“Walking briskly is one of the few activities that works on almost every part of your body, from your posture to your muscle definition. It’s the perfect all rounder,” says a fitness trainer. But the best part about this fitness regime is that, it’s the least expensive. A good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes is all that is needed to get you started. One certainly doesn’t need an expensive gym for this and yet the results are uniform. Power walking is one of the cheapest, easiest and most effective ways to get in shape. Wikepedia defines power walking as, “walking at a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, typically 7 km/h to 9 km/h (4.5 to 5.5 mph). The walking gait gives significantly less impact to the joints and hence recommended for low-to-moderate exercise regime.”
Power walking not only tones up your thighs and calves and lifts the bottom muscles, but also burns more calories than jogging at the same pace. And by strengthening your core muscles, power walking also flattens the stomach. Swinging the arms briskly while walking helps in toning the upper arms.
Studies have shown that, power walking for a minimum of 4 days a week, at a pace that increases your heart rate, and for a minimum of 45minutes each could help you loose close to 8kgs over a year. Regular power walking also speeds up your overall metabolic rate and therefore prevents weight gain for long.
Regular exercise is good for the mental health as well. Mild depression can be taken care of by regular exercise as this ensures the release of feel good endorphins into the brain. A word of caution, continue your moderate diet and do not binge eat after a good round of power walking, especially take care that the dinner is not too heavy and there is sufficient time between dinner and bed time.
