5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Walking Workout
If Gen Z has inspired you to dust off your trainers, here are five expert-recommended ways to get the most out of your next walking workout, courtesy of Dr. Laukkanen:
1. Go low and slow
“To get results, it doesn’t always need to be about having a high-intensity workout,” she explains. “Slow, low-intensity walks can help people to maintain their cardiovascular health.” In fact,studies表明低强度稳态有氧运动like walking can result in a lower risk of heart disease as well as improved blood flow and brain function (not to mentionfat lossand metabolism).
2. Grab the poles
If youdowant to kick things up a notch, try incorporating walking poles. “High-intensity walking exercises, such as Nordic walking, can be a good way to amplify the positive results of walking around the body, by utilizing more muscles,” Dr. Laukkanen explains. Never heard ofNordic walking? It’s a form of exercise that originated in Finland and utilizeshandheld polesfor a full-body walking experience. Often used by athletes as an off-season cross-country ski training activity, it’s also a great way for non-athletes to up their cardio-respiratory fitness by working the upper body and core in addition to the lower body leg muscles.
3. Change the terrain
“Changing the terrain of your walks can also help in providing variety to the intensity of the workout,” she says. “For example, going uphill or downhill can have a large impact on the intensity of a walking workout and can lead to even greater results.” So switch up your scenery, hit the trails or conquer that neighborhood hill you typically avoid. And remember, it’s OK to change up your speed depending on the terrain (no shame in a slow game).
4. Join a group
We get by with a little help from our friends, right? Turns out, exercise is no exception. “Consider walking with a group of people to make it more of a social experience,” Dr. Laukkanen explains. “While this may not improve your physiological health, it can have a positive impact on your mental health and stress levels.” Not only does buddying up help you build positive associations with exercise,studiesshow it can also help increase your overall physical activity by creating a sense of community and accountability
5. Track your (HR) zone
During exercise, your muscles typically need more oxygen than usual. To provide that O2, your heart rate will increase in order to pump more blood to the rest of the body. This variation in cardiac output can be quantified using heart rate zone tracking, a training method that involves paying attention to the frequency, duration and intensity of exercise in relation to your minimum heart rate (or resting rate) and maximum heart rate.
“Tracking heart rate during your next walk can help you optimize your exercise and learn more about your heart rate zones in different contexts, ensuring you get the most out of your walks,” Dr. Laukkanen says. Depending on your HR max, walking typically falls in zone 1 (the very low-intensity zone), but tracking your heart rate in relation to your perceived effort will help you better understand your uniqueaerobicand anaerobic thresholds.
In addition to zone 1, there are five heart rate zones that vary with exercise intensity, and each one comes with a particular set of health benefits, including endurance, efficiency and recovery. To learn more about heart rate zone training, check outthis article, and if you’re interested in giving it a try, look into investing in afitness trackerthat includes a heart rate monitor from brands likeOura,Fitbit,AppleorPolar.
3 Fitness Apps with Guided Walking Workouts
If you’re new to working out or prefer a little more structure, try one of theseexercise appsthat feature guided walking workouts led by certified fitness trainers (and even some celebrities).
- Apple Fitness+
- Openfit
- Peloton