Do you enjoy walking for your fitness? It’s pretty straightforward, fits right into your schedule and you can pretty much do it whenever you want to as opposed to having to set a time to drag out the weights?
Are you hitting a plateau in your walking program? Do you walk daily but the results you saw in the beginning not seem to be happening anymore? Do you have to walk harder, nearly run, to get the same results that a stroll got you before?
If so, you’re not alone. We build endurance when we’re walking and if you do the same routine all the time, you’re going to build more than just muscle memory, and you’re going to build muscle boredom.
Wondering what muscle boredom is?
Muscle boredom occurs when you’re muscles become accustomed to the level of output. In other words, they are not being stressed in any way. Your heart rate is not elevating. You are not breaking down muscle requiring repair. You are just doing exactly the amount of effort the muscle is designed for.
This happens to everyone from high-level athletes to the most average individual. The reason a workout program shows effect in the beginning is because you are likely going from doing little to nothing to a higher level of activity. After a while, that higher level of activity is the ‘norm.’ So you can pick up the pace and go faster or add some circuit training and that increases the level of activity. But that too will eventually become the ‘norm.’
If you’ve achieved the level of fitness that is desirable and you’re just doing maintenance and you’re happy with your program. Then let me be the first to applaud you. But if your ‘plateau’ is not where you want to be and you’re feeling frustrated, let me give you a few tips on how to jazz up your walking routine, to not only increase difficulty, but also the challenge of it.
The following tips are good for whether you are walking outside or on a treadmill at home:
· Warm your arms up by grasping wet washcloths in either hand and swinging your arms. The washcloths will be heavier creating a drag on your muscles and increase the wind resistance you feel when walking.
· Keep your posture erect and hold your hands up to the sky raise and lower them in time to your stride. Focus on leaning out your body, squeezing your abdominal and regulating your breathing. (It may sound easy, but trust me – it’s not.)
· Use a couple of ten-pound weights and do bicep curls while you walk. Maintain your stride, focusing on curling one arm and then the other. Do not let your muscles spring. In fact your curls will be at a different pace from your stride.
If you employ any of the above methods, start at 20-minute intervals. In other words, warm up for ten, then 20 minutes doing the above and cool down for 10. You’ll definitely notice a difference!