Four reasons to walk the weight off
Juggling work and personal commitments can be hard. Sometimes, it just feels impossible to keep to your exercise routine. But there is something you can do every day to help you lose or maintain your weight - walking. Here are four reasons to start walking more.
Fast-paced walking, when combined with a healthy diet, is effective for weight loss
Studies have found that women who do three 30-minute high-intensity walks - plus two moderately paced recovery walks a week - lose up to six times more abdominal fat than those who simply stroll five days a week.
Power walking is easier on the joints than running
If you are not much of a runner or jogger, power walking helps too. The activity involves moving at a fast pace while using your arms to propel you forward and taking longer strides. This helps you torch approximately 300 calories an hour (based on a 55kg woman).
"There is a strong relationship between intensity of exercise and fat-burning hormones," said Dr Art Weltman, director of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia.
Walking will improve your health
Taking roughly 10,000 steps a day sets off a chain reaction of health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease and better odds for preventing breast cancer.
Not sure how many steps you have taken? Invest in an activity tracker or use apps on your phone to keep track.
It is super easy to add walking to your daily routine
Walking does not require any special equipment and can be done every day.
Choose to walk instead of taking the bus to the MRT station in the morning, you will burn extra calories and save on transport fare.
This article first appeared in Shape (www.shape.com.sg)
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