Did you know that the number of steps needed to stay healthy is an individual issue? Currently, according to the WHO, in order to stay healthy, one should take between 6,000 and 8,000 steps a day. Scientists, however, disagree; there are theories arguing that a minimum of 10,000 or even 12,000 steps are needed to stay healthy. Remember that the goal must be achievable. If you decide that you will lose two kilos by walking in one week and 20 in two months, you will feel frustrated and demotivated when not achieving this goal.
Checking the number of steps with a pedometer – is it worth it?
There are plenty of pedometers available on the market, the most popular being watches and phone apps. As for the former, it’s a great idea to check how many steps you take per day. The downside is that on most of these devices, if you don’t wave your hand, the steps won’t count, meaning walking with a book under your arm may show up on the watch as less than you will actually do. The opposite can happen when, for example, you climb a few levels up while driving in a car park – then the steps you don’t take can count. And the watch may congratulate you on making it so quickly.
The apps on your phone will calculate your distance with an average number of steps but everyone can take a different number of steps over the same distance. In any case, these pieces of equipment will give you a good indication of the average number of steps you take per day. It may turn out that your back and legs hurt, you seem to be covering sky-high distances, when in fact... you’re just standing still taking a few small steps and it’s from standing that you get all the pain.
Walking to lose weight is possible, but in order for it to give visual results, you need to follow certain rules or tick off the items that should support your efforts over the weeks.
A daily or weekly plan? If you are a person who likes to be task-oriented, needs to have a goal, likes to win – this will be a great solution. To start with:
Set the rules
You can plan, for example, 8,000 steps a day, but this is just for keeping fit. It takes more than that to burn fat, in which case do 12,000 steps (minimum) for faster results. You can also plan weekly distances, e.g. 50,000 steps per week. Does that seem like a lot? It’s only 22 kilometres. Still a lot? If you divide it by 7 days of the week, it comes out to a minimum of more than 3 kilometres a day. Now sounds like not much, right? A distance of 50,000 steps per week is still the one that keeps you healthy, not burns body fat.
Don’t have the equipment to count your steps?
Don’t worry, set minute-based distances. To see the effects of walking, you need to plan a minimum of 250 minutes a week. Start with a shorter time, especially if you are a beginner, who has had a typically sedentary lifestyle so far, until you eventually lengthen the distance to a time that suits you and your needs.
No time for such long walks, what to do?
The rush, fast-paced lifestyle and stress keep us perpetually busy. Pay attention to how much time you spend walking per day. If you find moments when you can give up commuting and replace it with walking, make the most of it. Do you travel to work by tram/bus? Get off two stops early or cover a distance of 20 minutes on foot, and only then get on transport. Driving instead of going shopping on foot because the groceries will be too heavy? Buy these products in one go, whereas for the minor items – use the power of your own legs. Do you like to sit in front of the TV in the evenings? Swap this time for a walk, you’ll sleep better straight away. Don’t have time during the day? Get up 40 minutes earlier than usual.
Remember that you don’t have to march every day, you can split your workouts every other day, for example, but make it no less than three times a week. It is better to walk shorter distances regularly than to go once a week for several hours.
Did you know that by walking distances of more than a few thousand steps a day, you have a greater chance of avoiding an early death? It’s worth the effort.
Walking and fat-burning rates
We will now move on to specific walking principles to burn body fat in the most effective way.
- Not every pace is good. A very slow walk will burn far fewer calories than covering the same distance at a fast pace. The faster the better, and research shows that the best pace is 7 km/h, or 1.5 km in 10-15 minutes. As you can see, it is a very fast walk, but without exaggeration. A 30-year-old woman weighing 65 kg is able to burn more than 150 calories in 15 minutes at a pace of 6 km/h. A half-hour walk gives you 300 kcal less, which is the calorific value of two waffles with icing sugar or more than half a kilo of raspberries, or eat none of that and have a calorific deficit.
- The walk must have a minimum time. If you’re going to count every distance travelled, even the three-minute distance from your desk to the toilet and back, then unfortunately losing weight doesn’t work like that. In order for our bodies to start burning more than the calories taken in for breakfast, you need to actively walk for a minimum of 20 minutes continuously. Did you know that after 20 minutes, the body starts to burn fat from stored reserves?
- Don’t walk around with your phone in front of your nose, limit your podcast listening, calm down and don’t think about work, responsibilities, home and problems. You will see the positive effects of walking much quicker when you focus on muscle work. Every now and then, think about how you put your feet up, whether the pace is right for you, do you keep your hands free or stiff? You will see that walking can help you lose weight in a short period of time. Did you know that focusing your thoughts on a muscle activates it more to work? The body is aware of the work, rather than having your head in the clouds.
- Choose paths with sloping terrain – if you don’t have joint problems, of course. The greater the ups and downs, the more your body has to activate the muscles to work, and the greater the muscle area, the faster the calorie burn. It can also be stairs, but it is better for the knees to go up than down – less stress on the joints.
- Regularity. There are different ways to schedule your workouts. You can tick them off on a calendar or write them down in a notebook. If you know you won’t be able to do a workout one day, try to do it the day before or the day after. Once you make a habit of it, it gets easier straight away.
Active walking also has an impact on the rest of your body. As well as burning calories, you’ll improve your fitness, slim your body and it’s also a good time to calm down and meditate in some way. By just being in your own company you can sort out your thoughts or plan your day or your future. In a word, you will merge your body with the mind. Very many people switch off. Even now, when reading this text, check if you are flexing your arms? Not clenching your jaw? Are you sure you’re comfortable? Watch what happens to your body and you will only benefit from it.
Post-workout recovery
A very important aspect that should not be overlooked. Take care of your body after slimming walks. Drink plenty of water to replenish deficiencies. You may find your legs slightly swollen – lie on your back and lean your feet against a wall to let the blood and lymph flow with the force of gravity. You can make yourself a home spa and soak your feet in water with scented salts. You will immediately feel better.
In addition to the all-round benefits of walking, an additional plus is that it improves cardio-respiratory function, increases mobility, reduces joint pain, and lowers blood pressure. Nothing but advantages! A regular brisk walk will help to slim your figure, lose excess weight and keep your body in great shape.
Remember that in order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit – don’t eat too much.