Happy walking: the 10,000 steps workout, alternating with aerobics

10 thousand steps: are those suggested by the medical-scientific community to do daily to stay healthy and feel good psychologically. In the distance, it’s about 8 km, a number that can be scary, especially for those who are not used to walking or moving.

This is how theHappy Walkinga novelty in the fitness sector, which includes the 10,000 step walk, interspersed with fun choreographies, to be performed both inside fitness rooms and outside. «Walking itself is a low-impact, medium-intensity endurance activity, which allows you to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and tone your body while burning caloriesbut with minimal physical stress that avoids damage to the joints”, explains Elena Buscone, trainer and instructor of the course atAspria Harbour Clubwhere it is possible to practice this activity.

Combined with steps from other disciplines, the Happy Walking walk allows for a modular aerobic work which provides increasing or decreasing the intensity of your training based on the level of physical preparation of each participant. For this reason it is suitable for people of all ages and all backgrounds, men and women – even during pregnancy – elderly people, particularly sedentary individuals and also those with heart disease.

«The sessions are usually attended by many young people, but even over 70, who likes it a lot because it is a course that can be modelled on the basis of the students’ abilities: indoor, exciting because it is done in time with the music; outdoors, unless you have headphones, music is not available, but it becomes a way to visit new areas of your city. And then Once you have learned the exercises, you can repeat them on any occasioneven on holiday.”

How does the Happy Walking course work?

The main movements of Happy Walking include classic walking in place and 7 Aerobics-Inspired Stepswhich:

• Walking back and forth
• Walking with arms raised
• Step-touch
• V-step
• Alternating kicks
• Alternating knee ups
• Leg curl

The figures are from perform in sequence like a choreography, with a recommended average pace between 7 and 9 km/h. The body works at 60-70% of its heart rate and draws on fat mass for energy. At a pace of about 7 km/h, an average weight person (about 70 kg) is estimated to burn about 314 calories per hour. If the pace increases to about 9 km/h, the estimated calorie burn increases to about 446 calories per hour.

Already in the first 20 minutes the body begins to burn excess fat and to use those stored to obtain energy, resulting in weight loss. In addition, the heartbeat is reharmonized, breathing becomes regular, muscle tension dissolves and even the mood improves.

«How many times to do it per week depends on your possibilities, or better yet, on the initial medical opinion: it always starts with a medical visit. After that, once a week is already fine; By intensifying and improving breathing and physical condition, you can increase your workouts. However, since it is a “reinforced” walk, It is important to give your body a chance to recover between sessions.», specifies Buscone.

The benefits of Happy Walking

• Improve overall muscle tone, including arms and chest, thanks to aerobic exercises often performed with weights;
• It helps the body’s well-being by burning calories in a healthy and balanced way (up to 700 Kcal per lesson);
• It promotes metabolism and intestinal motility;
• It helps improve posture, because during the lesson the spine and pelvis must always be kept under control;
• The blood pressure values ​​are restored;
• It is the first step against osteoporosis because it helps bone mineralization;
• Maintains healthy heart function;
• It helps regulate blood pressure and control type 2 diabetes;
• Walking at a good pace helps prevent cardiovascular disease, colon cancer and diabetes;
• It improves mood and combats anxiety, thanks to the release of endorphins and serotonin by our body during activity;
• Stress and negative thoughts go away.

Can I lose weight with Happy Walking?

Happy Walking is considered a LISS training, acronym for Low Intensity Steady Statethat is to say a low intensity, long duration cardio workoutborn in the twenties. The latter is among the SST workouts (acronym for Steady State Training), that is, all those in which the intensity level always remains constant.

This type of workout is based on two different variable parameters which are the volume and theintensity. The volume refers to the workout duration, which must be understood between 35 and 60 minutes. Intensity, on the other hand, refers to the heart rate, which will be brought to approximately 65-75% of the maximum. «Although cardio training alone is not enough to lose a lot of weight, Happy Walking certainly represents one of the best ways to tone muscle mass and speed up metabolism», concludes Buscone.