Many of us prefer walking as a way to burn off calories, and for a good reason: it’s something we can all do! It’s not as hard on the joints as running, and it’s not as expensive as a gym membership. Recently, Yahoo! news released a list of tips for the weight loss walkers among us.
One of the main things Yahoo! highlights is the importance of enjoying your walks. A good way to ensure this is to walk in pretty areas. Walk alongside a nearby lake, through the park, or around the cozy parts of downtown. It also helps to have some good company, whether another walker, a dog, or some tunes! The article made an interesting point on the kind of music that is best for walking:
“If you walk to upbeat music, you’ll probably walk faster and have more of a bounce to your step. Plus it makes it more enjoyable, adding to tip number one. By walking to up-tempo music, it’s been proven that you’ll maximize your efforts, and automatically work harder. Don’t forget, it’s important to keep the volume low enough so that you’re able to hear what’s going around you.”
Other tips include the following:
- Step lively! Quicker steps burn more calories, and therefore make for a more efficient workout, than taking longer strides.
- Walk in intervals. Switch up your pace at various points on your walk. By “shifting gears” from quick to moderate walking, you can burn up to twice as many calories!
- Drink green tea. Three cups of green tea every day will help burn belly fat and boost your metabolism. It’s great walking fuel!
Be sure to check out the article for more tips on walking. Where and when do you walk? Tell us about it in the comments!