You may look great and feel fabulous with getting your steps in each day<\/a>, and that\u2019s excellent news. But is daily walking enough exercise to consider yourself fit after 50<\/a>? To learn the answer, we spoke with Domenic Angelino, CPT<\/a> with International Personal Trainer Academy<\/a>, which offers NCCA-accredited Personal Trainer (CPT) and Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) programs.<\/p>\n \u201cWalking is great at improving your general health, in terms of reducing your risk of disease and mortality risk. It\u2019s also great at improving your aerobic capacity, by improving cardiorespiratory health,\u201d Angelino tells us.<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s see whether walking is enough on its own to maintain your fitness.<\/p>\n Is Daily Walking Enough Exercise to Stay Fit After 50? The answer isn\u2019t as clear-cut as you might expect. According to Angelino, it greatly depends on what your fitness standards are. That said, he encourages you to consider it \u201ca spectrum,\u201d meaning exercising more\u2014and performing a variety of workouts\u2014generally makes someone more fit, while exercising less\u2014and not including variety in your routine\u2014typically makes someone less fit.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n \u201cEverything counts. If you\u2019re an adult over 50 and you can walk for\u00a0 an extra five minutes a day in the middle of your work day, five days per week, then you\u2019ll be more fit compared to if you\u2019d done nothing at all,\u201d Angelino explains. \u201cWe generally find that a good benchmark is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (like the type that gets you out of breath), or some combination of the two. But don\u2019t sweat it if you aren\u2019t able to get anywhere near those numbers. If you work out a few minutes at a time, it legitimately makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n This Simple Japanese Walking Trick Could Help You Live Longer<\/a><\/p>\n How To Improve Your Walks for Max Benefits You can make your walks even more productive at burning calories by incorporating weights, tackling inclines, waking up steps, or switching up your pace.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you decide to add weight, try to do it through a weight vest as opposed to something else. Weight vests<\/a> evenly distribute the extra weight throughout your body, and aren\u2019t so taxing to use that they prevent you from going on long walks,\u201d Angelino points out. \u201cHills and stairs help you involve more muscle with each step, increasing strength gains and the total amount of calories burned with each step. You can also adjust your walking speed. Most people transition to running in the 3.5 to 5.0 mile per hour range. It depends on their leg length, among other factors.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t feel the need to commit to one thing only. Angelino encourages you to mix up your cardio day depending on how you feel.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a flexible approach will make exercise way easier to stick with, and lead to you experiencing much greater results long-term,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n Looking for more easy ways to lose fat? Here\u2019s How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n
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