25 Ways to Rev Up Your Walking Workout

Fitness

25 Ways to Rev Up Your Walking Workout

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(1)Check in before you head out Take a moment to tune in to your body and mind before you take a step. “ It’s important to adjust your walk based on how you’re feeling,” says Danny Dreyer, author of ChiWalking (Simon & Schuster). Feeling drained? Head out for a stressrelieving stroll. Feeling great? Push your pace. 

(2)Go outside Instead of hitting the gym, walk around your neighborhood or check out a local trail. “Being outdoors helps you tune in to your surroundings, which inspires more mindfulness and a better sense of what’s happening in your body,” says Garrett Sarley, CEO of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass., and co-author of Walking Yoga (Fireside). 

(3)Take precautions on the treadmill If you are relegated to the gym, avoid gripping the treadmill’s rails—something that can happen if you go too fast, says Todd Sinett, D.C., a chiropractor and applied kinesiologist in New York City. “Walking requires your top and bot tom half to move,” he says. “If your torso is stiff, you’re more likely to get hurt.” 

(4)Ditch distractions Your gym probably has a row of plasma TVs in front of the treadmills to keep you entertained. But it’s not a good idea to watch them, says Tom Kersting, Ph.D., a psychotherapist in New York City and author of Losing Weight When Diets Fail (Harbor Press). “Watching TV or even listening to music on your iPod increases your odds of just going through the motions,” he says. You’ll burn more calories if you stay focused on your workout.

(5)Find more bliss through your breath Just as you do in a yoga class, take a moment before you start walking to deepen your breath. When you start to walk, breathe in a pattern that relates to your steps, suggests Sarley. Making the connection will transform a regular old walk into a moving meditation with real stressrelieving be nefits.

(6)Create an image in your mind When Kersting wanted more chiseled abs, he visualized himself as a snowman melting away to reveal a ripped, muscular body every time he went for a walk. “Visualization techniques like that are a great way to integrate your mind into your workout, which leads to better—and often quicker— results,” he says. Just make sure the image you call to mind is a positive one. “If you focus on what you don’t want, you’ll get more of what you don’t want,” Kersting warns.

(7)Find shoes made for walkin’ Daunted by endless options? Remember that a comfortable fit is the most important factor in a walking shoe, says Dreyer. Quick tip: Try shoes on with extra thick socks, which simulates how much your feet could swell when you walk for longer distances.

(8)Get goal-oriented This tried-and-true advice bears repeating here: If y ou have an end-point in sight—whether it’s a 5K race or a three-day breast cancer walk—you’ll be more likely to stay motivated and be consistent with your training.

(9)Set an intention before your takeoff Decide to dedicate your walk to something specific, suggests Jessica Smith, a personal trainer in Miami Beach, Fla. Your intention might be to increase your awareness of your breath or increase feelings of love toward a friend. Recalling your dedication can help you keep going when you feel like slowing down or giving up.

(10)Kick off your kicks Every so often, take a barefoot walk. It may feel weird at first, but this subtle change can pay off big. “Walking on grass or sand can help you burn more calories, improve your balance and strengthen your foot and ankle muscles,” says Smith.

(11)Add some intervals Increase your speed for brief “bursts” during a walk and you can double your calorie burn, says Smith. Use either time (alternate between three minutes at a steady pace and one minute at a speed walk) or landmarks (pick up the pace when you hit every fourth telephone pole) for cues. And use your breath as a gauge to make sure you’re working as hard as you can during these bursts of speed. Your breathing should change from a quick, steady pattern to a panting pace during intervals.

(12)Incorporate a circuit Carry a resistance band (get one with handles) and every 10 minutes, stop to do one of these multimuscle moves, says Smith: Overhead press and squat Stand on the resistance band with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Holding the handles of the band at your shoulders, squat down; when you come back up to stand, press your arms above your head. Do three sets of 12 reps. Balancing triceps press Stand on the band with your right foot in the middle, balancing with your left knee bent at 90 degrees, foot behind you (your knees should touch). Hold each handle of the band behind your head, keeping elbows bent and close to your head, biceps alongside your ears. Extend your hands to the sky as you do a modified one-legged squat, bending your right knee until the left toe touches the ground. Repeat 12 times and switch sides.

(13)Track your heart rate Wearing a heartrate monitor is like having a miniature personal trainer on your wrist: It will let you know when you need to work harder or ease up. Find your maximum heart rate (to do this, subtract your age from 220), and aim to work between 60 percent and 80 percent of that number.

(14)Head for the hills Roads with long, gradual inclines are a great way to keep your workout consistently intense. Rolling roads are ideal for intervals if you push your pace going up each hill and recover on the way down.

(15)Value variety As much as you might be dig ging your meditative walks or circuit workout routines, never do the same exercise two days in a row, warns Smith. Instead, surprise your muscles (a surefire way to blast more calories) and keep things interesting (so you stay motivated) with this plan. Gauge your exertion on a scale from one to 10, with one being very easy and 10 being maximum effort.

Day 1: Long walk at a steady pace. Exertion: seven.

Day 2: Circuit workout (see tip No. 12). Exertion: six.

Day 3: Walk at a steady pace, up a long, moderately steep hill. Exertion: seven or eight.

Day 4: Take the day off.

Day 5: Circuit workout as you did on Day 2, mixing in other resistance band moves (see naturalhealthmag.com/ walkingmoves). Exertion: six.

Day 6: Intervals walk (see tip No. 11). Exertion: six during rest-phase walking, nine during one-minute interval bursts.

Day 7: Easy, meditative walk. Exertion: five or six.

(16)Work your core before you lace up Do 15 minutes of abs before your walk to “turn on” your core muscles and keep them engaged for the duration of your workout.

(17)Walk sideways Sure, you may get some stares, but stepping one foot over the other while facing sideways is a great way to work different muscles in your legs and hips. Switch sides so you balance your efforts.

(18)Strengthen your walking muscles with yoga To walk with good form, you need good spinal rotation, hip strength and flexibility. Try this move from Susi Hately, a yoga teacher in Calgary, Canada: One leg against the wall With your right shoulder and hip touching a wall, bend your right knee to 90 degrees and push it into the wall (you should feel this in your left hip). Hold for three deep breaths and repeat on the other side. Other yoga poses that support your walking muscles: Warrior I, Warrior II and Triangle.

(19)Go out when it’s gusty A blustery day might make you feel like staying indoors, but it pays to walk in that kind of weather: The wind provides natural resistance with little risk of pain or strain, notes Hately.

(20)Try pole prancing You don’t have to be on a mountain trail to benefit from Nordic walking poles. “Poles add more upper body movement into your walk,” says Smith. “They’re a great way to boost intensity without carrying weights, which put a lot of stress on your joints.”

(21)Buddy up Walk with a friend to make the time fly by. Even better, head out with a pal who is slightly faster than you, so she inspires you to push yourself.

(22)Repeat a mantra Pick a phrase that resonates with you, and repeat it over and over again—it’s a powerful way to embrace the message in your everyday life. Whether it’s a favorite Sanskrit saying like “om namah shivaya” (translation: “I honor the divinity within”) or something simpler, like “let go,” give it a try.

(23)Go for a sensory stroll Need a gentle, rejuvenating workout? On days when you feel wiped out before you start exercising, spend the first 10 minutes of your walk focusing on the sensations: Notice every part of your foot as it touches the ground, feel the blood pumping through your arms as they swing back and forth. During the next 10 minutes, bring that attention to your surroundings: What do you smell? What colors do you see? “Use an ‘off’ day to practice awareness while you walk,” says Smith.

(24)Be nice to yourself Understand that you’ll have good days and bad; days when you feel as if you could walk forever and others when it takes everything in you just to pull your snea ks out of the closet. “If you cut yourself some slack on a hard day, you’ll be more likely to find your excitement for walking again the next,” says Kersting.

(25)Stretch yourself Spend a little time cooling down after you walk and do a few simple stretches or yoga poses (Downward Facing Dog is a great, full-body release). This will help flush lactic acid out of your muscles, says Smith, which reduces stiffness and keeps you feeling ready to get out there again the next day.

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