Now
that you're moving, though, you begin to ask yourself what you
can do to get more out of your walking workout. Obviously, speed
is one way to pump up muscles tone, health gained and calories
used.
I'd prefer
walkers look at health benefits and didn't count calories used
on a workout because -- as you'll see in a minute -- the total
advantage gained can disappear after one sliver of cheesecake
or even a healthy turkey sandwich. Take a look at my story "Weight
Loss & Exercise" to check out the physiology of exercise's benefits
besides calories burned.
But if
you really gotta know, here's the scoop on speed:
When it
comes to pace, remember, increases in calories used are exponential,
not linear. For example, going from a 20-minute mile to a 15-minute
mile, you'll use 30 percent more calories per minute. Increase
your pace from a 15-minute mile to a 12-minute mile, and you'll
use 50 percent more per minute. Take it from a 15-minute pace
to a speed-demon 10-minute pace, and you'll double calories
used per minute. (My book Walking Fast has a section on calorie
use.)
Of course,
as you go faster, it takes less time to cover the mile, so you
have to stay out there the same amount of time, increasing the
distance as you get faster.
Note:
Runners don't get these exponential increases because it takes
about the same amount of energy no matter how fast you go. Walkers
have to work extra hard to actually stay on the ground rather
than leap into the air into a run. For anyone who's tried to
walk really fast, you know that point where your body says,
"Forget this! Let's run!"
Just to
satisfy your curiosity, then, here are the approximate numbers.
Remember, calories used vary greatly from person to person depending
on weight, body fat, fitness level, personal metabolism, terrain,
weather and all kinds of other things. The numbers calculated
below apply to an 150-pound person. For every 25 pounds more
or less, add or subtract about 15 percent.
Fat Burning?
Forget the myths about going slower or at a lower intensity
to burn more fat. Yes, your body chooses a slightly higher percentage
of fat as fuel at lower intensities, but the total number of
calories is also lower, as you can see above. Walking at the
highest intensity you can comfortably stick with for the distance
without hurting yourself will use more total calories and, in
the long run, more total body fat.
If you don't
have a lot of time for a walk, at least make those few minutes
really hearty ones to get the best workout you can.
Walking
Fast - Everything you want to known about how
to walk faster for a better workout, to burn more calories,
or for higher performance.
