Freezing rain and the threat of slippery sidewalks needn’t limit your urge to move. Even if it is more difficult to motivate yourself to exercise during the cold season, here are excellent reasons to continue walking to lose weight or feel fit, even in winter.
It’s winter, you want to put on your sneakers or even take your Nordic walking poles but the weather conditions put you off?
Overcome your legitimate hesitations and point your nose outside: there are real benefits to continue walking to lose weight or feel fit in winter. One condition, however: choose the right time for your little walking session.
1. Do you practice walking to lose weight?
Walking to lose weight is initially more motivating than going to the gym or practicing a sport. While walking, we burn fat. Subjected to a low-intensity effort for at least 30 or 40 minutes, the body draws the energy it needs from its fat stores. So easy to practice walking to lose weight!
According Lucy Knightthe author of walk to lose weight (Marabout), you need to walk 6,000 steps a day to stay in shape and take at least 10,000 steps a day if you consider walking to lose weight.
If you walk at a good pace, say 5 km/h, you will spend 250 kcal in one hour of walking and 360 kcal if you push the pace up to 7 km/h. You can also count on positive effects on your general dynamism.
2. You eliminate more when it’s cold
It is well known, we all tend to eat more in winter than in summer, to fight against the cold. If you are worried about your figure in winter, know that walking to lose weight, it really works better when you shiver ! Your body will consume more calories when it’s cold, to warm you up.
The cold thus stimulates the consumption of calories, in addition to the expenditure due to the efforts of your muscles (thighs, buttocks and arms) in fast walk as in Nordic’s walk. A great reason to step outside, right?
3. You work better on cardio
Walking is a gentle, endurance activity. This strengthens your cardiac capacities. When it is cold, the body seeks to maintain its internal temperature of 37° C by favoring blood circulation. The heart will therefore pump harder and get stronger.
Be careful, however, if you suffer from heart problems: when it’s cold, the heart works harder than usual, so it consumes more energy than normal. This action will deprive your muscles of some of this energy. You have to take care of yourself and stay warm…
4. You will fall ill less quickly
Through the practice of walking in winter and the efforts it will have to make, your body will gradually get used to the cold. Direct benefit at your level: you will fall less ill by strengthening yourself against winter viruses!
On the other hand, when the temperature drops to more than -5°C, avoid going out to walk, because this is where physical activity begins to be dangerous for your health.
5. You will enjoy the great outdoors
Even if it’s cold, spending time in contact with daylight is not a luxury, it allows you to keep morale. Plus, you enjoy the fresh air! Do not hesitate to take advantage of your lunch breaks to go out.
Walking to lose weight, to be in shape or to decompress, all excuses are good. Whatever your goal, walking will allow you to eliminate tension, sleep better and face the winter blues!
