Let’s face it: Most of us spend most of our day sitting at our desks. But no matter how time-consuming your job is, whether it means taking a walk around the block or getting up to stretch, it’s time to move your body. It is important to create
It’s no secret that sitting for long periods of time is bad for you, and research confirms it.According to one studySitting for more than 12-13 hours a day doubles your chance of premature death.
Good news?Ah new research Taking a 5-minute walk every 30 minutes can lower that risk, they say. Everything you need to know about this is here.
Why Walking Is Beneficial to Your Long-Term Health
This study shows that even modest improvements in physical activity can affect blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, MD, A cardiologist at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California explains. And it’s important to remember that small changes made over the years can have lasting effects on your health. It may not seem like it, but this can add up over the course of your working day.
If you work 8 hours a day, walking for 5 minutes every hour is equivalent to 40 minutes of physical activity. On his lunch break he adds a 15-minute walk, which suddenly adds about an hour of physical activity to his daily workday. These small changes can make a difference in the health of anyone, one walking break at a time, Dr. Ni adds.
Here’s why walking makes such a big difference.
walking helps you lose weight
Burns the same calories as walking running A little more effort on your walks will help you lose weight. John Gardner trainer, co-founder and CEO of kick off,I will explain. In fact, if he does 30 minutes of power walking three times a week, not only will he lose weight, but he may also lose belly fat.
Walking reduces diabetes risk
Regular walking helps your muscles absorb blood sugar, which helps reduce the risk of glucose building up in your bloodstream.
Walking can be done anywhere and is suitable for all levels of fitness
Walking is gentle on the joints and does not put a burden on them. fitness, you can start with walking, regardless of your fitness level. Because it doesn’t require any specific equipment and can be done anywhere, it’s an exercise suitable for all ages and fitness levels and a great way to get started in fitness.
How to get the most out of your walking workout
Gardner offers some tips.
wave your arms
Walking isn’t just about using your legs, but moving your arms will speed up your pace and allow you to include your upper body in your workout. Swing your right arm forward along with your left leg and vice versa.
Use interval walking
The benefit of interval training is that it helps to get your heart rate up and down, impacting your body and allowing you to get better results from the same workout. It can be achieved with the walking exercise where you walk at a slow pace for 30 seconds.
add a slope to the path
Walking is often considered an “easy” workout, but it can actually be very difficult. In fact, sometimes you have to modify it a bit and add difficulty to get better results.Select a route with a slope or add a slope treadmill Using different muscles and using more energy can make your walking workout more challenging. As you go up, try to lean forward slightly to reduce the strain on your knees.
Get the most out of your exercise routine by combining different forms of walking exercise. Below is an example of his five days provided by Gardner.
First day: Walk at a steady pace for 30 minutes at a speed that slightly increases your heart rate.
the 2nd day: Try interval trotting. Alternating power walking with slow walking will give you the best results and improve your endurance.
- Warm up with a 5 minute walk
- Walk at a slow pace for 20 minutes, alternating between 1 minute of power walking and 1 minute of active rest.
- Cooldown: Walk for 5 minutes at a moderate pace.
Third day: resistance training
Add an incline to your walk. When walking outdoors, you can find an uphill or steep slope and alternate walking for 10 minutes uphill and 5 minutes downhill for a total of 30 minutes. This helps build muscles and strengthen them.
Day 4: Walk at a steady pace for 30 minutes at a speed that slightly increases your heart rate.
Day 5: Retry interval.
- Warm up with a 5 minute walk.
- Walk at a slow pace for 20 minutes, alternating between 1 minute of power walking and 1 minute of active rest.
- Cooldown: Walk for 5 minutes at a moderate pace.
next: How many calories walking a mile actually burns and how to burn more calories
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- Annals of internal medicine: “Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality among middle-aged and older adults in the United States.”
- Medicine and Science in Sport and Science: “Eliminating prolonged sitting to improve cardiometabolic risk: a dose-response analysis of a randomized crossover trial.”
- Yu-Ming Ni, MDCardiologist, Noninvasive Cardiology, Memorial Care Cardiovascular Institute, Orange Coast Medical Center, Fountain Valley, CA
- said John Gardner, co-founder and CEO of kick off