Proper Walking Technique for Maximum Efficiency

Walking is an amazing method of losing weight and getting a good cardiovascular workout. It helps speed up the heart rate to get you into fat burning mode and it does minimal damage on your body. While walking can seem like an easy task, there is a proper technique to walking that will get you the maximum results should you execute it perfectly. This isn’t to say that just getting up and walking won’t help you, because any exercise will help, but this technique is sure to work out even more parts of your body rather than just cardiovascular. The technique is designed to work certain muscles with resistance and contractions, building lean muscles and strengthening the core as you walk. It makes simple walking into a full body activity. Here is the technique and what you should be doing while you walk in order to get the most results out of it. 1. Shoulders back - This forces your back to work, helping your posture and the muscles to hold in place. 2. Head held high / chin leveled - Holding up your head works on your neck and helps you breathe a bit more controlled, opening up the wind pipe. 3. Elbows bent at a 90 degree angle; swaying as you walk - This forces the muscles in the arm to work more, holding a steady angle and moving back and forth as you walk. 4. Stomach contracted - Pulling your belly button towards your back is much like doing a sit up, so contracting while breathing properly helps build the stomach muscles. 5. Step so the balls of your feet touch the ground first and let it roll towards your toes - Muscles control your movements more precisely. As you step with the ball of your foot first, you’re stretching the hamstring and as you move towards the toe, that works the calves. 6. Walk at a brisk pace to ensure that you’re blood is flowing. Also breathe in through your nose for 4 steps, out through your mouth for 4 steps. This is controlled breathing and will help prevent you from running out of breath on your walks. This maximizes the muscle involvement while walking to get several crucial parts of your body that simply walking may not get you to work. Your arms holding in position, your stomach contracting, shoulders back and in a proper position; all of these will ensure that your stomach, back, arms and legs are all getting a proper workout. This technique should help you focus on important muscles while losing weight so that you are toning your body up while you drop fat, something that will help your physical appearance and overall health in the long run. Image by o5com on Flickr