. The benefit of walking is the opportunity to relax, look at an existing problem from a completely different angle, and find new solutions. Walking is a kind of meditation, a break from the problems that await a person at home or at work.
When walking properly, try to keep your body straight, don’t tense up, straighten your shoulders, try to notice all the nuances of the world around you. Perhaps at first it will seem difficult and strange to you, but later everything will fall into place. There is absolutely no need to walk very slowly; there is little benefit from slow walking. By the end of the walk, you may even sweat; toxins and waste come out along with sweat. Doctors note that the benefits of walking lie in physical activity. They believe that every day a person should walk at an average pace of at least five kilometers. The route must run through rough terrain. If you still have strength, try climbing additional stairs up and down.
During a walk, a number of interesting reactions occur in the human body. Metabolic processes proceed completely differently, the muscles of the arms and legs work. With intense movement, blood rushes directly to the heart, food moves quickly through the digestive tract, and it is much better processed by gastric juice. Accordingly, you avoid stagnation of bile, it moves. Walking at an intense pace has a beneficial effect on all human organs, without exception. With a sedentary lifestyle, internal organs become covered with a coating of waste, and blood circulation in them decreases. Often organs atrophy and become much smaller in size.
The benefit of walking is a more intense movement of blood through the vessels, the liver, spleen, and pancreas are enriched with oxygen. Intense walks have a positive effect on the spine and joints. When moving, the intervertebral discs alternately experience compression or relaxation, their blood supply improves, which can be considered a kind of massage.
In addition to the enormous benefits to the human body, the benefits of walking are in developing discipline and organization. You will have to plan your day correctly and, if possible, find time to go for a walk. It has been noticed that a walk even in a metropolis under rather unfavorable environmental conditions is much more beneficial than being in a room watching TV or computer. Also, do not forget about an important factor - hardening during the walk. Walking should be done regularly, regardless of the air temperature or time of year. Regular walks help the optic nerves relax and take a break from hard work.
Even if at first you force yourself to engage in intense walks, after a short period of time you will notice a craving to go for a walk. This will be the starting point, then you will want to practice walking in the fresh air regularly. You will become indifferent to the direction, weather conditions, company. The main thing is to move forward, enjoy the movement, notice the world around you, learn new and interesting things. A walk heals not only the body, but also the soul. This is the simplest way to improve your health, which brings undoubted benefits!
After a good, many-hour walk, you will benefit from a relaxing massage in a special massage chair (http://www.all-massage-chairs.ru) Five to ten minutes of relaxation, your body is relaxed and you are again ready for useful physical exercise.
Do you like to walk? How many kilometers a day do you walk? Have you ever thought about this? I have prepared a short material and invite you to read it in the hope that after this you will think about walking as a useful and enjoyable pastime.
We do not live in the easiest time to travel quickly, and our dependence on all kinds of means of transportation is growing every day. Cars, subways, buses, motorcycles are integral attributes of our lives, without which it is difficult to imagine moving from point A to point B. In such conditions, we forget how useful and important it is to move on our own two feet. Moreover, it’s not news to anyone that walking is an accessible, safe and simple form of physical activity. Therefore, I would like to expand on the topic of walking, reminding the reader that not only a car, subway, or bus can get to work or a store, and that saving time will not be worth the candle when it comes to health and well-being. And I must add that moving on your own legs does a good job of putting your nervous system and thoughts in order.
Why you need to walk
Let's look at a few good reasons to be convincing:
- Walking is an aerobic form of physical activity, in other words, the same sport as running, swimming, fitness, etc.
- Walking helps strengthen muscle tissue and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
- When walking, your level increases, your mood improves, and your sleep normalizes.
- While walking, the risk of injury is extremely low.
- Walking helps.
- Walking is accessible and easy.
- Suitable for people of all ages and has virtually no contraindications.
- Walking does not require special training or equipment.
- The risk of developing a number of serious diseases, such as atherosclerosis, glaucoma, osteoporosis, etc., is reduced.
How much do you need to walk?
Before answering this question, it is worth mentioning Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, a professor at the Japanese Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, who, while studying the problems of obesity, came to the conclusion that to achieve a fat-burning effect It is necessary to cover a distance of 10,000 steps daily.
In 1965, Yoshiro Hatano presented his device Manpo-kei - a pedometer. Literally translated, the name means 10,000 step meter. This figure is most often found when studying information that reveals the fat-burning side of walking. But the required distance for each individual person will depend, first of all, on the goals set and the initial physical condition, and only then on the kilometers traveled.
For some, 5 km is a lot, but for others, even 10 km a day is not enough. So first you need to assess your own capabilities, understand your ultimate goals and, of course, just the desire to walk.
At what speed should you walk?
Walking speed, like walking distance, is an individual indicator. If you go simply for internal satisfaction, then speed is not important. If the goal is to lose weight by walking, then the speed of movement should be such that the pulse (heart rate) is within the fat-burning threshold.
How to calculate fat burning heart rate
- The first step is to determine the maximum allowable heart rate value. To do this, you need to subtract the age from the number 220.
- The second step is to keep your heart rate at 65-75% of your maximum.
For example, if you are 31 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 220-31=189 beats per minute. 65% of 189 would be 123 or 142 if you take 75%. - By targeting a heart rate of 123-142 beats per minute, you will be in your optimal fat-burning zone. But this method is not suitable for people whose heart rate differs from the norm, which for an adult is 60-90 beats per minute at rest.
But you should know that during aerobic exercise, which includes walking, the body begins to burn fat only after 30-40 minutes of activity in the optimal fat-burning heart rate mode. First of all, fats from muscle tissue are used, and only then fat reserves. Plus, the number of calories consumed should be less than those expended, i.e. you need to watch your diet. And if the main goal of walking is to lose weight, then a simple evening promenade at a leisurely pace will not help you lose excess weight, but it will certainly lift your spirits, improve sleep and well-being.
Types of walking
For a general understanding, let’s mention the types of walking in order of least activity:
Health walking
A normal walk in any area. The duration of the movement does not matter. Average speed is 3-4 km/h. The maximum speed depends on the tasks and goals of the walker.
Terrencourt
A resort and recreational activity that involves a pre-planned route in mountainous areas. Speed, distance, number of ascents and descents are determined in advance. Typically, health paths are used for medicinal purposes and are carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Nordic walking
A type of race walking using special poles. It is an independent sport. Almost 90% of the muscles are involved in the process of Nordic walking. Much more effective than healthy walking. The duration and speed of movement are individual.
Race walking
An Olympic sport that uses a special technique of movement along a distance. The speed of movement in race walking is from 6 to 15 km/h. The distances of the courses in this discipline depend on the age, gender of the athlete and the location of the competition (stadium or highway). Usually it is 3, 5, 10, 20 or 50 km.
Habit of walking
Walking is easier than ever. This does not require a gym membership, expensive equipment or special training. You can simply use, for example, the path from home to work, replacing transport with a walk, or take a walk during your lunch break or take a walk in the nearest park before going to bed - there are plenty of options. The main thing is to form a habit.
Include walking in your daily routine, starting with short distances. To start, 2-3 km per day is suitable. After a week, add a couple more kilometers, and in the third week, add the same amount. Thus, gradually increasing the number of steps taken, get to the mark of 5-7 km per day. This is enough to feel the positive effect of walking on the body, a surge of energy, vigor and good mood.
The main thing here is systematicity and consistency.
How to count steps and distance traveled?
It is better to entrust the recording of the distance traveled to special devices such as a pedometer, smart watch or fitness tracker. Fortunately, there are plenty of offers on the market - for every taste, color and budget, as they say. The cost of devices depends on the built-in functionality and manufacturer brand.
An alternative is dedicated smartphone apps, such as Google Fit for Android or Apple Health for iOS, that can be used without wearable devices.
Advantages of specialized gadgets:
- Activity measurement accuracy is higher than that of apps.
- Possibility of measuring heart rate and sleep phase (not available on all devices).
Application advantage:
- If you have a smartphone, you can do without extra costs.
Hiking routes
To prevent walking from feeling boring, change your routes from time to time.
Use maps, plan your distance, look for new roads.
Parks, squares, embankments are great places for walking, but a route from one metro station to another, on the way to work and back, will also work.
Tired of asphalt - go over rough terrain. Tired of ups and downs, you can stupidly walk in circles around the nearby stadium.
Various routes will make the walk more interesting, increase motivation, and expand geographical knowledge of the area.
Walking shoes
The main guidelines for choosing walking shoes are convenience, comfort, ventilation, lightness and durability. However, these are obvious things inherent in the selection of any casual shoes.
If you can walk 2-4 km a day on your feet, then there is no point in worrying too much - any comfortable pair of shoes will do, be it sneakers, sneakers or boots. But the longer the walk takes and the longer the distance of the chosen route, the more pitfalls will emerge if you are wearing the wrong shoes. For long walks, running shoes are the best choice, but not all running shoes are created equal or universal.
Running shoes, for example, place emphasis on cushioning in the sole to reduce stress on the knee joints. Lightness and increased ventilation are also distinctive features of running shoes. This type of shoe is also suitable for walking, but more likely in urban environments and when moving on a flat surface (asphalt, concrete, treadmill, etc.)
The main characteristics of trekking sneakers are ankle protection, a special tread shape and increased wear resistance. These shoes are designed for moving over rough terrain and are suitable for walking in forests and mountains.
Basketball and futsal sneakers are designed for the parquet floor of a sports hall and are not suitable for walking, especially long ones.
Urban sneaker models from manufacturers such as Nike, adidas, New Balance, Puma, Reebok are more casual shoes and are suitable for walking on asphalt, but for short distances.
Ultimately, it is always better to check with the manufacturer about the explicit purpose of a particular model, the stated wear resistance of the sole in kilometers, the possibility of use in certain weather conditions, and other characteristics that will help when choosing walking sneakers or any other shoes.
A living example of selecting sneakers for urban conditions and testing a specific model for comfort, wear resistance and suitability for long walks is a test dispute between the authors of Stone Forest, where Nike and Adidas sneaker models were used as a test. The idea of the dispute is to cover 1000 km on foot in the same pair of shoes in a city. The distance is recorded using the Google Fit application. The test results reveal the average daily distance that our authors (walking enthusiasts) cover in everyday life, and the correct choice of sneakers for walking a given distance.
Walking or running?
Of course, both are better. However, running is not for everyone. Joint problems, hypertension, heart disease, excess weight are contraindications for jogging. Running is also dangerous and requires good physical preparation.
Walking, on the other hand, is suitable for almost everyone. But the downside of walking compared to running is its low calorie consumption. Running wins twice here. A gradual transition, from less to more, is the best tactic for developing physical fitness, strength and endurance.
If there are no sore joints or other diseases, but just a lot of excess fat that you want to burn, start eating right and walking, walking a lot. The fat will begin to “melt”. Weight will decrease. Lightness, energy, and a positive attitude will appear. That's when you can try switching to easy running if you want, or adding other intense workouts, such as strength training.
If you start running right away if you are extremely overweight, you will end up putting too much stress on your knees, which is fraught with dire consequences in the future.
The rule that is always appropriate in everything is to do no harm. Use your head, don’t rush off the bat, do everything step by step. And the result will not take long to arrive.
If you don’t have the desire or ability to jog every day, you can use a more convenient way to train. Regular walking also provides training for muscles, the respiratory system, and helps speed up metabolism.
What are the benefits of walking?
The benefits of walking are due to the fact that several muscle groups are involved in the process, because the movements of the limbs are made in the vertical, horizontal, longitudinal direction.
This type of activity depends on the speed of movement. The larger it is, the more blood circulation is activated. The benefits of walking , can be represented as a list:
- reduces the level of cortisol, the stress hormone;
- saturates tissues with oxygen;
- gives a good mood;
- promotes muscle gain ;
- acts as a prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- morning walking helps the body wake up .
A sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, inflammatory, congestive and degenerative diseases of internal organs. Every person needs a load , to spend the energy received from food, bringing more blood to the tissues. To ensure a sufficient level, you can go to the gym, train at home, run or walk. Walking improves endurance , fight the effects of stress, thanks to the increased supply of oxygen, metabolic products are promptly removed.
If you walk to work, your calorie consumption per minute increases. This is the prevention of obesity, as well as ensuring uniform energy expenditure. The benefits of walking are important for pregnant women . Due to changes in hormonal levels, a woman can rapidly gain weight during this period. As the fetus grows, she becomes clumsy and lazy, but cannot engage in intense exercise. Walking helps to cope with congestion, prevent excess weight, and provide yourself and your baby with a sufficient amount of oxygen.
The benefits of walking for both men and women include the fight against excess weight. There is a caveat that it is necessary to ensure a fast pace of steps, at least 6 km/h. This is how intense calorie loss occurs. In addition, you need to pay attention to the fact that the walk should be regular, combined with proper nutrition and other types of exercise.
Types of training
Depending on the purpose of the exercise, a person must create an effective training program . The benefits of walking will only be if you choose the optimal type of training and adhere to its rules.
Wellness
This type of load is suitable for use in the morning or afternoon due to the fact that it increases performance and provides a lot of energy. The benefits of walking will be noticeable if you adhere to the recommended speed. The walk should be at a pace of 1 km. 20 minutes in the fresh air. To prevent disruption of the respiratory system, you should not talk during classes. You need to start training at 2 km, gradually increasing the distance while maintaining speed.
There are several paces of movement for different age groups. Young people should focus on the speed of movement, and older people should focus on the duration.
Scandinavian
A special feature of this sport is the presence of an additional accessory, poles, like ski poles. The foot should roll from heel to toe; when leaning on your right leg, you need to rest your left hand on the ground. They help to overcome the path over rough terrain, downhill, without additional load on the shoulder girdle. The advantage of this type of training is that no additional preparation is needed. First you need to start from a small distance.
Sports
The benefits of fast walking are due to the absence of the foot hitting the ground, while the muscles, cardiovascular system, and breathing are trained. The peculiarity of this type of movement is steps with the support of one limb over the entire area without switching to running. In this case, you need to rotate your pelvis when changing legs, quickly move your arms.
Energy
This is one of the areas of fitness that involves alternating movements, each of which has its own purpose. They are aimed at turning on energy channels, based on Eastern practices. The impact on active zones occurs through actions with hands and feet according to a certain algorithm.
For weight loss
To influence fat deposits, you need to move your legs at high speed. To achieve the effect, you need to take 6,000-10,000 steps daily. A pace of 100 steps per minute allows you to get rid of 200-260 kcal/hour.
If you have a high degree of obesity, as well as unfavorable weather or the absence of favorable conditions for long walking, you can walk on the spot. For the exercise to be effective, you need to have a high understanding of your legs, lift each leg at least 40 times and walk for 20-25 minutes. With regular repetition, the body's endurance increases, metabolism accelerates, and fat reserves disappear.
How to walk profitably
Walking is the choice of many, since it is an effective, but not exhausting form of exercise, allowing you to enjoy your surroundings and notice the results even from a short distance. To enhance the effect, you need to pay attention to several points:
- duration of walks;
- frequency of training;
- choice of shoes;
- correct back position;
- Don't avoid walking in your daily life.
Whether a person chooses a sporty type of walk, any walking activity will be beneficial. This includes going up or down stairs, walking to work, and during breaks.
It is recommended to do it a day several visits to evenly distribute the load and train the muscles consistently. The recommended 10 thousand steps are about 8 km, they can be divided into 4 parts, then each will be about 25-30 minutes, which will not take as long as walking for 2 hours.
To make exercise enjoyable and not cause harm to your feet, you need to choose the right shoes. These are sneakers or sneakers with soft rubber soles that bend when walking. When moving, your back should be straight, your head raised, your gaze directed forward.
To reach the goal of 10,000 steps daily, you can walk throughout the day, talk on the phone, cover the distance on the stairs, get off public transport 1 stop before the desired one.
Contraindications for exercise
Due to the fact that there are many types of training, a person with any disease can choose one that will not harm, but will only bring benefit. But there are restrictions under which it is better to refrain from walking. They are associated with the state of the cardiovascular system, when an increase in its activity can harm a person:
- myocarditis;
- aortic stenosis;
- ventricular tachycardia.
The classification of IHD includes many conditions: angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, post-infarction cardiosclerosis, arrhythmia. After an MI, a healing, Scandinavian type of step is allowed, but a special case must be discussed with a doctor.
