Walking Smarter and Faster

One of the things I love about walking for fitness is that it's accessible: almost anyone can do it, and it doesn't cost a lot. I was a little concerned, then, when I heard about this study, which suggests that the best way to lose belly fat is through high-intensity exercise. To me, that sounds like other forms of exercise I don't enjoy: hitting the gym to lift weights, running, swimming, etc. And boy, I really do not like running. In reading the article, though, there's some good news: vigorous exercise doesn't necessarily mean doing those things I dread. Instead, the way to lose belly fat is to increase the intensity of the exercise, in the words of the article by "walking or jogging more vigorously on some days of the week."

As part of the training I do for half-marathons, I've discovered the benefits of intervals, which are basically the kind of higher intensity activity they're talking about here. Essentially, I walk faster for periods of time during my walk. For example, I'll start with fartleks: walking faster until I get to some point in the distance like a street light or a driveway, resuming my previous speed until my heart rate returns to normal, then repeating the process. After a few weeks of that, I'll do intervals, where I walk fast for a minute, then slower, then repeat. Over time, I can work up to longer periods of walking fast (2 minutes, say) and shorter periods of walking normally.

It's amazing how much of a difference intervals can make, both in terms of being a better workout and increasing my level of fitness (I really believed it's helped to improve my race times). So this study is actually good news for us walkers. It means that we can continue to do the form of exercise we love, and we can become more fit by adding some intervals into our walking routine. So let's keep walking, and do it a little faster from time to time. Before long, it sounds like we'll be seeing the benefits in a tangible way.