Fitness Tips That Work: How to Make Walking a More Efficient Workout

Does your fitness routine revolve around walking? Maybe you are trying to work your way up to running or maybe you just prefer the lower impact of a less speedy trip around the block. Here’s some good news: you may not need to kick things up to the level of jogging and beyond. You can maintain that leisurely pace and still find ways to burn more calories, strengthen your leg muscles and make walking an exercise for for the entire body.

• Pole Walking

The addition of poles in each hand immediately turns walking from a fitness routine for the lower body into a fitness routine for every part of the body above the waist. Pole walking is the snowless equivalent of cross-country skiing. A minor investment in very light rubber-tipped poles that you grasp in each hand essentially replicates the movements you see in cross-country skiing. Maximum benefits are obtained by keeping your forearm level as you plant the end of the pole into the ground with each step. The pole should ideally hit the ground parallel with the heel of the foot in the forward position. Depending on the topography of the terrain on which you embark on a round of pole walking, your fitness routine which used to focus almost exclusively on your leg muscles will now become a pretty decent workout for your arms, chest and even your abdominal muscles.

• Walking Backwards

This fitness tip to increase the value of walking as an exercise should not be approached lightly. You must be willing to pay extra attention to what you are doing to avoid turning your walking workout into a potentially dangerous endeavor. So why even bother with walking backwards if it has the possibility to become hazardous to your health? Because once you master the art of backwards walking, your fitness routine will suddenly start to pay off in the form of more highly developed quadriceps, hamstrings, back muscles and, yes, even tighter abs. Since walking backwards places less stress upon the foot than walking forwards, this suggestion is also a terrifically useful fitness tip for those recovering from foot, ankle or leg injuries. Steps you can take to reduce the peril when you initially add walking backwards to your fitness routine include wearing glasses with extended mirrors for a clearer picture of what is behind you and, of course, walking with a partner who is going forwards.

• Burn More Calories

Several easily applicable fitness tips are available to allow more calories to be burned during your walking workout. If you are used to walking on the sidewalk or pavement, find a spot where you can get your favorite form of exercise on more challenging terrain. Walk through a grassy area or find a sandy beach or even a gravelly trail. Switching to any surface that places greater resistance upon you will have the effect of burning more calories without needing to increase the time spent walking. Invest in a treadmill or join a fitness club so that you can occasionally take advantage of the artificial resistance provided by these machines.