Welcome Back to Walking

So, how is power walking even defined? Are you already doing it without knowing? You can reap benefits power walking. Let’s discuss this brisk walking technique.

What is power walking?

Walking in all forms is considered low impact as it should put minimal pressure on your joints and tax your muscles in a lesser way than higher impact exercises. Power walking is the closest low impact walking can get to higher impact running.

Power walking has specific protocol. It should always be done in an upright stance with good posture. You should employ your arms in a swinging fashion to push yourself a little harder. Your speed should be very brisk, ranging between 3.8mph and 5.5mph (6.12 kph-8.85kph).

You will feel your heart, lungs and muscles all working a harder during a power walk. You’re breathing is a good indication of when you are in a power walk or not. You should not be able to sing at all and your conversations may have pauses between phrases or words as you catch your breath. Make sure your arms are steadily moving; they are a big part of the difference between a power walk and just a brisk walk.

Why should you try power walking?

There are some definite benefits to power walking over lighter forms of walking. It is always best to mix your walking styles up to keep your body guessing.  If calorie burning or higher fitness is on your list of goals, power walking is definitely a ticket to achieving those.

• Power walking tends to burn 2-4x as many calories as a casual walk
• As you are pushing yourself harder, you body will develop fitness and endurance faster
• If time is a crunch, you will reach your destination sooner.
• A faster walking pace tends to lead to a healthier lifestyle.
• You can diversify your walking by power walking for 5-10 minutes then walking more casually for 5-10 minutes and then repeating.
• Regular power walking can lead to greater reduction in blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and more benefits.
• As you are using your arms more during power walking, you are using more muscles and in different ways.

Are there dangers to power walking?

This style of exercise is a more vigorous form of walking. So, it will push your heart to beat faster. If your dealing with health issues or in poor fitness shape, you may wish to power walk in smaller spurts or wait until you’re in better shape to try it.

Otherwise, power walking is no more dangerous than any other form of walking can be. You should always know your limits, be aware of your surroundings,  dress appropriately and make sure your equipment is up to the task. For example, if you plan to power walk a mile, you likely need supportive shoes. Trying to push yourself with more casual footwear will put more pressure on your ankles, knees, hips and back.

Is power walking worth it?

Like most forms of exercise, it all depends on your end goals. If you are happy with getting just the basic health benefits of causal daily walks, then don’t give power walking a second thought. If, though, you want to gain greater benefits and push yourself into a different level of fitness, you should give it a go.

As long as you are fit enough to try it, there’s no harm in putting power walking into your regular cycle. It has no known drawbacks and only positives to give you over time.

Once I am back into a fitter state I will be adding power walking back into my routine.

So, are you ready to grab that power?

Today, take an accounting of your current level. Are you happy there?

If your answer is yes, then you may not be ready to incorporate power walking into your walking program yet. There’s nothing wrong with that. We are all about walking. There’s no demand you ever do a specific type of walking. It’s all about what works best for you and your level.

Can’t wait to see you strolling along,

Kimmie