Walking is a natural, almost automatic activity that we do every day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends walking 10,000 steps a day to stay fit.
Accessible to all, walking can even constitute a sports practice in its own right when practiced regularly and at a rapid pace.
If you are looking to slim down your belly, it is an effective method, but on a few conditions. Can Walking Really Help Us Lose Calories and Get a Flat Belly?
If so, what are the right reflexes to adopt to achieve this? Sometimes considered not to be a sport, is walking underpriced? Answers.
Can you lose weight by walking?
10,000 steps per day. This is one of the main recommendations issued by the WHO to stay in shape, maintain weight and improve life expectancy.
This milestone of 10,000 steps is often considered to be the minimum number of steps necessary per day. In 2019, Harvard looked into the subject and researchers from the prestigious school concluded that the first results were observed from 7,500 steps / day.
The WHO also states that adults should engage in between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, or at least 75 to 150 minutes of brisk physical activity.
In other words, walking alone does not allow you to lose weight or regain a flat stomach.
Even by practicing it intensely, regularly and over time, it is necessary to practice another sporting activity in parallel to lose belly.
How many calories per 10,000 steps?
Walking 10,000 steps a day at a moderate pace burns 300 calories. Swimming or cycling, sports activities that have almost no impact on the joints, respectively allow you to burn about 500 calories in one hour.
How fast should you walk to burn calories?
If one wishes to burn calories by walking, the walk should be performed at a brisk pace.
The short journeys that we can make by going to work or going shopping will not be enough, far from it.
For walking to have a real impact on the metabolism, it would be necessary for an adult to walk at least 1 hour, three times a week, at a brisk pace, at least at 6km/h.
To give elements of comparison, the average speed of a human race oscillates between 10 and 13 km/h.
Usain Bolt obviously holds the record for the fastest speed ever reached with a peak of 44.7 km/h set during his 100m world record in 2009.
Walking, an activity suitable for non-athletes
Benefits of walking
The advantage of walking is that it is perfectly suited to non-athletic people.
Indeed, walking is not as tiring as other sports such as running or cycling. It is a gentle activity that does not cause trauma to the joints.
Additionally, a higher percentage of calories burned will come from fat (compared to running) due to the lower intensity of walking.
Disadvantages of walking
However, the fact that this activity is gentle has a major drawback: it does not burn a lot of calories.
It is therefore necessary to supplement it by exercising a second sporting activity in parallel.
Quite logically, walking would need to be practiced much longer than the activities to which it is compared to achieve the same number of calories burned.
How to make walking more efficient for burning calories?
Adopt a varied and balanced diet
Walking burns 300 calories in one hour at a pace of 6 km/h, a speed already sustained for walking. This does not even eliminate a pain au chocolat (280 calories)! It is therefore imperative to adopt a varied and balanced diet if you want to find a flat stomach while walking and not make all these efforts for nothing.
Tuck in belly while walking
To increase your chances of finding a flat stomach while walking, you should think about retroverting your pelvis and bringing your stomach in when you practice the activity.
You can also try to take this reflex on a daily basis. Pulling in your belly contracts the transverse and perineum and works your abdominals.
In parallel with our walking sessions, we can practice the stomach vacuum , this technique which consists of exhaling the air contained in the lungs before making a « false inspiration » by drawing the stomach inwards and upwards.
Drink at least 1.5L of water per day
Hydration plays an essential role in the elasticity and firmness of the skin. To find a flat stomach, it is therefore recommended to drink at least 1.5L of water per day and to hydrate regularly while walking.
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