Walking in place in your bedroom is almost as effective as walking outside on a track. So on those cold, rainy days when you want to stay inside, you won't have to compromise your workout. According to a research study published in the February 2012 issue of the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise," walking in place burns an average of 258 calories per hour, compared to 304 calories walking on a treadmill. You won't need any special equipment, just comfortable clothes and good shoes, preferably cross trainers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise per week.
Add arm movements to your walking workout to increase the number of calories burned. Pump your fists as you walk, punch the air, or perform arm circles, biceps curls or triceps extensions.
Always speak to your doctor to make sure that exercise is appropriate for you, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or obesity.
Create a calorie deficit through regular exercise. Losing weight is a simple matter of knowing your math. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. To burn 1 pound of fat per week, you'll have to burn an average of 500 extra calories per day. Since walking in place for 60 minutes burns an average of 258 calories, if you walk in place five days per week you can expect to burn 1,290 calories or a little over one-third of a pound of fat. Follow this schedue and you will burn 1 pound of fat in three weeks simply by walking in your bedroom.
Practice interval training while you work out to increase the intensity as well as your calorie burn and overall stamina. Interval training requires you to cycle through walking at high- and low-intensity paces. For example, walk in place at a comfortable pace for 90 seconds, then walk as fast as you can, lifting your knees high, for 60 seconds. Repeat this cycle until the completion of your workout.
Walk in place while catching up on your favorite show or only during the commercials. According to the study published by the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise," walking in place during the commercials of an hour-long show resulted in an average 25 minutes of walking time, or a 148-calorie average lburn.
Tips
Warnings
References
Writer Bio
Nicole Carlin is a registered yoga teacher. Her writing has been published in yoga and dance teacher training manuals for POP Fizz Academy. Carlin received a Masters of Arts in gender studies from Birkbeck University in London and a Bachelors of Arts in psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia.