Getting the most out of walking

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mbollman79
mbollman79 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good morning. I’ve been doing more walking lately. I park at the parking garage and walk several blocks to work in the morning and back in the evening when I’m off. It only takes me about 8-10 minutes depending on if traffic will let me cross the street.
My question is, how do I get the most out of this walk? I don’t feel like I’m burning any calories or really doing much but moving.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,002 Member
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    You could walk it twice? I don't know, any movement is good. Calories burned will depend on time and distance.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    I get off one bus stop earlier but also walk about a block PAST my office then back to add even more steps (can't really get off two stops earlier as i run out of time). as mentioned above, more steps is best.

    you can move up to walking a bit faster (even starting with half a block faster, half a block normal and slowly increasing from there).
  • sammidelvecchio
    sammidelvecchio Posts: 791 Member
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    You could wear ankle or wrist weights or a weighted vest. Also moving your arms and picking your feet up higher (kinda like a march) works better for me than a stroll.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    edited April 2019
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    Calories ~= {your weight in points} x miles walked / 3.

    Which means walking farther and weighting more are the two levers you can pull.
  • johngsprague
    johngsprague Posts: 22 Member
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    My opinion is the calorie aspect isn't the payoff from walking, you can't walk off a bad diet and a good diet won't need the exercise. The payoff is in cardiovascular health and the health of pretty much every system of your body. If you can extend each end to 15 minutes for a total of 30 minutes/day you'll be doing fine.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,680 Member
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    Main thing is to walk farther or more often (i.e can you walk at noon as well, go for a longer walk on the way back to your car or at home?) and to increase the pace. As John said, the main benefit of walking is cardiovascular, so a brisk pace is better than a slow mosey, though any walking is good to start. Hand weights are a possibility to increase your heart rate a bit, but don't do ankle weights. That can lead to joint injuries.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    mbollman79 wrote: »
    My question is, how do I get the most out of this walk?. I don’t feel like I’m burning any calories or really doing much but moving.

    Moving is the main value of walking. Frequent movement is important for health, so try to take a short, brisk walk every hour, or climb stairs every hour.
    For fat loss, all that's needed is eating the right number of calories. :+1:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    sammidelvecchio wrote: »
    You could wear ankle or wrist weights or a weighted vest. Also moving your arms and picking your feet up higher (kinda like a march) works better for me than a stroll.

    A weighted vest is going to be a much safer option. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/wearable-weights-how-they-can-help-or-hurt
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Walk faster. But it's still only a few minutes and a short distance. It won't be longer unless you take the long route around the block.

    Calorie burn is 0.3 x bodyweight x miles. So .5 mile for a 150 pound person, which is likely about how far you're walking, is 25 calories. Running is about double that, but still not much for a short distance.

    For more calorie burn, you have to go further. Consider adding in more walking at other times when it's more convenient to your schedule.

    A 10 minute walk first thing in the morning is a great way to start your day!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Any and all exercise is good exercise!

    But, if you want to get faster and stronger, you need to allocate some time and push distance and pace.
  • mbollman79
    mbollman79 Posts: 5 Member
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    My walk is about 8-10 minutes from the parking garage to work. Most of the time I’m walking pretty quick with only the breaks to see if traffic will let me cross the street.
    I am weighted down a bit with my purse and my lunch.
    Unfortunately I can’t walk during my lunch break or I won’t get to eat. It’s only a half hour and I’m a very slow eater.
    I am usually on my feet all day because of my work.
    I do like the idea of the weights. I could also extend my walking route.

    Thank you all! You’re all awesome. I wish you well. 🤗

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