Think for a second about weight loss.
What comes to mind? For most people the mind probably conjures an image of themselves (or someone else) sweating it out in the gym - clothes drenched, face gleaming with perspiration and hungry all the while. What if I told you that you could lose fat just as effectively by walking?
It may not make sense on the surface, but when we think about what our body prefers to use for energy in different situations a clearer picture arises.
Your body creates most of its energy by breaking down glucose (sugar) molecules and using this to create ATP. The body can turn three things into blood sugar: glycogen, fat and protein. Glycogen is stored in muscles, protein is stored everywhere, and most fat is stored under the skin.
As the intensity of your workout increases, your body tends to break down more glycogen for energy as opposed to fat - because glycogen is stored in the muscles, and can be broken down very quickly. During sustained lower intensity exercise, your body has more time and prefers to break down fat for energy and preserve glycogen. The body does not like to break down protein for energy so we can forget about that for now.
The point? Lower intensity exercise leads to more fat utilization than high intensity - meaning that on days when you aren't at the gym a good walk can help you reach a weight loss goal! The only down side? You burn calories faster with more intense exercise, so you would have to go on a longer (time-wise) walk than a run to burn the same number of calories.
Many people, myself included, much prefer walking to running. So if you've got some extra time, or are low on energy, consider a brisk walk instead of a jog!
What comes to mind? For most people the mind probably conjures an image of themselves (or someone else) sweating it out in the gym - clothes drenched, face gleaming with perspiration and hungry all the while. What if I told you that you could lose fat just as effectively by walking?
It may not make sense on the surface, but when we think about what our body prefers to use for energy in different situations a clearer picture arises.
Your body creates most of its energy by breaking down glucose (sugar) molecules and using this to create ATP. The body can turn three things into blood sugar: glycogen, fat and protein. Glycogen is stored in muscles, protein is stored everywhere, and most fat is stored under the skin.
As the intensity of your workout increases, your body tends to break down more glycogen for energy as opposed to fat - because glycogen is stored in the muscles, and can be broken down very quickly. During sustained lower intensity exercise, your body has more time and prefers to break down fat for energy and preserve glycogen. The body does not like to break down protein for energy so we can forget about that for now.
The point? Lower intensity exercise leads to more fat utilization than high intensity - meaning that on days when you aren't at the gym a good walk can help you reach a weight loss goal! The only down side? You burn calories faster with more intense exercise, so you would have to go on a longer (time-wise) walk than a run to burn the same number of calories.
Many people, myself included, much prefer walking to running. So if you've got some extra time, or are low on energy, consider a brisk walk instead of a jog!
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