Walking Fitness Tools

By knowing how many calories you burn and calculating your walking speed you can better reach you fitness goals. Scroll down to learn what the 5 levels of walking are, how to measure your stride length, what is the best walking form and how to calculate your walking speed.

THE 5 LEVELS OF WALKING

Type	Speed	Description
Lifestyle Walking	1.5-2.5	Casual walking, strolling
Fitness walking	2.5-4.5	Brisk walking
High-energy walking	3.5-5.5	Race walking at a quick pace
Walk/Run	2.5-jogging	Alternating running and walking
Stress buster	2.5 – 4.5	Short 2-5 min walks to break up the day

WALKING FORM:

Good form will help you burn more calories and avoid injury.
Shoulders, chest, and head:
Shoulders should be back and down eyes focused forward and head up and centered. Image the chest has a string attached to
the center upping it upwards.
Arms and hands:
Start arms at a 90 degree bend. Swing them back and forth and close to your body with hands loosely cupped.
Abdominals:
Pull belly button into spine and slightly tilt your pelvis forward.
Hips, thighs and feet:
Keep hips natural and loose, take short fast strides landing firmly on your heels. Roll foot smoothly pushing off with your toes.
Breathing and heart rate:
Keep breathing steady and your heart rate in the target zone.

CALCULATE WALKING SPEED:

To measure your steps in  speed count the number of steps you take in 1 minute.

All guides are a estimation of speed and calories burned.

HOW MANY CALORIES YOU BURN:

The amount of calories you burn walking increases with the speed/length of your walk. Step out of your comfort zone by increasing your pace for 30 seconds every 4 to 5 minutes. This will rev up your metabolism.

The table below gives you a rough guide:

HOW TO MEASURE STRIDE LENGTH:

The average person's stride length  is approximately 2.5 feet long. That means it takes just over 2,00  steps to walk one mile. Stride length should be comfortable and natural. To measure your stride walk with natural stride for 20 steps and stop. Measure from one heel contact point to the next  heel contact point.