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I’ll jump right in and say it:
If you’re walking, even daily, and think you’re improving your fitness, you’re largely mistaken. You’re simply just walking in circles.
A brisk 30-minute walk is only going to burn about 100-200 calories at the absolute MOST!
If you are trying to make major changes in your health, then we need a lot more than just a simple walk 3x per week for 30 minutes.
Walks are great, don’t get me wrong, but they are much better used for recovery, digestion, getting outside, soaking up some Vitamin D, and spending time with family.
I believe walking is essential, but it is just not sufficient for someone trying to make a change in their health!
Keep reading & I’ve got 3 easy (and FREE) solutions at the bottom on how to upgrade your walking!
Your Body Needs Something More Than Walking: It Needs Intensity
Relative intensity, yes, but everyone needs intensity.
When I talk about intensity, I mean if you want to see a real change in your body, stamina, breathing, muscles, and health then you need to do things that pull you out of your comfort zone.
If you want something to change, you need to do something different than what you’re currently doing.
I love CrossFit class (obvi) as my example, but in classes we focus on a 10 to 30 minute workout at the end of each class.
Some days are more intense than others, but the goal is for us to push ourselves physically more than we do at home or work in the other 23 hours of the day.
We want to find that red line, and stay just a little bit under it.
Simply walking in the neighborhood just isn’t going to cut it.
We were designed as humans to walk regularly, this should be the norm, not a special workout!
How To “Intensify” Your Walking:
My #1 Goal for your health is that you would find a real gym, with a real program, with real coaches to help guide you.
Having someone else in charge of your workouts saves you time, mental energy, and if they are a professional, will just create better workouts.
But if you’re stubborn and still don’t heed my true advice 😉 then here are 3 ideas on how to INTENSIFY your walking, so you’re not just wasting 30+ minutes everyday:
1) Movement Interruption: 30 minute walk BUT every 3 minutes, stop where you are and complete 15 Air Squats. This gets you 10 rounds total and you’ll walk about 20ish minutes so about a mile, and get 150 squats in! Do that on Monday, then on Wednesday, try the same thing but with 10 push-ups, then on Friday try it again but with either 10 burpees or 20 walking lunges. There are a lot of movements you can pick, but these are some great starters!
2) Walk/Jog Intervals: Stick to your same 30 minute time slot, but repeat intervals of 1 minute jog + 2 minute walk. Once you’ve mastered that and aren’t as winded, try 1:30 job & 1:30 walk, etc. until you eventually build up to a 30 minute run! A 30-minute consistent run can be anywhere in the 2-4 mile range of distance depending on your speed.
3) Add Weights: Instead of a 30 minute walk, try a 30 minute carry! This can be a backpack or weighted sack, a toddler on your shoulder, or dumbbells in your hands like a farmer carry. Make it a fun challenge for the whole family: everyone pick one weighted item from the house and has to carry it the whole 30 minutes (just be careful, if your name is Dad, you may end up carrying all of it at some point on the way home😂).
BONUS – Mix and match all 3 points to really vary your fitness! Then as you get fitter and your body doesn’t find 30 minutes challenging anymore, try 40 minutes, then 50 and then maybe a full 60 minutes!
CONGRATULATIONS, You’re Now A CrossFit Enthusiast!
That’s actually all that CrossFit is–constantly varied, functional movements performed at (relative) high intensity.
Constantly varied – mix it up, don’t do the same thing every single time
Functional movements – movements you’ll see in everyday life (squat, carry, walk/run, lunge, press, burpee)
High intensity – this is what you’re missing when you only walk and this is the main ingredient you need to add in! Turn up the pace!
If you’re looking for more guidance and help in your journey, schedule a time to chat with me. I’d love to help you come up with some more creative ideas on how to turn your daily walks into intense workouts!
In Joy & Health,
Coach Mike
Owner, CrossFit OYL
We are not a gym. We are a coaching mentorship program and we’d love to help hold you accountable in the gym, long enough so you can actually see the results you’re looking for. If you live near Haslet, TX, then come on in for a FREE chat! If you live elsewhere, we have a network of other gym owners, some CrossFit and some not. We want to help you find long term fitness. Just drop us a message below & we’ll help you find a gym and a program that works for your long term fitness goals!
