How to Lose Weight With Walking?

See how you can lose weight with walking, some variations and accessories you can use to maximize results and more tips.

We know that the practice of physical exercises helps in weight loss, as it maximizes the amount of calories expended by the body. However, for those who have been sedentary all their lives, it can be difficult to start from scratch. Therefore, what can work as a good starting point is a less intense activity such as walking. But how to lose weight with walking?

How can weight loss aid become one of the benefits of walking for the body and mind ? Keep reading to find out!

So, how to lose weight with walking?

For weight loss with walking, Bachelor of Medical Technology and Marathon Trainer Wendy Bumgardner’s recommendation is to try brisk walking between 30 minutes and 90 minutes most days of the week.

Bumgardner stated that it is possible to walk more in one day than in the others, as long as the total weekly practice of the activity is at least 150 minutes, that is, two and a half hours.

“You should walk fast enough so that you are in the moderate-intensity exercise zone at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. You might breathe harder than usual and be able to speak in full sentences, but not be able to sing, for example.”

You can use the heart rate and exercise zone readers from fitness bracelets, apps or heart rate monitors to ensure you are exercising at a moderate intensity.

According to personal trainer Jenna Fletcher, for weight loss with walking, a fast pace is more efficient than a slower walk.

A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise showed that when people increased their stride while running, they burned more calories. That study also showed that the group of runners in general weighed less than those who walked, suggesting that speed affects the number of calories a person burns while exercising.

“However, increasing the pace does not mean that a person has to run,” Fletcher reported. Understand in more detail whether walking makes you lose weight or you need to run.

– Walking with a weight vest
It was another of the personal trainer’s advice that can help you lose weight with walking. According to her, adding extra weight to training burns more calories and wearing a weight vest while walking encourages a person’s body to work harder while walking.

“One study found that individuals who walked 2.5 miles per hour (approximately 1.1 meters per second) on a flat surface wearing a weight vest with a load of 15% of their weight burned 12% more calories than a person who did not wear the vest. A person wearing a weight vest that represented 10% of their body weight and walked on a 5% to 10% slope burned an average of 13% more calories.

However, while she recommended wearing a weight vest when walking to burn off more calories, Fletcher cautioned against wearing ankle or wrist weights or carrying weights in your hands while training because this could result in muscle imbalances and injury. .

In addition, even weight vests require your care: the personal trainer warned that before starting the use of the accessory, the person should consult the doctor about it, since those who suffer from neck or back problems cannot make use of a weight vest.

– Walking uphill
Personal trainer Jenna Fletcher pointed out that another way to increase the amount of calories burned on a walk is to regularly practice uphill exercise.

“A person should aim to walk on hills, stairs or inclines two or three times a week,” suggested the personal trainer.

– Power walking at intervals
The technique is another tip from the personal trainer to burn more calories during walking training.

She explained how it works: “To try to do interval power walking, a person should first walk for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up. Then (should) increase the pace and continue at an uncomfortable but sustainable pace for 10 to 15 seconds before returning to a normal walking pace. The person can repeat this throughout the walk or for as long as they can.”

The guideline is to start with five minutes of this interval training per walk and incorporate more technique time into your workouts as time goes on.

The importance of body shape and posture + tips to avoid injuries

During walking, a person should walk so that they are looking straight ahead at all times, as this helps to increase walking speed and lengthen stride.

Fletcher also advised that while walking, one should focus on contracting the abdominal and gluteal muscles, which can be done throughout the entire walk or during short breaks.

“This technique can help a person build strength and remain injury-free so they can continue with their walking program.”

Speaking of avoiding injuries, doing walking stretches before starting exercise is also a good alternative to reduce the chances of suffering from them.

For those who suffer from physical and/or health problems and who received walking as a medical recommendation, it is especially important to have the support of a physical educator throughout the training.

If an injury or injury occurs, the professional can provide first aid and assist with referral to a hospital, if necessary.

For those who walk alone and on their own, the occurrence of an injury or injury requires seeking medical help quickly, even if they do not imagine it to be something serious.

This is important to verify the real seriousness of the problem, receive the appropriate treatment and know when you can return to training without risk of aggravating the situation.

How to split training?
According to Bachelor of Medical Technology and Marathon Trainer Wendy Bumgardner, in her published article, the practitioner can divide the training into 10-minute walks, however, it is possible to obtain additional benefits by walking at a vigorous pace for more than 30 minutes. at a time after doing a warm-up.

“If you are new to walking, start with small periods of time and progressively increase your walking period. You will want to take longer walks every other day at first.”

“Try not to skip (workouts) more than one day in a row. The consistency is good for burning calories and improving your metabolism. On days when you don’t walk, try strength training exercises. If you find yourself worn out, take a day off. But make sure you get back to walking the next day,” Bumgardner advised.

In turn, personal trainer Jenna Fletcher stated, in her published article, that dividing the training into more walks with shorter duration also has its benefits.

For some people it may be easier to meet their daily exercise goal by taking shorter walks throughout the day rather than a single long walk. But that’s not the only possible benefit of the division.

“Experts believe that taking a walk after every meal has benefits. According to a study of inactive people over the age of 60, walking for 15 minutes three times a day after meals can help control blood sugar levels better than walking once a day for 45 minutes.” pointed to personal trainer.

If over time you notice that your walking training has reached its limit and you are not having new results, that you are not evolving beyond what you have already achieved, talk to your doctor and the physical educator who accompanies you to find out if It’s not time to exchange it for another more intense training that challenges you more and makes you gain greater advantages.

For example, one possibility is to combine walking training with strength training exercises throughout the session to burn more calories and build muscle, said personal trainer Jenna Fletcher.

According to her, some examples of these exercises include: squats, push-ups, burpees, tricep dips, and lunges.

However, if walking has been recommended by your doctor as an alternative to light exercise due to the impossibility of doing heavier workouts due to health problems, it is possible that the addition of these movements is not appropriate. Therefore, it is really important to talk to the doctor and the physical educator before changing the walk and making it more intense.

The importance of food care
It is something that we cannot fail to emphasize when we analyze how to lose weight with walking. That’s because, even walking every day, it will be extremely difficult to lose weight if the diet is filled with caloric foods and full of sugars and bad fats such as fried foods, sweets, fast foods and other foods poor in nutrients, since the calories burned in exercise will be easily recovered with eating.

According to Harvard Health Publishing at the Harvard Medical School in the United States, the amount of food consumed and what you eat play a central role in maintaining a healthy weight and losing weight, as well as the practice of exercise is another fundamental agent.

So much so that the director of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia in the United States, Art Weltman, said that when combined with healthy eating, brisk walking is extremely effective for weight loss .

Therefore, in addition to dedicating themselves to walking training, those who want to lose weight need to make sure that their diet is healthy, controlled, nutritious and balanced.

A nutritionist is the professional qualified to recommend a diet that helps you achieve your weight loss goals and fits into your routine, while providing the calories and nutrients your body needs to function properly.