Go for a walk: Six ways to make it your daily workout

Judy Fogg, 76, is one of the fittest people her daughter knows. Your VO2 max, for example, is a common fitness metric that measures how much oxygen a person can take in while exercising.

“He has a VO2 max that’s not too far from that of a Nordic skier, and it’s considered the peak of the day,” said Robin Fogg-Wiltsey, physiologist and fitness trainer. His mother’s secret? daily walk.

In the past two years, the world has significantly changed its relationship to running, with millions of people strolling their neighborhood streets or local trails in hopes of improving their fitness, sense of community and mental health. Studies have shown that Walking at least 30 minutes a day is enough to reap significant physical and emotional benefits.

But walking down the same street can be quick of daily pleasure in a repetitive task. If you’re willing to think outside the box, there are plenty of ways to change that and bring some excitement back into the ride.

Originally developed in Finland as a way to train skiers during the off-season, Nordic walkers use specially designed poles with rubber tips to help hold the pavement and activate the muscles of the arms and coreTransform a simple walk into a full body walk.

Hikers who can handle walking around town with poles will, on average, have a 22 percent increase in caloric expenditure and 23 percent more oxygen consumption. The more oxygen the body can consume, the more efficiently it can generate energy during a workout.

Kirk Shave, who trains Nordic walkers at Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat and Health Spa in British Columbia, explains that they should Hold the pole with the elbow at a 90 degree angle and the forearm parallel to the ground, Then use your triceps to press the tips of the poles in your way behind you and push your body forward as you push through. In addition, it details that they must Hold the pole with the elbow at a 90 degree angle and the forearm parallel to the ground, Then use your triceps to press the tips of the poles in your way behind you and push your body forward as you push through.

“The number one problem for hikers, runners and walkers ultimately is their knees and ankles,” Sheve explained. Take some of the stress off your lower body by using poles when walking on flat ground and slopes Compression in these joints can help prevent problems.He added.

“Game is fundamental,” said Bill Burnett, executive director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University and co-author of the book “Designing Your Life.” From an early age, he said, Our brain learns and develops habits through fun, “When you were a kid, the way you learned to do things was by playing with them,” he said.

After two years roaming the same streets of San Francisco during the coronavirus pandemic, he became hungry for new things, sometimes going on scavenger hunts in search of secret stairs, orange flowers or bird songs. For Burnett, The way modern exercise is designed makes people burn out after a while., because it’s easy to fall into the mind-numbing habit of counting steps on a smartwatch. Bringing a sense of curiosity to growth can be a powerful antidote to the mundane.

You can wake up your adventurous side in your neighborhood, says adventurer and author of “Micro Adventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes,” Alastair Humphries. In 2020, he attempted to run, walk or cycle every street in his London suburb and discover places he never knew existed. “The challenge is trying to see things with fresh, open eyes, as if it were the first time,” he said.

Climb a tree, take a walk under a full moon without a flashlight, have your morning cup of coffee at a new location every day, or find a local golf course. You have to keep the fun, it’s not necessary that everything is serious.

3- Add a backpack to your back

Some walkers may have long-term goals. Maybe they want to cover longer distances or try a backpacking trip. The best way to prepare muscles for high-intensity activities is to increase resistance.Maybe training with a heavy bag, Fogg-Wiltsey said.

He suggests starting with no more than 15 pounds in a pack with a full hip belt that, when fitted comfortably near your belly button, transfers weight to your legs as you walk. This helps users avoid neck and back pain when a heavy load compresses the spine.

Ms Fogg-Wiltsey, who has coached clients to climb Mount Everest and compete in the American Ninja Warrior finals, said putting a set of elastic exercise bands in their backpack to use at some point along the way, for example To: In a half-squat position, place the band just below your knees and then step toward each other to the right, keeping your knees parallel and hip-distance apart.

Then, taking a lateral step to the left, the movement is repeated for a few steps, keeping the weight on the heels and squatting deeply. Make sure your feet are parallel at all times and if possible do two sets of 10 at some point during each walk.

In the end, good templates will help prevent something over pronunciationDr. Michael Frederickson, Professor of Orthopedics at Stanford University. inverted position When the foot rolls inward, it is usually due to an arch that is not strong enough to adequately support the weight of the body. People with flatter feet are more likely to experience this.

4-Incorporate walking into some daily obligations

One of the hardest parts of a daily walking routine is fitting it into an already tight schedule, said Jennifer Farr Davis, author and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company. But, he said, Extra steps can be included in surprising places, For example, when you pick up your kids from school, park six blocks away and walk the rest. Taking 10 or 15 minutes when you get to the car can help the kids get off the air and get some energy out, she said, adding, “It helps me connect with my kids a little bit. “

Ms. Farr Davis also likes to swap out her Zoom meetings whenever possible, especially for walk-in meetings with local coworkers., “When your body moves, your brain is stimulated in different ways and you become more creative”That said, noting that these ongoing meetings often lead to better interactions between coworkers.

5- Listen to music or podcasts

it has been shown that Listening to music during a walk or intense training session reduces perceived exertion and increases physical performance, according to a recent meta-analysis. In other words, exercising more doesn’t feel as strenuous when you’re listening to your favorite playlist.

Ms Fogg-Wiltsey said that when her clients engaged in any type of “preferential listening” while exercising, they saw similar results. “If music isn’t your thing, podcasts can do the same thing,” he said.

6- Contains intense intervals

use any Interval training consisting of a series of high-intensity bursts with a recovery period in between. The beauty of Fartlek is that, unlike traditional high-intensity interval training, walkers or runners don’t have to stick to a watch or fitness tracker to increase their muscular endurance. You can increase your stride with a light jog or brisk walk to get your heart rate up, then slow down and repeat the same process until you feel healthier.

If a more structured approach is preferred, “start with a 10-minute warmup, then do six to 10 brisk one-minute intervals, each followed by two minutes of easy walking,” said Matt Fitzgerald. author of “80/20 Running” and co-founder of a training company called 80/20 Endurance. “And then cool down with five to 10 minutes of running.” Dividing up the weekly exercise so that 80 percent of the time is spent at a lower intensity Ho and 20 percent spent at a moderate to high intensity, like the training regimens of competitive marathon runners, may help, he said. Everyday athletes get in shape faster.