When we think of methods to lose weight and burn fat , our minds automatically begin to imagine endless complicated routines, fashionable workouts or high intensity cardio exercises.
For reasons that have more to do with marketing, we have become used to thinking that only heavy or compound exercises work. But the truth is, according to Harley Pasternak, a celebrity fitness trainer, we couldn’t be more wrong.
The best method to lose weight would in fact be more traditional, easier to maintain and we do it every day: walking .
When done conscientiously, walking is one of the most complete activities out there, and a detailed look at its benefits can show us this.
Why is walking the most effective way to burn fat?
When we say that walking is the best method to lose weight, we have to make a little clarification: it is not that the other exercises and routines lack merit or effectiveness, but the truth is that for some people they can be counterproductive.
Many people opt for relatively heavy routines, such as intense Pilates classes or overwhelming cardio exercises, because they believe they will get better results that way.
Pasternak argues that this is false, basically for two reasons:
- While performing intense cardio exercises burns more calories, a large percentage of these come from non-fat sources , which is not the case with lower intensity exercises.
- After a cardio routine of intense effort, you have more appetite , a factor that not many people tend to handle well and end up eating the same calories or more than before the routine.
Walking is the perfect opposite of this: as it is a low-moderate effort exercise, it does not stimulate our appetite too much and by requiring more time to perform it, it guarantees that the body will have more time to start burning fat reserves.
Some benefits of constant walking
In addition to its effectiveness in burning fat, walking has other attributes that make it a recommended activity:
- There is virtually no risk of injury when walking.
- It is easily accessible to anyone, regardless of their level of training or financial resources.
- Promotes hydration as a habit.
- It does not pose a risk to the knees, as with other travel activities.
- Does not drastically increase appetite.
- Improves heart rate.
- Reduce bad cholesterol.
- If you walk outdoors, this helps increase vitamin D levels, influenced by the sun.
How much should I walk a day to lose weight?
In the past, Pasternak has studied the eating habits of people in countries classified as healthier.
Among other novelties, he concluded that although diets vary from country to country, a constant is the habit of walking considerable distances.
A good average daily walk should be around 10,000 steps, at a steady pace. If you want to raise profits, this figure could range between 10,000 and 14,000.
As we know, there are applications and devices that track that data for us, but if we really want to make a change, it is necessary to become aware and make it a constant habit.
Reference
- Schmalbruch, Sarah. A celebrity trainer reveals the best way to burn fat – and it’s shockingly easy. For Business Insider. [Revised February 2017].
