Maximize Weight Loss with These 7 Power Walking Tips from a Trainer
Power walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise—but it shouldn’t be! Walking is a simple yet powerful way to boost your fitness and aid in weight loss.
There are so many benefits associated with regular walking, including:
- It’s low-impact: Walking gives you a great heart rate boost without wreaking havoc on your joints and connective tissue.
- It burns calories: A power walk can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories per hour or more, depending on the speed.
- It can ease knee pain from osteoarthritis.
- It can protect your heart: Research shows that walking can lower your risk of cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke.
- It can help prevent varicose veins.
- It helps improve your immune system.
- It can lower your blood pressure.
Here, Chris Freytag, a certified personal trainer and founder of Get Healthy U, offers 7 tips for maximizing your weight loss with power walking.
1. Warm Up First
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Stretching is crucial, even before a walk! Warming up your muscles helps you avoid strain and injury. If you’re too sore or in pain after a walking workout, it can throw a wrench in your routine.
After a stretch, begin your walk slowly. Start by walking for about 5 minutes at a slower pace, and consider adding some walking lunges and hip circles.
2. Maintain Good Posture
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Posture is key to a good power walk. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Stand tall: Pull your abs in, keep your head up, pull your shoulders back (but keep them relaxed), and lift your chest.
- Keep your arms moving: Good arm motion will help you burn 5 to 10 percent more calories. Make relaxed fists, bend your elbows 90 degrees, and keep your elbows pulled in close to your body as you pump your arms straight forward (not diagonally). Be sure they stay low, not going past your breastbone.
- Watch your foot motion: Your footsteps should be in a heel-to-toe motion. Your heel hits first, then your foot rolls through your toe.
- Keep your strides natural: Don’t try to speed up by taking giant steps or an unnaturally long stride.
3. Incorporate Hills
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Thanks to gravity, it requires more energy to walk uphill, and you’ll burn more calories!
For every 1 percent of the uphill grade, a 150-pound person burns roughly 10 more calories per mile. If you’re walking on an indoor treadmill or walking pad, try gradually bumping up the incline if you can.
4. Add a Little Weight
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
A weighted vest surrounds your core, keeping you balanced while helping you burn more calories.
One study found that those who wore a weighted vest equal to 15 percent of their body weight while walking on a treadmill burned 6.3 calories per minute, whereas those who didn’t burned 5.7 calories per minute.
Since your body weight is higher with a vest, you’ll boost your walk’s intensity and give your muscles more of a workout while you’re at it!
5. Keep a Brisk Pace
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
While you don’t need to run, you do need to walk briskly to increase your calorie burn. You’ll know you’re getting a good moderate-intensity walk when your breathing is harder and talking becomes more difficult.
Aim for a moderate-intensity walk of at least 2 to 3 mph to reach that coveted fat-burning zone. When you’re up for it, increase your speed to 3 to 4 mph to really maximize the number of calories burned.
6. Incorporate Intervals
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Interval walks don’t just burn more calories; they also stimulate your metabolism after your workout is finished. (A win-win!)
Interval walking can improve your endurance and help torch calories. Intervals include alternating short bursts of walking at a faster pace with short periods at a slower pace. You may actually prefer intervals if you’re not up for maintaining a quicker speed during your entire walk.
Try walking for three to four minutes at an average pace, then walk briskly (ideally, 3 to 4 mph) for 30 seconds. Repeat this five to ten times for an effective calorie-burning power walk. As you begin to build more endurance, you can increase the amount of time you walk briskly and reduce your time at a slower pace.
7. Be Mindful of Your Body
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Remember not to go too hard, too fast!
Power walking too many miles can increase the risk of injury and soreness. Don’t be tempted to start aggressively in an attempt to burn more calories.
If you are new to power walking, shoot for 15-20 minutes or less on your first few walks. After a week of regular movement, increase your time to 20-25 minutes.
After a couple more weeks, you will be up to a solid 30 to 45-minute walk! A good rule of thumb is to gradually increase your walks by 10 percent each week.