Walking is an excellent way for fitness beginners to get started exercising and burning fat right away. Dr. Bryant recommends walking for at least 45-60 minutes semi-daily to unlock the weight loss potential of a regular stroll fully. Even better, your regular walk around the neighborhood doesn’t have to feel like exercise. Instead, think of walking as a chance to unwind and catch your breath. You’ll get a nice break and some movement this way.
On a related note, this unique study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology demonstrates how the act of walking efficiently is essentially an automatic brain process that requires almost no honest thoughts. On the other hand, going for a walk will not tire you out mentally!
While simply putting one foot in front of the other is an excellent place to start, there are a few other tricks you can use to burn even more calories while walking. Continue reading to find out more.
Walk in the afternoon
Do you despise the thought of working out in the morning? You’re in for a treat! If losing weight is your primary motivation for walking, it may be best to take your walks in the afternoon. According to research, our bodies burn more calories during the day. This particular study, published in Physiological Reports, followed a group of overweight men as they exercised in the morning or afternoon. Participants who exercised in the afternoon, as expected, lost more body fat than those who exercised in the morning. Furthermore, the afternoon exercisers improved both blood glucose control and insulin resistance.
Change the tempo
Not a fan of the idea of always walking quickly? Instead, you might want to try varying your pace. According to a study published in Biology Letters, changing one’s walking pace can result in up to 20% more calories burned than walking at a constant speed!
