Patriot Health Digest
If you’re a routine walker, you are probably familiar with all of the benefits walking gives your body, mind, and life longevity. It is affordable and accessible to many people, and low in impact, so it won’t harm your joints.
That’s why walking is the best option for people in their 40s and higher who are trying to stay fit and lose weight.
If getting lean is what you want, aging can also put you at a disadvantage. Because the ability to burn fat gets worse as you age due to the gradual decline in your metabolic rate. This means you burn fewer calories and burn less fat that someone younger.
But don’t fear—if you are 40 or older, keep the following walking tricks in mind to turn your walk into a calorie-torching and effective leaning exercise.
1 — Fix your posture
Focus on walking using an upright posture to activate your core muscles. Great posture can prevent risk of pain or injury, and it can help your balance as well as create more definition in your abdominal muscles.
Use your abs to keep length between your tailbone and your sternum. This will help guarantee you’re using your leg muscles, not your hip flexors, which can put a strain on your lower back.
Don’t squeeze your muscles too much because this creates too much tension in your body, leading to lower back pain, more knee and ankle strain and could harm postural alignment.
Taking very long strides is also a mistake because too long of stride can make a walk too short, especially if you hurt your sciatic nerve. Focus on shorter, quicker steps instead.
2 — Pick up the speed
Increasing your pace will reflect in the benefits you get long-term, as you will see more more weight loss in a shorter time since you are burning more calories during the walk.
For a good routine, you can start with a five-minute pace walk, walk for two minutes at a fast speed, then lower your speed to a regular rate for three to five minutes, and repeat.
3 — Add some weights
Weights are a wonderful addition to any walking routine and you can make use of ankle weights, a weighted vest or anything that is comfortable for you.
As you get older, you start to lose muscle naturally, so using an additional weight during your walk will help you get back muscles into your abs and lower body.
Author: Blake Ambrose
