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Interval Walking Benefits

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Walking is a proven exercise that carries a wealth of benefits. However, if you want to up the ante a little bit and gain more benefits from your walking regimen, you can do interval walking. This is a type of walking exercise where you walk at a steady pace and then like interval training, do short bursts of aerobic activity combined with periods of rest and recovery.

For example, if you are planning to do brisk walking for 30 minutes, you can speed up the pace by jogging for about two to three minutes every five minute intervals. If you are on the treadmill, do the same thing by breaking into a run or getting off the equipment and doing jumping jacks. The same thing can be done when you are power walking-- two minutes of slow jogging every five minutes. You can adjust the time intervals depending on your fitness …show more content…

You will definitely lose weight faster if you break out of your plateau by modifying your walking workouts this way.

Another benefit if you interval walk is increased stamina and endurance due to a strengthened cardiovascular system. Regular walking, by itself, already reduces your risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart attack. It lowers your cholesterol and blood sugar levels and protects you from kidney diseases and the development of cancers. When you interval walk, you enhance your cardiovascular capacity and as a result are able to reap these benefits even if you only do the exercise in a much shorter period than what your regular walking regimen would actually take.

Since a little high-impact routine is included in interval walking, make sure that you consult with your doctor before adding this to your workout repertoire if you have a heart or some other medical condition. Also, wear comfortable clothing and well-fitting shoes before you go out to walk. Don't forget to bring a bottle of water with you as

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