Seven Ways to Power Your Walks

I love going on walks in the spring. I found this article that had some good tips on how to make it more of a workout but still a good way to relax.


ExerciseTV and Leslie Sansone, founder of Walk at Home, team up with the American Heart Association to give heart-healthy walking tips.
by Lara Rosenbaum for ExerciseTV

Improving your heart health can be as easy as taking a simple step—literally. In fact, walking is one of the best ways to lose weight, boost your circulation and burn calories. According to the American Heart Association, moderate-to-brisk walking can lower high blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing diabetes, and lower cholesterol levels. Of course, that's not all. The more you walk and the harder you push yourself, the more benefits you'll reap. Walking specialist and ExerciseTV personality Leslie Sansone shows you seven ways to power up your walks, so you can energize your whole body and get your health on the right track.

1. Speed up. Start by building up to a brisk pace. According to Sansone, that means a 15-minute mile, or a pace of about 3.5 miles an hour. "The average healthy person can walk a 20-minute mile," Sansone says. "But to reap increased fitness benefits, you'll want to speed that up."

Start by shaving a minute off your pace every two weeks, and don't be afraid to push yourself. "Our bodies are made for power," says Sansone. "We pamper them too much. We need to take the fear away and recognize our strength. And when you walk faster, you increase your calorie burn. It's one of the healthiest things you can do, whether you need to lose weight or not."

2. Head uphill. "Climbing works the back, thigh and gluteal muscles much more than trekking on the flats," Sansone says. "Walking around your neighborhood is more challenging than a track because your body has to adapt to the terrain."

Sansone suggests wearing a watch to pace yourself. "If you take off out your door for 15 minutes and come back for 15 minutes, most likely you've done a two-mile walk," she says. For more heart and muscle-revving tips, check out Sansone's "Boost the Intensity of Your Walking" workout.

3. Wear good shoes. "A lot of people wear comfort shoes to walk, but you'll need either a walking shoe or cross trainer for support and cushioning. It allows you to walk stronger," says Sansone.

The same goes for indoor video workouts, too. "If your shoe is moving around, the impact gets thrown back into your joints and you'll fatigue a lot faster," she Sansone.

4. Carry some weight. "But just a little bit—no more than three pounds per hand," says Sansone. "If you carry light hand weights, you'll tune into your upper-body muscles more. Even just controlling the weights as you walk helps tone your core, because it has to stabilize your body."

If you've been exercising regularly, Sansone suggests starting out with two-pound hand weights. "You don't want the weights to be so heavy that you throw off your style," she says.

5. Lengthen your stride. "You don't necessarily want to race walk, but lengthening your stride and focusing on your hamstrings and glutes while you walk really powers up your workout," Sansone says. "Your walk will be so brisk, it will almost feel like a jog, but you'll actually burn more calories if you stick to the walk."

Don't worry about overdoing it, or looking silly. "A basic guideline to follow is if it doesn't feel right, it's not. Our hips can only move so much," Sansone says.

6.Vary your pace. That means incorporate some running in your walking routine. "When your body accelerates, it has to do so much to get everything going, and your heart and lungs use a ton of calories. Every time you push into acceleration, you increase your calorie burn," says Sansone.

Another benefit? You'll beat boredom by turning your neighborhood into a circuit training gym. (Think of running to your neighbor's mailbox, or walking to the next telephone pole.) Watch Sansone's "Power Intervals 1" and "What Makes a Power Walk" videos for more pacing tips and to see how you can also boost your walks inside.

7. Walk at home. That's right! Use a pedometer and walk in place, or follow Sansone's Walk at Home program. She offers one-, two- and three-mile video walks on ExerciseTV. The walking workouts are also available on two Start Walking DVDs from ExerciseTV and the American Heart Association.

Sansone mixes things up with exercise bands and calisthenics. Before you know it, you will have "circled the neighborhood" and worked all of the muscles in your body without even leaving the house.

Get more walking tips and workouts at ExerciseTV. To see all the Start Walking workouts, go to: www.exercisetv.tv/startwalking.