Belly fat, also called visceral fat, is considered a health risk in excess because it can increase inflammation, produce proteins that raise blood pressure, constrict blood vessels, and release free fatty acids. It can also affect cholesterol production, so shedding extra body fat around the stomach is key to keeping your heart healthy and overall health in check.
If you want to lose belly fat, a weight-loss program that includes regular exercise and a balanced diet will be your best bet for long-term success. Luckily, walking is an excellent way to burn calories and boost metabolism.
A few simple tips can help you get the most out of your walking workouts to boost belly fat loss.
Make it fun!
Adding friends or family to your walking routine can help you stick with it. Ask them to walk with you regularly or even recruit a group for an after-dinner stroll.
Vary your routes to keep things interesting. For example, if you live near a park, try taking several different routes and see which ones have more challenges, like stairs or hills.
Alternate short, fast walks and longer recovery rounds for a high-intensity workout that can raise your total calorie burn. This is one of the easiest ways to boost your walking efficiency and keep your muscles from getting bored, says PT Andrew Stone house.
Swing your arms as you walk if you can. This will engage your core and upper-body muscles, adding another 5% to 10% to your calorie burn.
Take a pedometer with you so you can track your daily steps. Walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day would be best to achieve fat-burning benefits.
Aim to walk briskly and work to increase your pace as your fitness level improves. Your heart rate will rise when you walk briskly, which will cause your body to use more energy to move the same amount of weight as you would normally.
Challenge yourself to walk longer than you normally do!
If you don’t have time to walk for additional minutes, walk at a brisk pace, but aim to walk longer each time. This will help your muscles and your heart become more accustomed to working hard for extended periods of time, a big win for any fitness enthusiast.
Increase your speed by walking in the “fat-burning zone.” This is 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate, which should be hovering around 114 beats per minute. This zone burns about 7-12 calories per minute, depending on your age and how much you weigh.
For more effective fat loss, be sure to keep your heart rate in this range for every 10 minutes of walking, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
If you’re new to walking, start by increasing your distance slowly, a few minutes at a time. That will give your body the chance to adapt before you jump to more extreme challenges.