How to Burn More Fat During a Walking Workout

Walking is an amazing form of workout for aspiring and current professional cheerleaders. It's easier to do and offers the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. The question is, how do you make sure that every walking session burns as much fat as possible? Check out these 7 tips:

1. Pick up the pace.

Walk fast enough that you will find it difficult to carry a conversation. Adding speed is a simple way to boost your calorie burn. This gets your heart rate up and expands your lungs to their maximum capacity. To help you pick up the pace, wear comfortable walking shoes.

2. Get some Nordic poles.

Nordic walking is a technique where you use specially designed poles while you walk. These poles do not only help propel you forward, but they also exercise your upper body. One study revealed that Nordic walking burned 20 percent more calories compared to normal walking.

3. Fuel with a healthy pre-workout snack.

If you plan to walk longer, for example, at least 60 minutes, I suggest grabbing a protein-rich snack 45 minutes before the walking workout. Exercising on an empty stomach may seem like a good idea. However, it's not nice to stop in the middle of your walking workout because of a growling stomach. You want to finish your workout. Excellent pre-workout snack options include a turkey sandwich, hard-boiled eggs, nuts, and a protein smoothie.

4. Wear a backpack or a weighted vest.

To make your walking workout more demanding, carry extra weight by wearing a backpack or a weighted vest. Walking with a load will make you move harder and therefore allow your body to burn more calories! If you wear a backpack, make sure that it has padded shoulder straps and a hip strap that will keep the backpack from bouncing.

5. Walk at an incline.

Adding an incline to your walking workout engages different leg muscles. Since it's more challenging than walking on a flat surface, your heart rate increases and enters the fat burning zone. If you cannot find a moderately steep hill when walking outdoors, look for stairs or a parking garage ramp.

6. Add a bodyweight or calisthenics workout.

A great way to boost your walking workout is to incorporate a bodyweight or calisthenics workout. Stop every 15 minutes to do some high knees, burpees, mountain climbers, and froggers. Here are some simple yet powerful movements to take inspiration from.

7. Breathe through your nose.

When you're exercising, you switch from nose breathing to mouth breathing. Intentionally breathing through your nose will make your walking workout more challenging and therefore burns more calories. As you try nose breathing while exercising for the first time, you'll want to limit it to a few minutes until you can nose breathe for a longer period of time.

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