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Walking is one of the most effective, sustainable, and easiest workouts that you can do to enhance your physical health. It also doesn’t require any special equipment; all you need are a good pair of walking shoes and yourself!
Apart from improving your fitness level, walking has a ton of health benefits. It can reduce your risk of health problems like heart disease, lower your blood pressure, help you maintain a healthy weight, and improve your mental health.Â
As much as walking is good exercise, there are some days when you can’t leave your workstation and you can’t go for a walk outside. When you’re strapped for time or have limited space, you may feel like walking is out of the question. This is where walking in place comes in.
Is Walking in Place as Good as Regular Walking?
Walking outdoors regularly helps both your physical and psychological health. Sometimes, however, taking a walk isn’t possible due to various factors. When this happens, it’s sorely tempting to skip short walks in favor of doing other things or nothing at all. What many people don’t realize is that they can still do their walking workout routine even indoors.
Walking in place is a good alternative to a regular walking routine. When it’s too cold or too hot outside, or if you can’t get away from your desk, you can walk on the spot instead. You don’t even have to for a long period of time to get results. Just like regular walking, you can start by walking in the same spot for 5 minutes several times a day.
You can do it as a break from work every hour at the office to reduce your sitting hours. You can even do it during commercial breaks whenever you watch TV at home. Remember, any kind of physical activity is better than nothing at all and no matter how small they are, they all make an important contribution to achieving your health goals.
Does Walking in Place Burn Calories Similar to Walking?
A 30-minute walk at the same place does burn calories similar to regular walking. After all, the basics of calorie burn is to move, whether in the same place or going around a track. Moreover, according to fitness experts, the movement that you do when you walk helps you burn calories, lose weight, and make you feel more energetic in the long run.
Is Walking in Place Good for Losing Weight?
The key to losing weight and reaching your fitness goals is to increase your heart rate to 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate. Whether you’re walking outside or in place, if you can raise your heart rate to zone 2 or 3, you’ll burn more calories, which then leads to weight loss.
Not convinced yet? In a study published in the Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise journal, participants who walked in the same spot for an hour burned an average of 258 calories, compared to roughly 304 calories burned by people who walked on a treadmill. Furthermore, the study also found that walking in place during commercial breaks burned 148 calories in 25 minutes and allowed participants to rack up around 2,111 steps.
Can I Lose Belly Fat from Walking in Place?
Aside from creating a calorie deficit, one of the best things that you can do to lose belly fat and tick off more items in your weight loss goals is to partake in any aerobic activity such as walking. It’s recommended that you walk at a brisk pace, whether in place or not, to burn more calories.
Seven Tips to Get the Most Out of Walking in Place
Walking helps improve our mental and physical well-being, cardiovascular health, and musculoskeletal health. Walking in place is already a great exercise in itself, but you can certainly do more things to maximize its benefits and get you far in your fitness journey!
Use a Heart Rate Monitor
Strapping on a heart rate monitor as you walk will make you aware if you’re raising your heart rate enough. It’s suggested to get into zone 2 or zone 3 of your maximum heart rate to get optimal weight loss results.
Add Strengthening Exercises
You can transform your walk into a total body workout by incorporating exercises in your walking program. You can do bicep curls and arm circles to tone your body.
Swing Your Arms
Try to move your arms the way you would normally when walking outside. More movement equals more calories burned, after all.
Use a Marching Technique
This tip means lifting your heels toward your butt and then placing them back on the floor at a quick pace.
Add Higher-Intensity Intervals
Upping the intensity of your walk can help keep things more challenging and interesting. You can add a moderate-intensity exercise move like knee raises in between your walk. Make sure to bring your knee to your hip level briskly when you do knee raises.
Dress For It
Treat walking in place just like you would treat a normal exercise. This means wearing your walking shoes whenever you do this workout.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the key to any workout! You don’t have to walk for hours to get the most out of it. You can start slow and then increase your time and incorporate more movement as you go along. The more you get used to it, the more you’ll enjoy it and reap the benefits.
Final Note
Can walking in place help you lose weight? It surely can! Walking in the same place can give you the same benefits as regular walking: it can improve lean muscle mass, reduce body fat, improve your bone density, enhance your balance, and so much more. This simple exercise can contribute a lot to your fitness journey.
Remember, if you can’t walk outside, walk in place instead to achieve your weight loss goals. Stay healthy and stay active!
