Brisk Walking

A brisk walk is one of the easiest and most effective cardio workouts. The key to getting a great workout with brisk walking is to maintain a pace that gives your heart and lungs a challenging workout, but not so hard that you run out of steam too quickly.

The benefits of brisk walking

• Regular cardio exercise, like brisk walking, offers a wide range of physical and mental benefits. Some well-researched benefits include:
• Weight loss. Walking can help you lose excess weight by burning more calories, increasing lean muscle mass, and boosting your mood so you’re more likely to keep on walking.
• Improved cardiovascular health. According to a review of studies Trusted Source, walking 5 days a week can help lower your risk for heart disease. Regular cardio exercise may also help lower the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood.
• Lower blood pressure. Research has found that regular cardio exercise may help lower your blood pressure..
• Improved mental health. Research has also shown that exercise can boost self-esteem, improve sleep, build brain power, and more.

Calories burn from brisk walking

The rate at which you burn calories depends on several factors, including:

To burn a higher number of calories, you’ll want to walk at a faster pace. You’ll also want to walk for a longer period of time.

Here’s a snapshot of the calories you can burn, depending on your weight and pace, if you walk for 1 hour. Divide this number by 2 to figure out the calorie burn for a 30-minute walk:

Ways to boost your calorie burn

Walk uphill

Adding inclines and hills to your walking route will require your heart, lungs, and muscles to work harder and therefore burn more calories. The advantage of walking on a treadmill is that you can set the incline of your walk. Many treadmills allow you to enter a preprogrammed course of inclines, declines, and flat surface.

Add interval training

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short bursts of vigorous exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods.HIIT workouts are an effective way of burning calories and reducing body fat in a shorter amount of time.

The recommendation to exercise at a moderate pace for 150 minutes a week, a reasonable goal is to walk briskly for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

The Bottom line

Walking at a brisk pace, even for just 10 minutes at a time, can benefit your health and well-being in a multitude of ways. By boosting your blood flow, brisk walking can improve the health of your heart and lungs. It can also lower your risk for many health’s conditions and help you manage your weight. Additionally, brisk walking can improve your brain function, boost your energy, reduce stress, and improve your sleep.