Fat-burning workouts don’t have to end in a pile of sweat and tears. There are all kinds of ways to lose weight with exercise. Hey, you can even run it.
In fact, if you’re at the beginning of your fitness journey or don’t have time for more involved training sessions, walking can be your primary weight loss workout. “Either way, whether you’re a fitness buff or just starting out, walking has weight loss benefits — for all types of people,” says Irwin Sulapas, MDSports medicine physician and associate professor at UTHealth Houston.
Walking is not boring either. Although you can certainly lose weight by simply taking a walk around your neighborhood, playing with variables like incline, heart rate, and even interval can not only help break up the monotony but actually accelerate your results. Here are some ways to lose weight by simply putting one foot in front of the other.
Make sure you are getting the minimum effective dose
“When it comes to slow cardio — or relaxed cardio, as people call it now — every little bit counts, even if it’s low-impact,” says Dr. Sulapas. “Even if you just walk for a few minutes, it can really help you gradually increase your cardio fitness and stamina.”
But if you’re hoping to see notable weight loss results in the near future, you’re going to have to put in the time.
“If weight loss is your primary goal, I generally recommend doing this for 60 minutes per session, five days a week,” says Dr. Sulapas. “That’s a lot, but if you start walking upwards of 10,000 steps a day, or up to 20,000 steps, it can really help with weight loss.”
Get into your (heart rate) zone
When you exercise, your body prefers fat or carbohydrates for fuel. And the good news is that you get to decide who goes to the front of the line. In general, exercising at less than 70 percent of your maximum cardio will burn most of the fat. And the harder you work without crossing that line, the more fat you’ll burn — so the “fat burning zone” (what people mean when they talk about Zone 2 cardio) is between about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you’re running primarily to burn fat, you’ll want to spend as much time as possible in this range.
However, there is a bit of shopping involved. “During the first 15 to 20 minutes of steady-state walking or running, you’ll first burn the immediately available carbs — whatever sugar you’ve eaten that day,” says Dr. Sulapas. Once those immediate stores are expended, provided you’re operating at less than 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, your body will begin to prioritize fat for energy. “This usually happens in about 20 minutes, which is why I recommend at least 30 minutes of walking (for weight loss),” says Dr. Sulapas. “Doing this for five to 10 minutes won’t be enough. You’ll want to do at least about 30 minutes.”
Make your walks fun with intervals
Walking is not an endless exertion at a steady pace. You’ve probably heard of high-intensity internal training, or HIIT, where you perform a set number of exercises alternating between short bouts of intense exercise and short rest periods. This type of training is popular for its higher calorie burn and faster effect on increasing V02 max compared to steady-state cardio. Well, high intensity interval Walking This is also a thing.
