Gravity Fx Fitness

Is walking a good way to lose fat?

With the warmer weather I have seen many people out walking, enjoying being outdoors and probably trying to shed some Winter accumulation of pounds.

The question is, are these people getting any results or is there something else they should be doing.  Walking is healthy and a nice way to burn some extra calories, but depending on how fit you are, it may qualify more as activity than exercise.

If you are more than 30 pounds over weight or haven’t exercised in several months, walking is a good way to get moving again and you might lose a few pounds in the process.

Start out slowly and gradually build up the amount of time you spend walking.  GRADUALLY placing more demands on your body is one of the fundamentals of progressive exercise – do a little more each time as your body adapts to the stresses.

While walking is simple and easy to do, you have to do a LOT of walking to lose weight and most people can’t keep their weight under control just by walking.  So what you would have to do is gradually increase the intensity – walk faster.

Most people I see are just casually strolling and this doesn’t burn that many calories.  Plus, once you stop walking your metabolism goes right back to where it was in a matter of minutes.  If you want to burn more calories you need to walk fast or go up and down hills.

So once you understand that more intensity is required, it might be more efficient to do something like cardio strength training.  Work your muscles against some resistance while raising your heart rate at the same time – combine cardiovascular exercise and strength training into a single time-efficient workout.

Do this two or three times a week and then do some lighter work on the other days, like walking or bike riding.  These easier movements will help you recover from the more intense workouts, getting some blood flow to the muscles and keeping your joints well lubricated.

Now, you can obviously do some more intense cycling and get a great calorie burn.  I like to do an hour bike ride about once a week in the Summer months.  I pedal fast at times and then back off and pedal moderately, before going fast again, somewhat similar to an indoor spinning class.

Generally speaking, the riders that are pedaling more intensely are fairly lean, compared to some who pedal at a pretty moderate pace.  I frequently see an older guy riding an older style bike with his big belly hanging out.  He pedals pretty slowly and he is still getting some health benefits but he’s not burning a lot of calories.

In societies where walking or biking is the primary or only means of transportation, the overall volume of activity throughout the day or week adds up.  Its rare to see an overweight mail carrier for those who walk to deliver the mail.

Keep this in mind if you can’t or won’t exercise intensely.  It will take a lot of volume (time) to get the weight loss results and you will have to be very strict with your eating.

Several research studies have shown very minimal or moderate fat losses with moderate intensity aerobic exercise, compared to greater fat loss with interval training of a more intense nature.

A leisurely walk can be a great way to unwind or spend quality time with friends or family, but if fat loss is your primary goal, pick up the pace or better yet, do some resistance training to build lean muscle tissue and increase your metabolism, then add in some type of aerobic exercise on your “off” days.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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So, does my frisbee end up in the creek because I subconsciously long to be in the water or near the beach, or is it just over-confidence in my aim, or lack there of.

Mixing in different Summertime activities is a great way to keep your body and mind fresh.  Indoor workouts are fine, but nothing beats the great outdoors….

especially if you can’t get outside to exercise in the Winter.  With cold weather and limited amounts of Sun, I’ll take every chance to catch some rays.

Disc golf and biking are my activities of choice this time of year since the ocean is so far away.  After doing a 30 day resistance training program that was fairly intense, I’ve decided to ease up a little bit to let my body and mind recover.

Normally, I do short workouts that are about 30-40 minutes, sometimes an hour.  You’ve got to mix things up a bit or you’ll get stale or risk injury.

Sunday I went for a 3 hour bike ride along a flat trail.  I took it easy and just enjoyed the relatively cool weather, stopping to take a couple pictures here and there and enjoy the river views.

Yesterday, it was a casual round of disc golf.  Had to try out my new disc, only to discover that my old one, called the Shark, seems to fly a little straighter.

Of course, towards the end of the round, I tossed my new frisbee in the creek.  Since it had rained the previous day, the water was deeper than normal and pretty muddy.

As I stood at the edge of the creek, waiting to wade in, hoping to get lucky, a rat-like creature dove in on the other side.  Just what you want to see as you reach blindly under the water, amidst the rocks and vegetation.

Did I mention that I love water?  Needless to say, the disc wasn’t found and I was mostly dry when I got back to the parking lot.

The whole point is to be outdoors doing something relaxing while getting in some needed activity.  Variety is good when it comes to exercise.  Doing the same things over and over can increase your risk of overuse injuries.

Find something relaxing and enjoyable to do.

Get moving!

Brian

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