When you see how hard people workout at Revolution Fitness in Stamford, CT, and how much exercise they get in the time they’re there, you’ll understand that walking 10k steps daily isn’t necessary for those people. There’s a lot of confusion about the 10,000 step recommendation. It’s not necessary if you’re doing high intensity workouts for 150 minutes a week, but is a good way to stay active on your days away from the gym.
Walking is good for people who can’t do intense workouts and a way to start a fitness program.
If you’ve been a couch potato for years and suddenly realize you can’t climb a flight of steps without stopping to catch your breath, walking is a good gateway exercise to something more physically demanding. You can walk outside and soak up the sunshine, which is also good for you. As you get fitter, you can modify the walk to alternate between high intensity and a recovery rate, creating a HIIT workout, making it even more effective. A brisk walk is good for bone strength, cardio, balance and coordination, while burning extra calories.
Walking won’t cover all types of training that are necessary for good health.
You need strength, flexibility, balance and cardio training to be your fittest. Walking can provide the cardio and even some balance and lower body strength training. Walking is low to moderate intensity and provides similar benefits to bicycling, swimming, aquatic exercises and elliptical cross training. In fact, doing exercises or even walking in a pool provides more exercise.
You shouldn’t replace the gym with walking, but supplement it.
If you’ve had a tough workout that day, you don’t need to walk 10K steps. If you can’t workout at the gym, due to health conditions, fitness level or even time, it’s a good idea to use it so you get some exercise. It’s all about moving and working your muscles. If you’ve ever boxed, you know you get in lots of steps, but also get an upper body workout that’s excellent. Both are good and for most people both should be part of your fitness program.
- For people that are cramped for time, walking is a good option. You can even break it down to shorter walking times that add up to at least 30 minutes, as long as each walking session is at least ten minutes.
- If you choose to walk as a form of exercise, focus on good posture when you walk. Keep your shoulders back, stand tall and try to imagine you’re pushing the top of your head through the clouds. As with all types of exercise, form is important.
- You don’t need any special clothes for walking, except proper footwear. There are other ways to boost your activity, like taking the stairs. When you walk, make it brisk for the most benefit. Longer strides and more rapid ones are best.
- If you have a pedometer to count your steps, you can increase the number of steps you take by doing simple things, like parking further away from the store when you shop, walking to lunch and taking the stairs.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training