Walking
The tiniest I have ever seen my wife’s butt was when she came to visit me in San Diego during the 2007 Olympic trials. I had been away from her for three months while I was training for sailing. I asked her straight out what she had been doing while I was gone. Her comment surprised me, “Along with doing your prescribed workouts, I walked 45 minutes briskly 3-4 times a week.” I knew walking was good for you but this was the moment when I truly realized how beneficial walking can be in any program.
People often think high intensity training is the ideal work out but walking is actually one of the best ways to strip away fat and so it is a perfect complement to a workout program. There are several benefits to walking.
The first benefit is that you can’t over train from walking. As long as you wear the right shoes and don’t get foolish with the volume you are not going to accrue much stress to your body. By not putting extra stress on your body, like high intensity training does, your body will feel better after a walk.
Another great benefit of walking is that it will not burn muscle while burning a ton of fat. A common misconception is that low intensity exercise does not burn fat. On the contrary, it burns a higher percentage of fat than going really hard.
The next benefit of walking is that it can be a great way to recover from a tough training session. It promotes blood flow, which helps bring oxygen to your sore muscles.
Walking is extremely functional while low impact and great for all ages. Walking every day and will not affect your knees or back except in a positive way. Plus everyone knows how to walk which means you do not have to be trained or supervised when doing it. The number one thing I see wrong is when people hold on to the rails when walking on a treadmill. Use your core and let your hands swing freely!
The last benefit of walking that I am going to cover is that it is great to walk on an empty stomach or after a workout. You may be asking yourself why it is good to work out at all on an empty stomach. If your body is low in carbs it will use fat for energy when working out at an easy pace. When you perform high intensity cardio on an empty stomach you won’t have any energy and you will end up burning your hard earned muscle.
Worth noting is that walking will not build muscle; you have to go to the gym for that. It is mainly just a great way to burn fat. In order to really see the fat burning benefits I would suggest walking at a brisk pace (at least 4 mph) for at least 3-4 hours a week. The good news is that you can always multi task while walking (read, catch up on your favorite shows, it can even help put your baby to sleep at 2am).
Lastly, in order to look the way you want, you need to follow a good nutrition and weight training program along with walking. With those simple rules you will reach your goals in no time.
