Monday 25 July 2011

To jog or walk?


Should you walk or jog? The debate is never ending! Which one is better for you? Which one will help you lose weight faster? 

The fact remains that jogging does burn more calories than walking. But simply because of that fact, we tend to ignore walking as a great form of exercise. By placing more emphasis on jogging as a faster means to lose weight we are not doing justice to our bodies. What if we told you that walking is more than exercise? Walking is our birthright and we're not capitalizing on it as much as we should.

Advantage of jogging - It is a powerful weight loss tool, burns calories, makes you feel good (who's up for endorphins!), fights stress, helps relax your mind while your body takes over, the list is endless.

Advantage of brisk walking - Brisk walking is not very far behind, when it comes to calories burnt. In fact, a slow jog is pretty comparable to brisk walking. Brisk walking does not leave the exerciser prone to injuries, something that jogging can be known to do. Brisk walking fights inflammation and builds immunity.

Walking is one of the most natural movements that we can do. Some older, and very fit grand moms and grand dads out there will nod their heads in agreement when it comes to the fact that walking is one of the best forms of exercise as, just by walking every day for their whole lives, many of them have been able to stay in incredible shape.

Changes in physical shape - When jogging a good deal, you will be able to see weight loss from your entire body. Because of the movement, the whole of your upper body will become smaller through lots of jogging. On the other hand, after a session of really fast walking you will probably feel more strain on your hamstrings, thighs, and calves than jogging. It's true, walking leads to a pretty toned lower body.

Which one is better for fat loss - While both work your body in a similar way, jogging mostly helps in burning off excess calories. The weight loss will happen due to water weight, fat loss and some muscle mass as well. Walking on the other hand due to the constant toning and building of your legs and butt muscles, will have more weight loss from only fat loss than muscle mass.

In conclusion - Whether you walk or jog, it's important that you keep moving. When you stop moving and lead a very sedentary lifestyle, that's when you give your body the signal to shut down and eventually all the problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle start. And remember - to get any kind of cardiovascular benefits from walking or jogging, you need to walk briskly, or jog at a moderate speed. Moderate to vigorous momentum is key to all the benefits we just discussed. For added muscle tone, strength training is the answer.

Maintain your weight and stay fit and Healthy

Maintaining one's weight is just as tough as losing weight. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent your weight from fluctuating constantly. 

A few simple points to keep in mind are:

1. Have breakfast: One should eat a proper breakfast before starting the day. Follow the old saying and eat a king size breakfast. It can have lots of oats, juices, milk. Make sure you avoid fried and oily food in the morning.

2. Eat slowly: It is said that one should chew one's food about 30 times before taking the second bite. It helps in proper digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more you chew; the easier will the digestion process be.

3. Have meals in break: Rather than having three huge meals a day, have small meals consisting of healthy fruits and vegetable dishes. Eat at least six small meals in a day.

4. Wash it down with water: Drink at least one glass of water at intervals of half an hour. One should consume three to four litres every day to keep the body cool.

5. Exercise: One need not necessarily join the gym. Even simple exercises like walking, running, jumping, skipping can help you maintain your weight. Make sure you do at least one physical activity for 30 minutes daily.

6. Late meals are a no-no: Avoid having your dinner late in the night, since the number of activities you perform is less. Have light meals during the night.

7. No binging: If one does feel hungry, they should avoid eating fast food and snacks like chips, oily food, pastries etc.

Such simple tips can help you to enjoy life to the fullest and fittest.