Don't stop walking!

Any type of movement is beneficial. Will I lose weight if I walk every day? Yes you probably will. I did lose weight at first, but haven’t for a while. Should I up the miles? These are some of the questions trainers get all the time. Good questions. But it really depends on the individual, like I said; any type of movement is good, and what’s the alternative? Sitting on the couch? If it is, then get out and walk! You don’t have to beat yourself up every single workout. Walking is great exercise, here in Westford I can look out my window and see walkers, runners and bikers throughout the day. My wife and I love to walk. I always add a good walk to my “off” days to burn a few more calories and help me unwind after a long day.

Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. Walking is one of your body's most natural forms of exercise. It's safe, simple, doesn't require practice, and it’s good for you.

Walking has many benefits:
• Calorie burner
• Clears your head
• Low Impact, not hard on joints
• Stress reduction, lower cortisol
• Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)
• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
• Lower your blood pressure
• Reduce your risk of or manage type 2 diabetes

With that said and not to discourage anyone that walks, it may not be enough for continued fat loss. Again, tremendous benefits associated with a relaxing walk, in terms of weight loss it is not the biggest catalyst to reaching your goals. Besides the fact our bodies are so efficient and we get used to that same pace, walking doesn’t have the type of intensity needed to burn a lot of body fat.

So what’s next? Well, if you’re ready and healthy enough, try Interval Training. Again, like I stated many times, it’s not for everyone. Why is interval training so effective? Think afterburn. An 8-30 min training session has been proven to elevate your metabolism for over 24 hours. Another words, you’re burning calories even when you’re not training

So although I love walking and suggest you try to get your 10,000 steps per day, if your goal is losing a fair amount of weight try turning up the intensity of your workouts, and that doesn’t mean switch to running –that’s a whole other subject which we'll discuss at a later date, again!

How do I start?
The easiest way to start is combining a walk and run (sprint). Walk for 30sec and then run FAST for 30secs. Repeat this 4-10 times. Do this 2-3 times a week for a great fat burner!

Bring more intensity to your workouts.

If you’re reading a book or magazine while doing your cardio then it’s time to ask yourself how bad do I want this?

Get that Heart rate up! Are you working hard enough? If after your warm-up and first exercise or 2 and you're sitting down, your heart rate hasn't yet been elevated significantly, you're stopping to chat with friends about last night’s episode of Desperate Housewives, or you're looking around for what exercise to choose next, then you're most likely not pushing yourself hard enough.

Don’t just go into your workout and pick an exercise because a machine or area is open. Have your workout plan with you. Your time at the gym with your exercises and rest periods should be laid out for you in advance. It’s not just random, have alternatives ready if it’s busy at your gym, but do your best to stick with your plan. Keep in mind if your goal is to lose weight then you should make sure you only allow your heart rate to drop during your workout rest periods.

It’s not all about burning calories while you workout. The key is going to be to maximize your fat burning potential after the workout and to do that you need to push yourself hard enough to feel a significant training stimulus on your body.

If you’re unfamiliar with Interval training, try re-reading my past article interval-training

Again, start out slow and make sure you're warmed up properly before you jump right into it. And more isn't always better, the idea is short and intense!

Give it a try and let me know how you do!