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Feb 1

These Are the Best Walking Workouts, According to Fitness Experts – msnNOW

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Getty Diverse females walking on beach after their exercise in Auckland, New Zealand.Its easy to take walking for granted as a form of exercise. After all, its how we move around in the world every day, so sometimes it's hard to believe itll knock off pounds or improve well-being. But research shows that walking is a surprisingly strong health and fitness strategy. Proof: one study found that a 12-week moderate-intensity walking program decreased belly fat and increased VO2max, a marker of your fitness level, in overweight and obese women. (How do you know if you're walking at a moderate intensity? Research says to aim for at least 100 steps per minute.)

Walking can even help prevent some serious diseases. Another recent study found that taking a quick five-minute walk break every thirty minutes throughout the day can improve metabolic health, lowering insulin and glucose levels, as well as reducing blood pressure. Another larger study proved that walking at a decent clip reduced participants risk of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels just as much as running. And to solidify the positive effects of walking, a meta-analysis found that the benefits of strolling outdoors with friends can carry over into mental health too, improving your quality of life and lowering risk of depression.

Its clear that our bodies were made to walk, but theres more than one way to get the most out of those daily steps. We spoke to three experts with different approaches to a rewarding stroll, so you can choose the right method for you. Whether youre time-pressed or want to ease into running, our experts have got you covered.

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Kirsch, who has trained the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kate Upton, believes even the fittest people can benefit from walking more. "From a purely physiological standpoint, walking raises your heart rate and burns calories,"he says. "But its also a great way to increase your mind-body connection, focus on your breath, spend time in nature, meditate, and de-stress."

David Kirsch's go-to walking workout:For beginners, its all about working up to 10,000 steps a day, says Kirsch. Thats the preset daily goal on most fitness trackers because its considered a good target for heart health and weight maintenance. But after youve mastered that, challenge yourself to hit 15,000 to 25,000 daily steps. "Ten thousand should become the bare minimum," he says. To amp up the intensity of your walks, try a hilly landscape or wear two- to three-pound ankle and hand weights. You can also incorporate some toning exercises every few minutes, like jumping jacks, walking lunges, squats, or squat jumps, suggests Kirsch. Adding these moves in intervalswill help you build muscle,improve heart health,and increase endurance."Walking is so good foryou," he says. "Its a greatstart and supplement toany wellness program."

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"Walking is one of the best tools for weight maintenance," says Dr. Rothberg, director of the University of Michigans Weight Management Clinic. "Its aerobic, it engages some of the biggest muscles, and its feasible for most people."

Dr. Rothberg's go-to walking workout:To maintain a healthy weight, Dr. Rothberg recommends walking for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Some good news: You dont have to log a half hour all at once. "You can do your 30 minutes in 10-minute bouts throughout the day," she says, "and those add up." Plus, when you walk for shorter periods, you can generally go at a faster speed, which may be even better for you than walking slowly for 30 minutes straight, since more vigorous activities can help increase your overall fitness level. And even lower-intensity exercises like fast-paced walking can help burn some of the bodys stored fat. Walking in chunks of time can give you little boosts of confidence to keep you motivated, too. "Whether its parking farther away or walking to meet a colleague, you get a sense of accomplishment," she says. "Its these little successes that end up establishing good habits."

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Galloway is the creatorof the Run Walk Runtraining method, whichhelps walkers and longtimerunners alike stay in shapeand prep for races. Addingrunning intervals to yourwalks can help you burnmore calories, and runninghas been shown to boostappetite-suppressinghormones, notes Galloway.Plus, easing into runninglike this allows you "to gofarther while feeling betterand avoiding injury," he says.

Jeff Galloway's go-to walking workout:To introduce faster segments into your walks, start by jogging for 5 to 10 seconds per minute for 10 minutes, gradually working your way up to 30 minutes. Once youve conquered that goal, begin adding longer periods of jogging until you can jog for 30 seconds per minute for 30 minutes. Eventually, you can build up to shorter walk breaksfor example, walking for 30 seconds and running for 60. This is an excellent way to train for a 5K or even longer race, says Galloway. (For regular runners looking to add in strategic walking breaks, Galloway suggests alternating 90 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking if you run a 10-minute mile on average. If you average a 12-minute mile, try alternating 60 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking.)

Video: Signs that it's time to break up with your gym (Provided by Health.com)

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These Are the Best Walking Workouts, According to Fitness Experts - msnNOW

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