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Obviously, for people who are used to doing sport 4 times a week for example, brisk walking is only of interest in addition to usual sessions. The ideal is to couple them with weight training sessions at home. On the other hand, for those who want to resume physical activity, it fulfills the ideal conditions.
The benefits of brisk walking
Breathing in the fresh air allows you to decrease anxiety, to lower the level of stress and produces these famous endorphins, factors of serenity.
This is a gentle activity. We do not risk the impacts or shocks generated by running for example. It can be practiced anywhere.
For the silhouette, it allows redraw thighs and calves in a harmonious way. The glutes, abdominals and back muscles are also used during the exercise. It also allows strengthen your balance (interesting to avoid the risk of falls for the elderly for example) and increase your basal metabolism, that is, its ability to burn calories at rest. Remember that the more we muscle, the more we increase this metabolism in question.
It should be remembered that scientific studies are unanimous. All show that brisk walking is an excellent prevention against many diseases: diabetes, hypertension, excessively high cholesterol, and even Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, etc. This activity has also been shown to decrease the risk of osteoporosis, heart attacks, and have benefits in the recurrence of certain cancers such as breast or colon. Excellent reasons to go put on your sneakers!
What you need to know, the precautions
If this activity appeals to you, some precautions are in order. “You have to make sure you have good shoes to preserve the joints and tendons, that is to say, choose specific shoes with good cushioning. And above all, no new sneakers, because there is a risk of tendonitis “, warns Doctor Laurent Uzan, sports cardiologist.
For the choice of the place, it is better to avoid concrete floors or asphalt, but choose a forest or a park to the extent possible. For people with a history of heart disease, a visit to the doctor is necessary to check their abilities and avoid any risk. To get the most out of it, what matters is regularity and repetition. “You can start with about twenty minutes if you don’t feel quite ready … Then gradually increase with 5 more minutes each time. The idea is not to do a big session one day, then more nothing. It is better to practice every day even for a shorter period than to be irregular “, adds Doctor Uzan.
Tips to find out if you are walking fast enough!
To make sure you have the right rhythm, the trick is to walk fast as if you were trying to reach a train that you don’t want to miss. And also to have the feeling that we can talk while walking, but that we could not sing. By keeping these two guidelines in mind, you are sure to be practicing real brisk walking. The ideal speed is 5-7 km per hour (compared to 4 for classic walking).
If we want to go further, we can perform a pendulum movement with the arms, as if we were practicing Nordic walking. The work of the body will be amplified since the upper muscles will also be involved. Regarding the position to adopt, keep your gaze in the distance with relaxed shoulders to keep your back straight. If you want to lose weight, the minimum duration of the sessions must not be less than 40 minutes. But only if you are not used to playing sports. For the more seasoned who would like to shed extra pounds, this duration is also valid, but must be associated with sheathing, exercises with dumbbells, skipping rope for example, to mix cardio training and weight training.
Thanks to Dr Laurent Uzan, sports cardiologist and author of Take charge of your heart’s health, Editions Leduc
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