Walking expert, and creator and founder of WalkActive, Joanna Hall, shares how to up the pace so you can go from strolling to striding in just two weeks – and why you should try walking for weight loss…
Words: Joanna Hall | Images: Shutterstock
Walking is just about the most accessible form of exercise for us – we can do it right through our lives – providing significant benefits for our physical health, physiological fitness, mental wellbeing and cognitive resistance. The health benefits are so numerous it’s often said that if walking was a pill, it would be the most widely prescribed drug!
Brisk walking falls into the category of moderate exercise intensity, which offers innumerable health, fitness and wellbeing benefits. Walking is one of the most important parts of a stroke rehabilitation programme. A brisk half-hour walk, at least three times a week significantly boosts a stroke survivor’s physical fitness level, their ability to be mobile and their resting heart rate (a key indicator of cardiovascular health).
A study published found people over 60 who walked 6,000-9,000 steps a day cut their risk of heart disease by 40-50 per cent when compared to a more typical 2,000 steps a day.
There are also mental wellbeing benefits; according to Mintel’s Wellness Study, more than half of adults say their primary reason for setting health and wellness goals is to feel happy. Walking can be so good for increasing your positivity and getting you outdoors into nature. Even in the rain it’s helpful, as plants release mood-boosting compounds to lift your spirits.
The bipedal movement of regular walking stimulates BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is like fertiliser for your brain to keep you in good cognitive condition.
Walking for weight loss and fitness: speeds, steps & strategy tips
Walking for weight loss technique
Since walking really is so good for you, it makes sense to do it to the best of your ability. If you wanted to improve your tennis serve, golf drive or even front crawl, you’d have to practice. But because we learn to walk so early on, we rarely think about it from a technique perspective as it’s just something we do. Research is now showing that how you walk and the pace of your walk is more important than just counting out steps.
A faster pace reduces the risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer and even death over and above daily steps, for example.
My WalkActive plan has been scientifically verified to improve your walking posture, reduce joint strain and increase your speed more than normal walking. It contains a quick and simple 14-day plan to help you walk fitter, faster and further without additional strain on your joints or compromising your posture. I teach you exactly how to walk well and here’s why…
If you spend a long time sitting, are under stress, or are experiencing physiological changes due to ageing – reduced elasticity of connective tissue, decreased muscular strength and poor balance – this can all equate to poor walking technique. You may also have tension stored in various places in your body due to surgery or past injuries, or even from pregnancy, meaning that when you walk, your movement recruitment pattern is below par, i.e. you’re not using the right muscles in the right way, and in the right sequence.
Upping the pace in walking for weight loss
Speed is more important than number of steps. A study that tracked 10,000 civil servants for more than 30 years found those with a naturally brisk walk were less likely to die from heart disease or cancer in their 60s and 70s.
Research has also linked slow walking speeds to dementia, and brain scans show that 40-somethings who stroll rather than stride have older brains than brisk walkers. King’s College London also did a study that showed, on average, faster walkers had IQ scores some 12 points higher than people who didn’t walk fast.
My WalkActive plan has been looked at by researchers at London South Bank University and has been found to help increase walking speed by 24 per cent in just 28 days. The same study found that following the WalkActive programme for four weeks reduced body fat in participants by three per cent and waist measurements by 15 per cent!
To improve your pace in a smooth manner, without increasing joint strain, try these tips:
Your natural accelerators
- Push off from your toes. Aim for an even push from the big, middle and little toes.
- Connect to the ground. Keep each foot on the ground for longer, as the more contact there is between your soles and the ground, the more power you generate to propel your body forward, which is what makes you go faster.
- Create hip stability without rigidity. A stable pelvis gives your muscles something to push against, which then propels you faster. If your hips are lifted, then your hip joint can move more freely. This allows your thigh to extend further behind you with each stride, in turn allowing the big muscles in your bottom to contract more fully, propelling you forward more powerfully. The result is a faster stride.
- Increase stride length. As you begin to walk faster using your natural accelerators, your stride will probably lengthen as a natural consequence of using your feet, hips and arms to generate speed. However fast you go, you will still feel and look natural and relaxed. Each time your foot touches down, it begins the stride that will propel you over the ground. And you’ll learn to propel your body faster without putting in more effort.
