Walk Slow to Burn Fat? Does slower mean less?

Something we do every day is walk. We hear walking helps us lose weight, but what’s the best way to walk so you burn fat? Is there an optimum way to walk to get the most out of it and burn fat at a high rate? What about sugar? Is there such a thing as walking wrong and burning sugar?

What’s the BIG DEAL with walking?

Walking, or a slow jog, when it’s done the right way surpasses stair climbing machines, aerobics, or even running in its fat burning ability. It’s definitely the easiest way to get cardio in. Other added benefits are almost anyone can do it, it doesn’t matter how old you are or what physical condition or shape you’re in, and you don’t need to buy any expensive equipment. Anyone significantly overweight can even walk to get fit. You can walk any where; even in place.

What does walking faster do?

Well obviously, it makes you feel better. Here are the benefits for walking faster according to James Sundquist, Director of Medical & Sports Music Institute.

Increasing Your Walking Speed:

1. You reach a higher Target Heart Rate.
2. You shift your goal from losing weight over to increasing your fitness and level of  endurance.
3. You increase the flexibility of your muscles and joints.
4. It changes your Weight Loss results.
5. You’ll finish same distance in a less amount of time.
6. You’re muscles become tone
7. You slow down the Osteoporosis process and build stronger bones.
8. You increase the chances of injury due to impact.

What does walking slower do?

Wendy Bumgardner, an About.com writer also has a great article with information on walking slower to burn more fat. She says moderate walking is more effective for burning fat than intense walking. I learned about this trick years ago from Michael Thurman and Provida®. I’m fond of his Six Week Body Makeover and absolutely love his support community. You have to purchase his product to gain access to all his secrets but anyone can join the community.

So, how do you walk to burn fat?

There’s a trick to getting into an optimal fat burning zone and staying in it. You’ll need the correct heart rate and you’re going to need to breath from your abdomen. By mastering proper Breathing and controlling your Heart Rate you can take something as simple as walking and turn it into the ultimate cardio exercise and fat burning activity you can do. This is especially true if you have a significant amount of weight loss needed.

Breathe Your Way to a Thinner You!

We know fire needs oxygen to burn, we’re taught this from early on in childhood. When you drop and roll you’re suffocating the fire to put it out. Your body needs oxygen to burn fat much like fire needs it to burn a piece of wood. The more oxygen your body is getting the better it will burn off fat. Do you know the definition of aerobic? It means something that causes oxygen to be present. To optimize the fat burning process you’ll need to work a specific kind of muscle fiber called slow-twitch fiber and you’ll need to do this with oxygen present. If you think of when you try to get a fire burning, you blow on the fire to get it to catch and burn causing flames. You’re blowing oxygen into it to get it to burn faster and hotter. It works the same with fat! Get as much oxygen as you can to as many muscles as you can to stoke your body’s fire…ugh fat-burning.

How do you Stoke Your Fat Burning Fire?

1. Low and Rhythmic Workout – the intensity level needs to be low and you need to keep your routine at a steady rhythm. In other words, make your workout a low intensity level exercise and maintain a specific rhythm to your workout. Walking is perfect for this since you control your pace and how you’re doing your walking; flat terrain, hills, or mixed.
2. Abdominal Breathing – A very specific and on purpose way of breathing. By consciously breathing from the abdomen you can increase your energy level, reduce stress, influence better health, and optimize your fat burning.

• AMSA – abdominal breathing techniques to increase energy.
• Health Style – Walking for fitness is training smarter not harder.

Teach Yourself the Technique

The trick to using abdominal breathing during walking in your ideal heart rate zone is easy.

1. Breathe in through your nose for 4 steps.
2. Exhale through your mouth for 2 steps.

By following this breathing pattern from your abdomen you’ll send a maximum amount of oxygen to your muscles AND increase your body’s fat burning ability to its maximum. Just remember in through the nose for 4 steps and completely exhaling out through the mouth in the next 2 steps.

Are you a walker? What’s your technique? Use it for a fitness contest, GettinPhitJust4Me.