The Energy Drink Blog

Exercise can be a chore for some people who just can’t get motivated and stay motivated.  Some forms of exercise can be very jolting on the body and lead to sore muscles or joint pain while other forms of exercise are stress relieving and relaxing.  It’s important to stay physically fit for obvious health reasons but for many trying to lose weight, it can be very challenging.  Walking is a form of low impact exercise that can help burn fat effectively and boost serotonin levels in the brain.  Serotonin is a special neurotransmitter that helps regulate many things such as sleep, appetite, metabolism, and mood.  Walking is a great way to keep serotonin at a healthy level so losing and maintaining weight is easier.  By knowing how often, how far, and how fast you should walk, you can transform you body into a lean fat burning machine.

Some people may argue that 30 minutes a day at least 4 times a week will suffice when it comes to the frequency of exercise but what many don’t know is that, that will only maintain or prevent you from gaining weight.  You need to step it up a notch in order to melt away those unwanted pounds.  By walking at least an hour a day at a moderate to brisk pace you will put your body into a fat burning mode that will continue to burn calories long after your work out is over.  It’s always good to take at least one day off a week to rest and recover.  The body needs this down time to heal itself and get rejuvenated.  Studies show that by walking for about an hour each day you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes while losing unwanted body fat. 

It’s not so much how far you walk as it is the intensity at which you walk that helps to burn fat, boost metabolism, and build lean muscle mass.  By walking at a brisk pace you should still be able to carry on a conversation but notice that your breathing is becoming more intense.  You can also purchase a pedometer which helps to keep track of your speed and distance. It can be a great device to always keep you in your target heart rate and fat burning zone.  Eventually you will find that by walking on a daily basis you will become accustomed to your speed and you will begin to see pounds and inches lost in no time.

Proper footwear should be mentioned because without the right support you can potentially do serious damage to your back, hips, and joints.  Fast walking requires running shoes not walking shoes as one might think and for the reason being, you need flexible support like a runner does and plenty of cushioning in your sneaker.  The reason walking shoes or cross training shoes are not the best choice is that they don’t offer as much flexibility or comfort as a running shoe.  Eventually you may be walking at a pace like a race walker does which is about a 13 minute mile and something hard and clunky on your foot can be uncomfortable, possibly painful, and may slow you down.

Remember that before you begin your brisk stroll, to always warm up by stretching first.  Getting the muscles loosened up and the blood flowing before any form of physical activity is always very important.  By doing this you reduce your chances of injuring yourself.  Another thing to mention is that exercising is only half the battle. Without incorporating a healthy diet with your walking routine, your efforts may be null and void.  Eating organic whole foods and keeping track of what you are taking in calorie wise versus what you are expending through exercise will give you an indication if you need to increase your work outs or reduce your calorie intake or both.

Staying healthy is more than a fad it’s a way of life and it can only be done by making necessary lifestyle changes.  By changing to a healthier lifestyle we can help to slow the aging process, reduce the chances of various diseases, and increase our well being here on earth.

Tags: low impact exercise, power walking, walking, walking to lose weight

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Health, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.