Why walking burns more fat than running – and won’t ruin your weekend
Hate running? Then slow things down and start walking - it'll still help you to shift those extra pounds but without much risk of injury
SO you hate running...
And who can blame you? It's often painful and boring and generally requires a ginormous level of willpower to slog your guts out in public.
But despite what running addicts will have you believe, treadmills and marathons aren't the only form of fat-busting cardio out there.
In fact, one of the most effective, cheapest and easiest forms of exercise to get into is...walking.
Once you've got yourself a pair of trainers (you don't have to spend crazy amounts - you just want to be comfortable), walking doesn't cost a thing.
In fact, it might actually save you money on your travel.
Yep, simply going for a brisk walk can do wonders for your fat burning potential, heart health and mind.
In fact, there have been numerous studies to suggest that short bouts of walking can help to reduce the risk of depression and high blood pressure - and that going for a stroll after eating can help to speed up the time it takes food to move from the stomach into the small intestines.
And that's supposed to help with feeling fuller after eating and controlling blood sugar.
Walking burns fat without the same risk of injury
Faya Nilsson - known to most as blogger Fitness on Toast - is a big believer in the power of walking.
"It’s relatively low-impact, so the consequences on the body are far more gentle (compared to a harsh run)," she told The Sun.
"This also means it’s one of the few forms of cardio you can do pretty injury free on a daily basis (unlike, for instance, running).
"It’s also a full-body workout which sculpts arms, legs and core – try to walk at speed with a bad posture and it’s almost impossible (whereas when you run for a long time, it’s easy to lean on one side/hunch your shoulders/exaggerate lordotic back postures (that’s arched/swayback with excessive curvature).
You can burn fat, improve your blood circulation and pressure, and, if you're outside, you're also getting a hit of vitamin D too.
And when it comes to heart health, walking can be even more effective than running
Scientists from
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California found that brisk walking reduces your risk of heart disease more effectively than running.
They looked at data from two studies of 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers.
For the same amount of energy used, walkers reaped more heart benefits than runners; runners reduced their risk of heart disease by 4.5 per cent, while walkers did so by 9.3 per cent, and the same was the chase for high cholesterol risk and blood pressure.
It's good for your mental - as well as physical health
Going for a good walk is the perfect excuse to carve out a bit of "me" time, without the pressure or expectation of going to a gym class or engaging in any kind of competitive sport.
Earlier this year, a huge study found that walking can improve mental health.
It looked at data from over a million people over four years and found that those who exercised - including those who *just* went for walks - had 43 per cent fewer self-reported "bad" mental health days compared to those who didn't exercise at all.
How to burn the most fat
For the best results, Faya believes it's best to walk around first thing in the morning - before breakfast.
"‘If you’re short on time, squeeze it in where possible – en route to work, during a lunch break or walking to a meeting – anywhere, anytime but the best time is before breakfast for 60 minutes,’ Faya explains. ‘The reason being your glycogen stores will be lower and the body will burn through what little glycogen there is stored and use your stored fat much quicker. ‘Plus you’ll be taking in some great scenery – nature or the urban city – while walking!’
If you're outside, you need to push yourself in terms of speed so that you actively feel like you're getting a pretty tough workout.
You want to be getting a light sweat on, and although able to maintain a conversation, you want to feel a little out of breath.
How do you know if you're walking fast enough?
The NHS says that a brisk walk is about three miles an hour - so we're talking about walking with purpose here, not simply a stroll.
One way to tell if you're walking briskly is if you can still talk but you can't sing the words to a song.
If you want to properly track your progress, you could invest in a smartwatch from tech companies like Fitbit () and Garmin ().
Or you could just download the free Active 10 app on your smartphone, which can tell you when you're walking fast enough and suggest ways to fit in some more brisk walking.
You can download the app from the and .
If you're working indoors, however, then someone of medium fitness might want to set their treadmill to a seven per cent gradient and go at it at a speed of 7km/h. If that's too much, bring down the speed.
The great thing about speed walking is that it's totally adaptable to people of all fitness levels and experiences; challenge yourself but don't feel like you're in competition with anyone else in terms of speed or difficulty.
But it is important to understand that we're not talking about going out for a daily dawdle with the dog here.
Is there any truth in the whole 10,000 step idea?
In recent months, experts have questioned whether we really do need to aim for the 10,000 step pre-set on our Fitbits.
The seemingly random figure was first used in a Japanese marketing campaign in the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in a bid to encourage more people to become active.
50 years on, it's still seen as a fitness benchmark - despite Public Health England recommending that we concentrate more on doing three speedy 10-minute walks a day (rather than concentrating on steps).
But Faya maintains that it's still a good goal.
"I recommend to most of my clients who have started training for the first time to aim to achieve at least 10,000 steps a day," the Swedish PT told us.
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She insists that it's still a good measure for making sure you're moving around enough during the day - especially if you have a sedentary job.
"By investing in a step counter or accelerometer app and checking them throughout the day, it can help to ensure that you don't leave it until last minute (to do some exercise), and spread the activity as you go through the day."
So, what's your excuse?
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