Fit in everyday life
With these 5 fitness hacks, your walk will become a workout
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In stressful everyday life there is often not enough time for an intensive fitness session. Even a long walk can have the character of a workout – if you incorporate these hacks and exercises.
It doesn’t always have to be a large cardio unit and equipment training in the gym – even small islands of exercise in everyday life have many benefits Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends around 150 minutes of moderate exercise and 75 minutes of more vigorous exercise per week to stay healthy and fit. This way you can prevent cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of other diseases such as diabetes.
The exercise units can consist of a wide variety of sports and activities – after all, people and their needs are very individual. Going for a walk here is a real all-rounder: yes 30 minutes daily improve heart health, strengthen bones, reduce unhealthy body fat and strengthen both muscles and endurance. If you boost your walk with these fitness hacks, it will become the optimal workout.
5 exercises and hacks that turn a walk into a fitness session
1. Increase speed
The simplest adjustment screw for more workout character is speed. If you go for a walk, you burn more calories, put more strain on your muscles and cardiovascular system, and thus stimulate fat metabolism. However, you don’t need to walk at a very high pace all the time – it’s enough if you vary the speed again and again and take short power walks in between.
2. Route with an incline
The geography of your route also greatly influences how much you do for your fitness while walking. A path with slight inclines is best, as this will increase your breathing and heart rate even more. Admittedly, people who live in mountainous regions have an easier time incorporating this fitness hack into their walk. But even those who live in the flat countryside usually don’t have to do without it completely. Especially in urban parks, there are often (artificial) slopes that are perfect for a walk with that certain extra something.
3. Install stairs
If you want to go one step further, add steps to your hike. Climbing stairs has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and thus increases the effect of walking immensely. If you have no or only a few stairs in your area to incorporate them into your route, you can alternatively integrate the steps in your own house as a booster at the beginning and/or end of your walk.
4. Go backwards
Would you like to challenge your balance and mobility in addition to your endurance and muscles? Then you should walk backwards occasionally during your walk. Just a few minutes of walking backwards can have very positive effects on physical and mental health. However, start very carefully and ideally with a training partner to avoid falls.
5. Weights in hand
Walking is a good full-body workout, but we naturally put less strain on our upper body than our legs. We activate our core muscles when walking, but our shoulders and arms can still use a little fitness boost. Dumbbells are perfect for this! They don’t have to be large weights: Depending on your form, you can either attach 0.5 to 1 kilo dumbbells to your wrists or simply hold them in your hand while you do your rounds. This strengthens the arm and shoulder muscles and also stimulates the metabolism.
Sources used: who.int, fitbook.de