It’s no secret that walking several times a week will improve your health. But did you know you can also tone and strengthen your muscles just by walking as your exercise? You can’t just walk a couple of miles on a flat surface to see improvement in your muscle definition. Instead, you’ll have to tailor your walking regimen so it targets your body’s problem areas.
Use this guide to help you get started.
How Long and How Often Should You Walk?
Exercise pros will tell you that walking for 20-30 minutes three times a week is considered maintenance. To get more noticeable results, you’ll need to walk at least four times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each.
During your walking sessions, make sure you’re walking briskly enough, but don’t overdo it. To see if you’re walking too fast, conduct the “talk test.” While you should feel somewhat breathless, you should be able to talk in short sentences. If you can’t, you’re going too fast.
You should maintain the same level of intensity throughout your walk to get maximum body-toning results.
Tone Your Glutes by Walking
By using the right techniques, you can walk your way to a tighter, firmer rear end. Three muscles in your butt help you to stand up, sit down, walk, extend your legs, walk up stairs and stay upright. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body and the one responsible for your body’s posterior contour. By toning this muscle, you can shape your derriere while also providing stability to your hip joints and lower body.
To do so, try a technique called fast walking or fitness walking. This style of walking as exercise will also strengthen your upper body and improve your cardiovascular health. Here’s how to do it:
- Pull yourself up tall and look straight ahead;
- Bend your elbows a bit less than 90 degrees;
- Keep your shoulders relaxed;
- Swing your arms quickly with each step you take to increase your foot speed;
- Squeeze your butt muscles as you walk and take small steps to further increase your speed.
Work up to walking like this until you can go a mile in 12-to-15 minutes. Fast walking on hills or a treadmill with an incline of at least 2 percent will give your butt muscles a really good workout.
Walk Your Stomach Flat
Each time you take a step, your stomach muscles contract. Help your stomach become flatter by working your transverse abdominis stomach muscle while you walk. The transverse abdominis muscle is the deepest muscle in your stomach and is responsible for holding your stomach in.
Identify the muscle by standing up and placing your hands flat on your stomach. Take a breath, and let your stomach all the way out. Now, exhale and pull your stomach toward your spine. You should be able to hold this muscle tight while continuing to breathe normally.
When you’re walking, hold the transverse abdominis muscle in, and you’ll soon see a flatter, more toned midsection in your daily life when you’re not holding it in. Yes, I’m one of those people who believe it’s hard on your innards to always keep your belly tight.
To get faster results for your new abs, try marching or raising your leg straight off the ground before you step forward. March like this for two minutes during your walk to tighten the muscles below your belly button.
BONUS: Toning your abdominal muscles also tones your digestive system. People who exercise regularly don’t tend to have as many bowel issues as those who are more sedentary.
Get Slimmer Legs
Walk on an incline to get slimmer, more toned thighs and calves. You’ll also be able to reap the cardiovascular benefits that come with aerobic exercise.
Some people worry that walking on an incline will make their calves disproportionately large, but in fact the opposite is true. While your calves will get a good workout and you may feel burning in the area, you’ll have to do significant strength training with weights to see more bulk in your calves.
Walking can not only make you feel better and improve various aspects of your health, but it can help you look your best. Walking will help you tone your thighs, buttocks and stomach, especially if you walk with a specific goal in mind.
