When people who are trying to lose weight see all the exercise options available at the gym, they can feel overwhelmed. They might ask themselves, “What exercises are best for me? Do I have to use all this equipment? Which workouts will help me lose weight?”
You might be surprised to learn that one of the simplest exercises ever — walking — can be very beneficial in your goal to lose weight. Not only can walking aid in weight loss, but it also provides many other health perks.
Read on to discover how walking can help you lose weight and learn 10 tips to maximize your walking workouts at our Thornton gym.
Diet and Weight Loss
Before we discuss walking to lose weight, let’s dive into diet, since diet is a much bigger slice of the weight loss pie (no pun intended!)
To lose weight, one must create a calorie deficit. That means your body needs to use, or burn, more calories than you consume. Over time, this calorie deficit forces your body to use stored fat as fuel to survive.
To change your weight by one pound, you must decrease your caloric intake by 3,500 calories. So, if you reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories, you’ll lose about one pound per week. You can also burn some of those calories through exercise. There are many apps, like MyFitnessPal, that you can use to track the calories you eat and the calories you burn through exercise.
It’s important to avoid cutting your calories too much, however, as this can cause your metabolism to slow down, making it even harder to lose weight. Most health organizations recommend a weight loss rate of 1-2 pounds per week maximum. In addition, you should try to consume plenty of lean protein with every meal so that your body is less likely to use your own muscle tissue as a fuel source. Protein also helps you feel fuller, longer, so you eat less.
Another factor to consider is how many calories your body needs. It’s difficult to know exactly what your daily calorie needs are, but you can use an online calculator to give you a good starting point. As you track your calories over time, weigh yourself periodically. If you see your weight going down, that means you’re in a calorie deficit and achieving your goal! You can also have a regular body composition analysis at AFAC gym by using our InBody 770. This device will show you when your body’s fat percentage is decreasing.
Walking at the Gym and Weight Loss
Another way to create a calorie deficit is by exercising to burn calories. Cardiovascular exercise like walking can use a significant number of calories. Strength training is also helpful for weight loss because, in addition to burning some calories, it encourages your body to build muscle tissue. Muscles naturally burn more calories than fat, even when you’re not exercising.
Physical activity like walking is the second-largest consumer of your daily calories (second only to the number of calories your body burns to survive). How often you walk (frequency), the level of effort you put forth when walking (intensity), and the length of your walking session (duration) all combine to contribute to the number of calories you burn. Your age, sex, and weight can also influence how many calories you burn when you walk.
With all these factors to consider, it’s challenging to arrive at an exact number of calories burned when walking, but this online calculator can provide an estimate.
If you’d like to lose more than 5% of your body weight, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you get more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Walking an hour per day, 6 days per week, for example, would allow you to meet that goal. After you’ve achieved your goal weight, it’s recommended that you maintain this same level of exercise so the weight doesn’t come back.
Numerous studies have shown the link between walking and weight loss. In a 12-week study, people with obesity lowered their calories by 500-800 per day. One group walked 3 hours per week at 3.7 miles per hour, while the other group didn’t walk at all.
By the end of the study, both groups lost a significant amount of weight, but the people in the walking group lost 4 pounds more on average than those who didn’t walk.
10 Ways to Optimize Your Walking and Weight Loss at the Gym
Now that we’ve established walking as an effective exercise to boost your weight loss, let’s consider some ways to optimize your walking program to provide you with the best results.
1. Walk at a Brisk Pace and Vary Your Intensity
While it’s better to walk at a leisurely pace than not walk at all, research shows that walking at a brisk pace is best for burning calories and losing weight. But, what does “walking at a brisk pace” mean?
It means that you’ll be walking faster than you would normally. Your “brisk pace” speed is determined by your age, sex, and fitness level, among other things. Many fitness experts consider a brisk pace to be 3-3.5 miles per hour.
For it to be deemed a brisk pace, you need to raise your breathing and heart rate. That means, if you’re walking at a brisk pace, you should feel slightly out of breath and break a sweat.
If you find it difficult to increase your pace, try doing shorter, 1-2 minute intervals of brisk walking with a minute of recovery in between. This HIIT (high-intensity interval training) style of walking can help rev up your metabolism and break through a weight-loss plateau.
Measuring and varying your pace is easiest at a gym like AFAC, where you can use one of our state-of-the-art treadmills to set your pace and change it on the fly.
2. Walk on an Incline at the Gym
Another way to increase your heart rate and calorie burn while walking at the gym is to walk on an incline. As a matter of fact, walking on an incline gives you similar benefits to running or jogging on a flat surface, but without the wear and tear on your hips, knees, ankles, and feet. By increasing the incline on your treadmill, you can burn more calories and activate your posterior-chain muscles (glutes, hamstrings, and calves), making your legs stronger and more toned. This also helps you prevent muscle loss while you shed bodyweight.
In addition, walking on a 15% incline burns a few more calories per minute than jogging on a flat surface. For a 180-pound person, 20 minutes of walking 3 miles per hour at a 15% incline burns about 255 calories, while that same person jogging 5 miles per hour for 20 minutes at a 0% incline burns about 235 calories.
Walking on hills outside provides similar benefits, but it’s difficult to measure the incline of hills. Outdoor terrain also can be uneven and slippery, putting you at risk of injury. The occasional outdoor walk provides mental stimulation and fresh air, but for weight loss, walking on a treadmill at the gym will typically provide better – and safer – results.
3. Sign Up for Walking Events and Nordic Walking Classes at the Gym
One thing that can keep you motivated is signing up for walking events. Plenty of 5K and 10K races are walker friendly. You can even walk some half-marathons and marathons!
AFAC gym also offers Nordic Walking classes that are led by our gym owner, Susan Schaffner. Nordic Walking is similar to normal walking outside, except that you do it with specially designed ski poles attached to your hands. Our Nordic Walking classes are perfect for Colorado, where we have an expansive network of trails and parks with spectacular views and mild weather most of the year. This walking workout also comes with a long list of benefits like increased calorie burn compared to regular walking, in addition to toning and strengthening of the muscles in your upper and lower body.
You’ll also meet new friends to walk with. Numerous studies have confirmed that a strong support group is essential to achieving and maintaining weight loss, as those who are part of a social support network lose more weight than people who go it alone. Joining a walking group like our Nordic Walking Classes can help you stay active and connected during your weight loss journey.
Even if you’ve never tried Nordic Walking before, we hope you’ll join us! Susan will teach you the ropes so you’ll be a Nordic Walking pro in no time. Check out our class schedule page to learn when our Nordic Walking classes will be held and sign up on MINDBODY!
4. Have a Great Playlist, Audiobook, or Podcast Ready
Before you lace up your sneakers, think about the songs you want to hear while you walk. Having a great soundtrack to pair with your walk can motivate you to push harder and go further. The best part is you probably won’t even notice the extra effort you’re putting in because you’ll be enjoying your songs. Look for tunes with fast tempos, as these have been proven to enhance workout performance.
Another way to enrich your walk is by listening to a captivating audiobook or podcast. This can help you dive into a book you’ve always wanted to read or learn about topics you’ve always wanted to study. A podcast or audiobook can also help you walk longer as you’re engaged in the topic you’re listening to.
5. Swing Your Arms
Swinging your arms while you walk not only speeds up your pace, but it also provides a decent upper body workout. Plus, arm swinging while walking causes you to burn 5-10% more calories. For best results, bend your arms at 90 degrees and pump from the shoulder. On the backswing, your arms should reach your back pocket. On the swing forward, your arms should be near the center of your chest.
6. Try Backward Walking
Since walking backward uses leg muscles differently than walking forward, it can be a great way to rehabilitate from a knee injury. Backward walking is safest on a treadmill at the gym so you don’t have to watch for traffic, trees, potholes, and the like. Even a slow pace like 2 miles per hour provides a fairly intense training session.
7. Walk to Relieve Stress
Research has shown that walking can be beneficial to your mental health, too. It prompts the release of brain chemicals called endorphins that promote relaxation and improve mood. And, since the food we crave when we’re stressed out tends to be full of fat and sugar, walking can help reduce these cravings and bouts of stress eating, further assisting in our weight loss efforts.
8. Don’t Give Up Strength Training at the Gym
While walking is wonderful for weight loss, it shouldn’t be the only exercise you do to drop pounds. Strength training is a key part of weight loss, too, since it helps to build muscle which burns more calories at rest than fat. Whether you do simple bodyweight exercises, use kettlebells and dumbbells, or prefer barbell workouts, start strength training your entire body at least 2-3 days per week. This can also help you build the glute, leg, core, and hip strength needed to walk further and faster while preventing injury.
9. Use Proper Form When Walking
Walking with poor form can slow your pace, causing you to tire easily, burn fewer calories, or even get injured. That’s why working on proper form when walking is essential to weight loss. Avoid overstriding and let your steps fall into their natural stride length. Shorter steps increase your walking cadence and make it easier to walk faster. Swing your arms to propel yourself forward and stand tall. Keep your back straight and your head up, which will also help strengthen your core muscles.
10. Walk a Little Throughout the Day
It’s okay for the bulk of your walking workout to be at the gym, but avoid being totally sedentary for the rest of the day. If you sit a lot throughout the day, set an alarm to get up every hour and walk around for 5 minutes. This can counteract the negative effects of sitting and will also boost your step count, help you lose more weight, and enhance your overall health.
Walk Your Way to Fitness at AFAC Gym
If you’re ready to start a walking and strength training program to lose weight, we hope you will stop by AFAC gym to speak to our staff and personal trainers. We’ll be happy to give you a tour of our gym and show you our state-of-the-art treadmills that are perfect for any walking workout. Our team is here to support your fitness goals. We can even design a training program especially for needs and objectives.
To find out more about becoming a member of AFAC gym — the best gym in Thornton, Colorado — please stop by or give us a call anytime. We’ll be happy to assist you. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.
