Black Girls Walk!?
I am normally very chipper and jolly. However, last week I felt like one of those cartoon characters with a little storm cloud over my head. I was in a funk and that funk followed me everywhere I went. Not only that, but I oozed bad energy and gave the side eye to everyone - little old ladies, babies and priests. It was that kind of week. During this no good very bad week the last thing I wanted to do was RUN. The only reason I made it out of the house is because of Toni’s
Since I have an occasional walking day and many of our readers are walkers, I decided to post some tips on how to make the most out of your walk.
1. Hit the hills – Hills, hills, and more hills. Walking and running on an incline is the easiest way to get your heart rate up, burn more calories and tone your butt, thighs and calf muscles. I know we have written about this in the past, but I can’t emphasize enough that hills are one of the best and easiest ways to boost your walks!
2. Intervals – Interval training is a great way to improve your stamina and help you burn more calories. So what is Interval training? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Interval training is simply alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity.” The easiest way to apply this to your daily walk is to rotate walking at a moderate and fast pace every two – three minutes. Or if you don’t have a watch, choose different markers on your route to increase your pace. When I walk with my mom we map out how often we will switch the pace – fast walk to the pool, moderate walk to the stop sign, etc.
3. “Stop and give me 10” – Seriously, stop during your walk and do ten push-ups, squats, or jumping jacks. Why shouldn’t your walk be a full body workout, or at least incorporate some toning exercises. My favorites are lunges, squats, jumping jacks, power jumps and push-ups. Usually I do three sets of each throughout the walk.
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