Just like any other exercise, walking needs to be done in the correct manner to reap its benefits. There are certain walking styles and techniques that can help a beginner to up their walking game.
@j.m.bez via Twenty20
Importance of walking technique
A correct walking technique can greatly aid weight loss goals. It increases the efficiency of the walk; and the energy used by the body is effectively utilized.
People may not think about it too much but good posture is an integral component of the walking techniques. An overall accurate posture minimizes the chances of injury. Poor strides can rip leg muscles and lopsided demeanor raises the risk of back and knee pain. A good posture, on the other hand, relaxes
When you walk in a stable manner your body finds it easier to move forward. The increased ease of walking helps you to stride even faster than before.
Plus, an effective walking technique can increase the rate of calorie burn. It strengthens and tones your muscles even faster. Greater muscle mass increases the metabolism rate of the body, even at rest, which further aids the weight loss process.
It is also productive in targeting and destroying the visceral fat around the organs in your body. The importance of an appropriate walking technique cannot be stressed enough. It makes the whole process of walking easier, more enjoyable and inviting for the person.
Different Walking styles
There are various walking styles that people employ in their daily lives. Not all styles may be for everyday walkers but it is good to know the options available. You may want to adopt one that best suits your style and health goals:
Brisk walking
This is the easiest way of walking. Using this technique, a person walks slightly faster than the normal speed. Brisk walking is quite appropriate for beginners with the speed being generally around 5 km/hr.
Power walking
Power walking employs a perfect posture. It is a more efficient way of losing weight and improving your health and fitness. The average speed of a power walk is around 7-9 km/hr. It is believed that power walking may well burn as many calories as jogging. This technique may also suit your needs better if you have knee issues.
Race walking
Race walking is a sport in the Olympics. It requires an extremely high levels of fitness. The main rule is that one foot of the athlete should always touch the ground. This implies that before one foot leaves the ground other should already be in position.
Pole walking
Pole walking is a Nordic practice. This type of walking uses a pair of poles or sticks to walk. The poles are used as a support to push oneself forward during the walk. It helps to engage core muscles and improve balance. It is usually employed during hiking.
Marathon walking
Marathon walking is not very fast. However, it requires a lot of stamina as marathons are usually quite long. You need to practice for a few months before formally walking a marathon.
Chi walking
Chi walking applies the rules of Tai Chi in walking. It is a fivefold approach which includes maintaining perfect posture, effective muscle usage, achieving ultimate balance, weighing options and advancing forward.
Stroller walking
Stroller walking is exactly what the name suggests. A parent pushes their child’s stroller while walking. Its disadvantage is that your hands do not swing while walking. Keeping the hands in the same position can hurt your neck and back.
Benefits of various walking styles
All walking styles build muscles and tone your body. However, some styles are more effective in losing weight and burning calories.
Brisk walking is a good cardio exercise. It also strengthens your leg muscles.
Power and race walking are highly fruitful in building muscles and getting leaner. They help burn calories at a rapid rate.
Pole walking is less abrasive on the joints. It also builds upper body strength by engaging the arms, chest, shoulders and back muscles. It improves the balance of your body as well.
Marathon walking is very good for developing discipline and patience. It builds stamina as well.
Chi walking is an art. It develops the ability to concentrate and pay attention to details. It can be considered more of a meditation.
Stroller walking is very beneficial for parents who do not have spare time to work out. As it requires pushing some weight, it consumes more energy as well.
Recommended Posture
Always remember to check your posture before going for a walk. A simple, yet effective aspect of walking, here is what you need to do:
Stand as tall as you can and align your whole body. Your head, neck, back, knees and feet should be in a straight line, yet you don’t have to make your body rigid and stiff. Instead, keep yourself as relaxed as possible.
Make sure you don’t have an arched back. Protruding buttocks and a large belly can often cause such an arch in the back. In order to avoid this, tuck your pelvis and pull your stomach inwards. Sucking your stomach inwards also engages the core muscles.
Keep your gaze straight ahead. A good option is to look 15 to 20 feet in front of you.
Keep your head straight and stable. Your chin should be parallel to the floor. Make sure you do not subconsciously tilt your chin upwards or downwards. Bending your neck to look down puts a strain on your back. Just lower your gaze slightly if you have to see where you are going. It minimizes undue stress and improves breathing as well.
One very important of correct posture is that the walker’s shoulders should not be tense. They should be relaxed so that the distance between their ears and shoulders is optimum. Also, move your shoulders slightly backward. This prevents shoulder muscles to get sore.
How to perform a power walk
While there are so many walking styles, power walking is definitely one of the most popular ones. Almost everyone can go on a power walk and can get weight loss benefits as well. So coming up, this next bit may sound a little bit technical, but is well worth the read, especially if losing weight is what you are aiming for.
After you have emulated the perfect posture, you can start your power walk.
Warm up your body by walking slowly for a few minutes. You can also do some gymnastic exercises like jumping jacks to get ready for the power walk. Perform pre-walk stretches as well.
When power walking your arms should be bent at a right angle and should be able to move as fluidly as possible. Keeping your arms at an angle prevents any numbness in the fingers and palms. Also, bent arms build and tone muscles and burn more calories. They help increase the pace of your walk as well.
Your arms should swing back and forth at the height of your waist while walking. Keep your hands slightly closed but do not clench your fists. Your elbows should be close to your body during the walk to avoid the ‘chicken walk’.
If your arms get tired initially try to keep them raised for 5-10 minutes and give them rest when worn-out. This way you can gradually build stamina.
The movement of the lower body is the most important part of a power walk. It involves the hips, legs, ankles, and feet.
In a power walk, when you put your leg forward you should land on your heel first. At this point, your foot should be flexed and your toes should point upwards. Then roll your foot forward so that your toe is the last part to leave the ground. When lifting the toes, give a push forward to your body. This will give your body more momentum and help you increase your pace even more.
When walking, make sure that your strides are not very long in the front. Long strides are often associated with knee and muscle injury. To shorten them, the distance between your forward foot and the body center should be small.
Instead of lengthening your steps in the front, try to increase the distance of the back leg from the center of the body. This can be done by keeping your back foot on the ground as long as you can. Such a change in your stride will provide more push to your body.
During a walk alternate the movement of arms and legs so that you can easily walk in a straight line.
Finish off your walk by slowing down to cool off your body. Do some stretching exercises again to release any stiffness in the muscles.
Following the correct techniques of a power walk can help you lose weight and tone your body quite rapidly.
You can easily make your own home made remedies that are ideal for home body detoxification. This chapter will explore the different remedies that you can use and where you can get the ingredients for these body detoxification solutions.
For all of these homemade remedies, use only purified water. You can purchase purified water in the grocery store or get it right out of your tap if you have a water purifying system in your home. If you do not have a water purifying system, you should consider getting one for your home. This can help you keep your body free from some of the impurities you get from water.
@thayra via Twenty20
Body Detoxifier One – Lemon Pepper Cleanser
Both lemon and pepper combined will work well to zip through the body as a cleanser. Lemon pepper cleanser is one of the easiest and effective home cleansing remedies.
8 Ounces of Water
2 Teaspoons of lemon zest
½ Teaspoon of black pepper
Combine the water and the other ingredients and drink it down. After you are finished drinking the solution, drink two 8 ounce glasses of water. This will help flush the solution into your system. Lemon pepper cleanser is good for the colon and entire digestive system.
For best results, use fresh ground black pepper and fresh lemon zest from a fresh lemon.
Alternate use – You can omit the black pepper and add one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to the mix
Body Detoxifier Two – Italian body detoxifier
8 Ounces of Water
1 Teaspoon of flax seed oil
1 Teaspoon of Basil
1 Teaspoon of Oregano
½ Teaspoon of Garlic
Combine all of the ingredients with the water and drink it. After drinking, wait five minutes for the solution to settle and then drink two more glasses of water. This acts as a detoxifier for the entire body and is good for both the digestive system as well as the circulatory system.
For best results, use fresh herbs and garlic.
Alternate use – You can substitute Rosemary for Basil.
Body Detoxifier Three – Berry Detox
6 Ounces of Water
2 Ounces of Pure Acai Berry Juice
½ Cup Blueberries
4 Fresh Strawberries
Put all of the ingredients in the blender and mix them together. Drink them and follow the solution with an 8 ounce glass of purified water. This is a detoxifier that is loaded with antioxidants and purifiers.
For best results, use only fresh ingredients.
Alternate use – Substitute ½ cup of blueberries for the strawberries.
Body Detoxifier Four – Tropical Detox
1 Banana
1 cup unsweetened, plain yogurt
½ cup pure orange juice
½ cup pure pineapple juice
Put all ingredients into a blender and the mix them. This will be more like a shake than a traditional drink but works well to cleanse out the digestive tract as well as provide essential nutrients. This works slower than other body detoxifiers but is healthy for the colon as well as the heart and immune system.
For best results – Use only fresh ingredients and pure juices
Alternative – You can 1 cup of orange juice instead of half and half of pineapple juice and orange juice.
Body Detoxifier Five – Energizing Cleanse
8 Ounces of Water
1 Teaspoon of Maca Root
1 Teaspoon of Ginseng
1 Teaspoon of Acai powder
You may have to use pestle and mortar to break up the roots, especially if they are fresh, as they should be. You can purchase liquid Ginseng, although you are better off to purchase capsule forms. Grind up the dry ingredients, mix them with the Acai powder and then add them to the water. Drink down the mixture and then drink another glass of water.
This will not only give you energy to spare, but will also work towards detoxifying your digestive and circulatory system. If you are looking for a way to energize your body, this will do it.
You can purchase the supplements in any health food store or even online. Make sure that they are pure supplements and not just chemically reproduced. Ginseng is often available in “energy drinks” in stores – avoid that and get the actual product.
Body Detoxifier Six – Colon Cleanse Diet
8 Ounces of Water
1 Teaspoon of Flax Seed Oil
1 Teaspoon of FRESH ginger
1 Teaspoon of Grape seed oil
1 Package of green tea
This is a body detoxifier that works well as a colon cleanser. Add the ingredients together before adding to the water. You may need to use the mortar and pestle to grind up the ginger if you do not have a food processor. You want only to use fresh ginger for this cleanse. Open up the package of green tea and dump it into the mix.
Mix everything with the water and then drink. Follow it with two glasses of water. This is a good weight loss detoxifier that you can make right from products that you purchase at the supermarket.
For best results, Use only fresh ingredients that are pure
Alternate use – Use a green tea capsule and grind it up with the mortar and pestle.
Body Detoxifier Seven – Cinnamon Spice
1 cup of brewed green tea
1 teaspoon of honey
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
After you have brewed the green tea, add the cinnamon and the honey to the mixture and drink it hot. This is a pleasant tasting drink and will not only relax you, but will also cleanse out your body and help your heart.
For best results – Use fresh ground cinnamon
Body Detoxifier Eight – Kidney Cleansing
8 Ounces of Water
½ Cup pure cranberry juice
¼ Cup pure Acai juice
3 Teaspoons orange juice
Mix the ingredients together and add them to the water. Drink it down and then drink two more 8 ounce glasses of water. This will help clean out your urinary tract and clear up urinary tract infections.
For best results – Use only pure ingredients and 100 percent pure orange juice
Body Detoxifier Nine – Lavender Cleansing
8 Ounces of Water
1 Teaspoon of pure Lavender oil
1 Teaspoon of Flax Seed oil
Mix the oils with the water and drink. Consume another glass of water after to flush down the mixture. This is a total body cleanse and will detoxify all parts of your body.
Warning – Use only pure Lavender oil. Essential oils, with the exception of a few, are not made for ingestion Lavender oil is an exception, but it must be pure.
Body Detoxifier Ten – Tropical Delight
Ice Cubes made from purified water
½ Banana
1 Teaspoon of Flax Seed Oil
½ Cup orange juice
¼ Cup Acai juice
2 Teaspoons of Lemon juice (pure)
Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender. Add enough ice cubes to fill the blender and then purifier. Drink the entire amount of the potion. This is a detoxifier for the body and can also substitute as a meal if you are trying to lose weight.
Body Detoxifier Eleven – Veggie Cleanser
1 Fresh Carrot, peeled
2 Crowns of Broccoli
1 Teaspoon of Omega Fish Oil
1 Teaspoon Flax Seed Oil
Ice Cubes
You need a food processor for this recipe, although it certainly cleans out the system and works wonders on the digestive system. You have to pulverize the vegetables so that they are like mush and then add the ice cubes and oils to the mix. Mix well and then consume the entire amount. Follow with a glass of purified water.
This is a safe and healthy drink that can be consumed on a healthy basis. It can also be used as a substitute for a meal if you are dieting.
Body Detoxifier Twelve – Vitamin Cleanser
1 Cup Green Tea – Hot
1 Capsule of Vitamin D
1 Capsule of Vitamin A
1 Capsule of Vitamin K
½ Teaspoon of Cinnamon
Grind up the capsules in a mortar and then add them to the hot tea so that they dissolve. Then add the cinnamon to the mix. Drink it down. This will add vitamins and nutrients to your body that you may be lacking. It is good for eliminating stress, depression and also healthy for the heart.
All of the ingredients for these body detoxifiers can be found at your local grocery store or health food store. You need to make sure that you are purchasing pure ingredients and not those made from synthetics. You can buy a mortar and pestle online or in some drugstores and health food stores.
Body Detoxifier Thirteen – Healing Detox Juice
Ingredients:
3-4 Carrots
125g Fresh Spinach
Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley
2-3 Sticks of Celery
Juice all ingredients (putting celery through last). Mix with water to taste or drink neat
OK, I’ve just had a go at making some home made protein bars. As anyone will tell you exercise is just a part of the plan, you also need correct nutrition as well.
Rather than buying protein bars loaded with sugar and other rubbish I had a go at these myself. I did not focus on neatness of bar, as can be seen from the picture but to me they taste good. This first bar is a very basic minimal ingredients bar, its the very thin one at the top of the tin.
Recipe 1
Ingredients
100g egg whites
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon of stevia powder (trevia brand) optional, just makes them a bit sweeter
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 200 c
Mix all of the ingredients up, I used a food processor for ease of use
Pour mixture into a greased baking tray/cake tin
Bake for 22-25 minutes
Tips
I mixed the ingredients so my mixture was very sticky and not dry. You can adapt on the go, too dry add some more egg whites, too liquidy add a little oats.
Recipe 2
In an earlier recipe, I made some basic protein bars. This one ramps it up a bit, adds a few more ingredients but is still easy to make
Here’s a few pics, as stated earlier neatness of bar wasn’t a priority, I’ll leave that to folks selling those expensive bought bars.
Lets crack on
Ingredients
200g Oats
30g Chocolate Whey powder
2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
3 Egg whites
1 Tablespoon honey
100ml Skimmed milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Instructions
Pre heat the oven to 180 C
Firstly add the Oats/Whey powder and the cinnamon and mix together
Now add the peanut butter and mix this in, I use a food processor for this.
Now add the egg white, honey and 100ml of skimmed milk and mix well.
Now grease a cake tin or equivalent and spoon your mixture in evenly
Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes
Remove from oven, cool and cut into bars and enjoy
There you go, easy. You can use different flavour of whey powder or add banana’s as examples of adaptations.
Fresh, home made bars taste so good you’ll never buy one again.
Biceps are the epitome of fitness. Every man and woman deserves to have some awesome biceps.
@askoldsb via Twenty20
So you should really incorporate biceps workouts into your routine to grow these proud muscles. And here are my best biceps sculpturing workouts.
1)Standing barbell curl
2)Ez-bar preacher curl
3)Alternate incline dumbbell curl
4)Reverse wrist curl and wrist curl
5)Seated barbell curl
6)Dual dumbbell hammer curl
1)Standing Barbell Curl
Standing Barbell Curl – The most basic biceps workout you can see in any posters and magazines. Engages both your total biceps at the same time.
1. Do not go overboard with biceps curls as you may tear your biceps tendon if you’re not careful – So only pick weights that you can handle. Then, grasp the barbell at shoulder-width apart with palms facing upwards.
2. Stand tall upright with knees slightly bent to buffer the weight during exercise. Allow the bar to hang to your thighs and this will be your starting position.
3. In order to execute the exercise flawlessly, slowly curl the bar in a controlled tempo and squeeze at the top of the lift. You can definitely feel the pump in your biceps as your squeeze at the top.
4. After squeezing your biceps at the top, slowly lower the bar back to the starting position in slow eccentric motion.
5. Repeat this movement and remember not to cheat your way through by swinging with unwanted momentum. You want to make sure you always keep the tension on in order to get the most out of this exercise.
2) EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
This workout engages your inner biceps and brings out the biceps peak.
1. Look for a bicep curls station in order to perform this exercise. Firstly, adjust your seat height to a comfortable position so that your arms are properly rested on the pad. This will be your starting position.
2. For better stabilization, place your feet wide and frontward, and hold tight onto the EZ-bar with the supinated grip.
3. Perform the curls in a controlled manner and remember to squeeze at the top of the lift to reap the most benefits. Finally, lower the bar back to the starting position. Repeat this movement until your rep scheme has been completed.
3)Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curl
This is my favorite workout hands down because this workout is a perfect isolation workout for the biceps without any cheating movements – the incline position cancels out most of the ‘cheating’ momentum, increase the range or motion, and you can’t really carry much weight when you’re lying incline.
1. Set an incline bench at about a 45-degree angle.
2. Hold onto 2 dumbbells in both hands with a neutral grip and allow your arm to hang low. This will be the starting position.
3. Lock your elbows in this position to reduce cheating momentum. Slowly raise the dumbbell upwards (you can start with either side first) and add a little twist at the top while you squeeze the biceps.
4. Twist and squeeze your biceps at the top for 2-3 seconds before slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
5. Once completed, repeat this movement with the other arm until your rep scheme has been completed.
I recommend doing 10-12 Reps for 3-4 sets for this exercise to effectively grow your biceps.
4)Reverse Wrist Curl And Wrist Curl
This additional workout trains your wrists and forearms. Many people ignore this exercise because they don’t see the need of it. But do you want to look like a hunk with huge biceps and triceps with arms like twigs? If you want to look good overall and have strong stabilization muscles to move more weights, add in these 2 compulsory forearms workout into your workout regime.
1. You perform reverse wrist curls with a pronated grip (also known as the overhand grip). Make sure to pick a light weight for this exercise as your forearms are not huge muscles to handle massive weights.
2. Next, look for a bench and kneel at the side of it, with your forearms resting on the bench. Grasping the barbell, allow your hands to hang over the edge. This will be the starting position.
3. To execute the exercise, simply curl your hands to the top and squeeze your forearms muscles (Do note that this exercise has a short range of motion). Then, slowly lower the weight to the starting position.
4. Repeat this movement until your rep scheme has been completed.
Since the forearms have smaller muscles and shorter range or motion, you don’t have to go too heavy on this. Simply lift lighter weights in higher repetition to get the best result from this exercise.
5)Seated Barbell Curl
This is another variation for bicep curls. This exercise is similar to standing barbell curls. The only difference is you’re seated this time round.
1. First, load up your barbell with appropriate weight to perform 6-10 reps max.
2. Sit upright on an adjustable bench and rest the barbell on your thighs.
3. With a supinated grip, perform curls in a control movement without swinging the weights around. Again, you want to make sure that you squeeze at the top of the lift and feel the biceps contraction.
4. Finally, lower the barbell slowly and go for repetitions. Always move the weights in a moderate or slow tempo for constant tension and contraction. Pay attention to the sensation of your biceps during both concentric and eccentric movements.
6)Dual Dumbbell Hammer Curl
A killer workout for both forearms and biceps. Every biceps workout routine should have hammer curls in to be complete.
1. You can choose to stand or stay seated for this workout. First, grasp on tightly a pair of dumbbells by your side with a neutral grip. This will be your starting position.
2. Make sure that your palms are facing each other throughout the entire workout. Hammer curls require lifting both dumbbells in an upward motion in elbows-locked position without twisting your wrists.
3. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the lift and slowly return to the starting position by slow, controlled eccentric movement. Repeat this exercise until you’ve completed your reps.
So there you have it, ultimate chest and biceps sculpturing workouts you can add to your workout routine and grow those highly esteemed muscles!
