This Walking Advice Can Flatten Your Belly and Improve Your Stride
Walking is one of the most effective forms of fitness. Not only is it free, it can be done anytime/anywhere, requires just a pair of sneakers, and boasts endless health benefits, including weight loss. While you might already know that the gold standard of walking for weight loss is around 10,000 per day, there is a chance you aren't walking the right way. The Body Network recently consulted with Risa Sheppard, Master Pilates trainer, creator of The Sheppard Method, and Co-Author of the book Mindful Movement: Heal Your Back with BAM (Body & Mind) Therapy, who revealed an easy hack to maximize your walking workout.
Most People Walk Moving Their Heads, She Explains
"Most people walk and move from their 'heads' focusing only on what they see ahead of them," explains Sheppard. "They become like chickens bobbing their heads while the rest of the body lags behind. They feel tired quickly because they use only their legs to carry them."
Find Your Center
She maintains that learning to walk from your "center" is a game changer. "The center is that area within your body that directs all movement. Some know it as the core, but I go one step further and call it the center, for it holds the core muscles together. Like gravity, in a way. It is located between the navel and pelvic floor. It is like a light from which all movement comes from," she says.
Here's the Proper Form
"Try lifting your arms as if it starts at the shoulder, so only the shoulder joints are the only muscle involved in the activity/involved," she instructs. "Notice how much easier and less strain on your joints?"
Related: 8 Ways to Eat Your Way to 6-Pack
Engaging Your Core Offers So Many Benefits
"If you simply move from that area within your body that connects all joints and muscles, you will walk more, walking will be more effective, and you will not tire as easily," she maintains.
Walking Helps Burn Belly Fat, Says Science
Walking is great for blasting belly fat. One study published in the Journal of Exercise, Nutrition, and Biochemistry found that women with obesity who walked 50 to 70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks lost more abdominal fat than women who maintained a sedentary lifestyle.
Related: I'm a Nutritionist, and These are 5 Healthy Habits That Changed My Life
You Can Also Walk on an Incline
If you want to blast even more fat, try walking on an incline. It burns more calories than walking fast or even running on a flat surface, which is why many experts suggest upping your incline. A 2013 study even found that walking on a 2 to 7 percent incline increased heart rate by almost 10 percent when compared with running on a flat surface.
💪🔥Body Booster: Engage your core the next time you go on a walk and watch the belly fat melt away. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster.
