If there’s one exercise that’s more consistently overlooked than all others, it’s the value of the hour-long evening walk. That’s probably because it’s so simple, it doesn’t even really feel like working out. But the reality is that walking burns calories, and can help significantly with your fat loss plan over time. There’s a ton of benefits, which I want to walk you through.
The average person burns between 300-400 calories per hour walking. Walk 5 days a week for a year, and you have the potential to drop over 20 pounds of fat, assuming your caloric intake remains the same. That’s powerful stuff. For overweight Americans, with over 30% body fat,
A very effective fitness solution would be nothing more than restricting calories and walking an hour a day. At that level of body fat, muscle growth would be secondary to fat loss anyway.
Another great thing about walking is that it’s so low impact that it won’t affect muscle growth and retention from other workouts you’re doing. That’s why it’s such a preferred method for professional bodybuilders looking to cut fat to get in contest shape. I remember seeing a picture of bodybuilder Shawn Ray several years ago walking on a treadmill during contest preparation. As I recall, he would spend a couple of hours a night on the thing to trim those last few pounds of body fat. You would think that those athletes do nothing but HIIT Training, but that’s not necessarily true.
Walking is also an excellent way to work out soreness from lifting and other sports activities. I get really sore from hour-longu sparring sessions on Saturdays. By Sunday, I’m usually really crushed. I enjoy walking around Sunday early morning or late evening, because I feel like it works out soreness from my body, and makes it easier to go back to lifting and training come Monday.
For married couples, it’s an excellent way to connect with your spouse, and talk about each other’s days, family plans, or just general chatting. I really enjoy the time I spend with Katie a few times a week when we go walking, either in our neighborhood or several trails around the Austin area. When she can’t join me, I usually put on headphones and listen to a book on tape, which gives me extra reading time I wouldn’t get otherwise. When I’m in the mood to zone out, I’ll often put on a podcast, which helps the time fly by and take my mind off the general stress of life.
I hope I’ve convinced you about all the benefits of walking. I’m sure you (like me) have overlooked its power for most of your life, and I hope you commit to getting out there. It’ll keep you off Netflix, enhance your health and well-being significantly, and help you achieve your fat loss goals.