5 Questions On Walking For Fitness

Walking is a highly effective exercise that can help you be healthy and live longer. When you start walking as a part of your routine, it improves your overall health and elevates your mood.

Let’s look At Some Doubts You Might Have About Walking

Is Walking As Effective As Jogging?

It is as effective as jogging in lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risks associated with diabetes. Although jogging is better for people who want to lose weight fast, walking is recommended for beginners. You can also take short runs during walks to make your workout more intensive, but it is not a necessary step. Brisk walking for 30 minutes a day gives the best results for improving health.

Can I Lose Weight By Walking?

By maintaining a balanced diet along with walking, you can lose weight. It also depends on the intensity and duration of your walk. People who brisk walk or power walk are able to achieve their goals faster. You also need to hydrate properly before, during, and after walks to make sure you are not just losing water weight.

Do I Need To Have A Set Walking Time?

You don’t need to set a specific time and duration for walking. You can divide the 30 or 60 minutes of walking into 10-minute sessions throughout the day. You can do this by choosing activities like taking your dog out for a walk, going to a grocery store, or taking a break between work hours. If you are working in an office, try to get up for 5 minutes every hour to balance out long hours of sitting. With these little changes, you can have the benefits of a regular planned workout.

How Long Do The Benefits Of Walking Last?

Walking significantly improves heart health, makes bones and muscles stronger, improves your physical balance, and speeds up your metabolism. These benefits continue to improve your health even after the walk is over. Stretching before and after walks adds to the benefits by aiding to your performance during the workout and reducing muscle soreness afterward.

How Do I Manage My Diet With Walking?

If you are going for a short walk or a long but slower walk, you don’t need to eat before starting. But you must eat something if you are going for a high-intensity workout, like power walking or trekking. A small snack like a fruit or a small portion of oatmeal is enough to fuel you. It is also not necessary to avoid eating after walking. And you can re-fuel within 30 minutes of completing the walk. As you are burning a lot of energy during the walk, it is recommended to replenish it with proteins and good carbs like nuts, sprouts, whole wheat bread, vegetable sandwiches, etc.

If you have a medical condition, make sure to consult your doctor before starting a workout. If you are healthy and want to be more active, start by adding a short duration of walks to your routine and slowly increase the duration. Encourage your loved ones to start walking as well.