This Simple Walking Workout Is an Amazing Fat Burner, Says Top Trainer
Never listen to anyone who tells you that walking isn't a workout. "Walking is a really good form of exercise and can help you reach your fitness and weight-loss goals," John Ford, a certified exercise physiologist who owns and operates New York's JKF Fitness & Health, told NBC news. "I don't scoff at walking. In fact, walking is the suggested workout over running for many people. Walking is a lower impact exercise and can be done for longer periods of time."
Contrary to popular belief, it's also an effective way to burn fat. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry, researchers who studied the effects of walking on obese women over the course of a 12-week period found that it was especially effective at targeting and reducing visceral fat—otherwise known as belly fat, the type that increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease—while also helping improve the body's insulin response. The researchers recommend walking for anyone suffering from obesity or metabolic syndrome, or anyone who does "not have prior experience with exercise."
If you'd like to try your hand at walking for weight loss, we reached out to Ash Wilking, CFSC, a popular Nike Trainer, Rumble Instructor, and creator of the app Ash Fit On Demand, for her suggestion for a simple walking workout that doubles as an amazing fat burner that you can try at home. According to Wilking, the key to burning fat while walking is to simply go longer. "For walking, where your heart rate stays a much lower rate and therefore has the time to access energy from fat, a longer walking workout will be considered more fat burning."
So read on for Wilking's three-part "60-Minute Walking Workout," which we've included below.
12-Minute Warmup Block
For one minute, walk at a faster than normal pace, followed by 30 seconds of either high knees or heel kicks (when you bring your heels to your rear). Do this eight times total, alternating between high knees and heel kicks.
40-Minute "Work" Block
Walk for 3 minutes at a fast pace, then 2 minutes at an easy pace. Do this 8 times total.
8-Minute Cool Down
Walk at a continuous slow pace for 8 minutes.
For more great workouts…
Don't miss our collection of the 30 Workouts You Can Do in Just 30 Seconds! And if you're still on the fence about whether or not you should walk more, make sure you read about The Major Side Effect of Walking Every Day, According to Science.
