Weight Loss Benefits of Interval Walking - Increase Your Metabolism
Exercise fads come and go, think Jazzercise in the ’70s, step aerobics in the ’80s, and even Tae Bo in the ’90s, but one exercise has remained constant and that is walking! As I wrote in my book Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, walking combined with bodyweight exercises gives you a great interval training workout. In effect, the short burst of bodyweight exercise ramps up your metabolism and supercharges the weight loss benefits of interval walking. Think HIIT – high-intensity interval training.
Listen to this Post: Weight Loss Benefits of Interval Training
If you are new to this type of training, please don’t be scared off by the words “high-intensity.” In the context of interval walking, you will be performing various bodyweight exercises for a short time, then walking for 4 minutes as you “recover” from this added burst of effort. You control how intense the effort is based on your current fitness level. As you get stronger, the intensity increases naturally and still under your control. You won’t be performing beyond your fitness level so there is very little risk of injury.
Ramping Up Your Metabolic Burn Rate
Why your metabolism responds so well to interval training is rooted in the evolutionary process as related to our body’s internal survival mechanism. For example, If you were to go out on a 30-minute jog, your body thinks you are beginning a 20-mile journey hunting for your next meal, which may or may not be found, so it conserves energy by slowing your metabolism. It reasons that you might not get that meal for another day or two.
Conversely, short bursts of high-intensity exercise send out a much different survival signal. Your body thinks it may be a lion or other predator out to eat you. So it ramps up your metabolism to help you move faster in the short term thinking you are in danger. It’s all about survival on a much deeper biological level.
Interval Training and Mitochondria
Mitochondria are the energy factories in our cells. They are membrane-bound cell organelles (tiny structures that perform specific functions within a cell) that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions.
Simply put, they are like a battery. But, unlike a single battery that powers a flashlight, they work similarly to a Tesla battery pack in which many smaller batteries work in an array within a larger battery pack and produce a tremendous amount of energy.
In our bodies, interval training forces mitochondria to increase in numbers and to work more efficiently.
Lean Muscle in Woman and Weight Loss
After age 40, women lose 1% of their calorie-burning lean muscle tissue each year. By age 60, women have lost 20% of lean muscle which contributes to a slower, sluggish metabolism and difficulty in burning fat.
A study in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that a single 30-seconds burst of a high-intensity activity such as pushups, lunges, or squats increases levels of the hormones that produce lean muscle building by an astounding 450% and this level continue long after the activity!
These short bursts of short, high-intensity exercise also target visceral fat which is the dangerous fat that shows up on your midsection and internally accumulates around your organs. This is the fat you need to lose!
Dangers of Visceral Fat:
Higher cholesterol levels
Type 2-diabetes risk
Increases breast cancer risk
Increases blood pressure
Increases risk of colorectal cancer
Increases risk of Alzheimer’s disease
In another study, only interval training shrunk the size of the waist and the visceral fat stores.
Interval Training is a Time and Life Saver
A study from the University of Aberdeen in the U.K. found that completing five 30-second high-intensity bursts followed by 4 minutes rest burned three times more fat than subjects who walked a steady pace for 30 minutes.
There is no need for long gym routines with complicated movements involving lifting heavy weights and performing activities that push you beyond your current fitness level. The twisting and bending is a recipe for disaster if you are prone to back issues <link>.
In my book, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, and fitness program of the same name, I take you through two fitness routines. Each routine combines the burst of high-intensity bodyweight exercise followed by a 4-minute walking rest, then the next exercise, the walking rest, etc. The process is completed in 32-minutes. It’s an awesome workout that will have you feeling great and burning calories for hours afterward.
Along with the metabolism-boosting, mitochondria multiplying effects of high-intensity interval training, you can expect increased energy, better brain health, better cardiovascular health, and improved muscle definition for that lean, toned, healthy look.
Start high-intensity interval training today by combining walking and bodyweight exercises.
Foods that Speed Belly-Fat Burn
You’ve read all about the benefits of combining walking and high-intensity interval training. Here are some foods that will speed up your belly-fat burn:
Green Tea: Contains L-theanine which is a calming compound the blocks the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers visceral-fat storage.
Berries: Packed with anthocyanins which are compounds that switch off the chemical process that allows belly-fat to absorb new fat.
Onions: Contain Quercetin, a compound that boosts abdominal-fat & visceral-fat burn by boosting the production of an enzyme that determines whether energy will be store as fat or burned as fuel.
Read: The Benefits of Bodyweight Squats
The weight-loss benefits of interval walking include:
Increase in mitochondria
Burns visceral-fat
Increases overall calorie burn
Builds lean muscle which burns more calories
The quickness of the workout
Your Next Step to Increase Metabolism:
Get outside and mix in interval walking sessions to take your fitness to the next level in the least amount of time as you increase your metabolic burn rate. Begin slowly and start with a bodyweight exercise you are comfortable performing such as a squat or pushup. Make sure to track your progress to see how much stronger you are 6 months from now.
My blog post Walking for Health and Fitness give a complete overview of the many incredible benefits of walking.
FAQ’s | Raising Your Metabolism
How do I start adding interval walking and bodyweight exercises to my routine?
Before your next walk, begin with a warm-up routine, set the timer on your smartphone to go off in 4-minutes. Then, begin to walk. At the 4-minute mark do a set of bodyweight exercises for at least 30 seconds. This could be pushups, squats, or lunges. I chose these exercises because you can do them just about any place you walk. And here is the best part, you are in control of the workout. If in those 30-seconds you can only do 3 pushups, great, you are still holding yourself in the plank position and working your whole body.
How many sets of intervals should I do?
That all depends on your current fitness level, you are your coach and judge of what you can accomplish. One of my Walking for Health and Fitness idioms is “slow and steady wins the race.” If interval walking and bodyweight exercises are new to you then take it slow, and incorporate 2-4 intervals your first time out. Then, over time, as you get stronger you can add more sets and different bodyweight exercises to your routine. You are your won coach and advocate.
How long will it take to get stronger by walking and performing bodyweight exercises?
Getting stronger depends on your commitment to regularly doing the walking interval exercise routine. Keep a record of how many repetitions of an exercise can perform each time you do a walking interval workout. You will amaze yourself at how quickly you can perform more of an exercise.
Why is doing a pushup so difficult?
Pushups are a total body exercise that demands you are strong from head to toe to perform them correctly. You must have a strong core to keep your body in alignment as you press yourself up off the floor. Your upper body must be strong enough to lift your bodyweight. You are engaging your chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms, legs, butt, abs, and core muscles, all working in unison to perform this exercise correctly. But, once you’ve mastered it… there is no better feeling than taking a long walking, and dropping down and doing 10 or more pushups at a time, several times throughout the walk! You’ll get some surprised looks from motorists. I tell myself they wish they were out here doing what I’m doing instead of driving by.
Walk on,
Frank S. Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, and Walking Inspiration.
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