Six Different Forms of Walking

Walking is the most common activity which is carried out by all of us in our day-to-day lives. Walking can be defined as traveling by foot. The correct way of walking is to keep the head up, with shoulders relaxed; taking shorter strides and having proper arm movement. There are different forms of walking, which have been listed below, along with the benefits of each.

A) LIFE STYLE WALKING: This is the basic form of walking, and is meant for those who meet the following criteria:

Very little exercise in the previous three months, or practically no exercise at all.

If the BMI (body mass index) is 25 or greater.

If he/she cannot walk for something like a mile in 15 minutes.

This type of walking does not cause a person to pant. It is specially followed by people who are recovering from a major surgery. The main aspect of this type of walking is that it can be spread over the day, for instance, 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon and 20 minutes in the evening. It is a low-intensity walking where the person walks at a casual pace of about 2.5 miles/hour.

Benefits:

1. He/She will be able to burn about 1000-1500 calories per week, and would be able to gradually gain the required strength and the stamina.

2. Helps in the relaxation of the body and mind, as it does not involve any sort of exertion.

B) FITNESS WALKING: This type of walking goes a step further from life-style walking, and is done to get the heart-rate up. Here, the person goes specifically for the purpose of exercising. Walking on a treadmill or a slightly-brisk morning walk are perfect examples of this type of walking. The general speed is about 4 miles/hour.

Benefits:

1. Elevates the heart rate, thus helping to burn extra calories and reducing fat. The approximate calories burnt are 150-180 calories for a 60-minute walk.

2. Helps in losing weight.

3. Treadmill workout is an excellent exercise for the heart, and therefore keeps the heart problems at bay.

C) RACE WALKING: It is a form of walking where the person walks at a heightened pace (about 5-6 miles/hour). Walking straight, taking shorter steps, and bending the arms at 85-90 degrees at the elbow are the typical features of race walking.

The shoulders should be relaxed (may go slightly forward) and the arms need to swing loosely and vigorously from the shoulders, in a back and forth motion. The hip is also rotated slightly in the direction opposite to the shoulder movement. It has two main rules:

One foot must always be in contact with the ground.

The knee must be kept straight from the moment the heel hits the ground until it passes under the hip.

For best results, landing the foot on the heel with the toes raised is preferred. Race Walking is conducted as an event in the Olympic Games.

Benefits:

1. It is great way to work your abdomen and hips, without putting great strain on them, as it involves a high rate of muscle activity.

2. It is a good cardiovascular exercise and burns about 90-100 calories in 10 minutes.

3. It strengthens the muscles of the arms and neck also.

D) POWER-WALKING/SPEED-WALKING: This type of walking adds power and speed to the regular walk. The power comes from pushing with the back leg and foot. Here, also, the person walks at a pace of about 5-6 miles per hour, but without any rules. A variety of power walking activity is seen when the person uses hand-weights or ankle-weights to increase his/her work-out.

Benefits:

1. This is the quickest way to lose weight.

2. It is a great exercise for burning fat and toning the body. It keeps the blood pressure under control.

3. Sleep patterns are much better.

E) NORDIC WALKING/SKI WALKING: This is form of walking where the person walks using specially designed poles, called ski poles. These poles have a rubber tip, and the person walks with the shoulders swinging freely and with the hands in the straps provided.

Benefits:

1. As the person applies pressure on the ground with the poles, there is good movement of the shoulder and upper-arm muscles, thus giving them good strength and endurance.

2. Walking with poles improves cardiovascular function and helps in enhancing balance.

3. This work-out results in burning 40 percent more calories than plain/lifestyle walking, and thus helps in fat reduction.

F) WATER WALKING: Water walking, as the name implies is carried out in water, wearing water shoes. Here, the person stands waist-to-chest deep in water and walks, in the usual way, in the water. The person might make use of the floatation belt, especially for deep-water walking.

Benefits:

1. This proves useful to people with arthritis and joint pains. As the water's buoyancy supports the body weight, it reduces the stress on the joints.

2. Also, as water provides more resistance than air, the muscles strengthened as the person walks in the water.