Strap on your shoes and hit the asphalt. Walking at the correct intensity and going the distance can help you get to your weight-loss goals while shaping and toning your lower body. You can burn an extra 150 calories a day by walking for 30 minutes and even more if you walk faster and longer, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 1
Hit the pavement and go for speed. The American Council of Exercise suggests to interval your walking routine for overall muscle endurance. Walk two minutes at a moderate pace followed by one minute at your fastest pace. Changing your pace will force you to lengthen your stride and engage more of your lower body muscles.
Step 2
Change your walking surface. Try walking in sand to involve more muscles of your legs like your calves and inner thighs or in a field with small hills. A slight change of surface will place a new demand on the lower body forcing new muscles in your legs to be used.
Step 3
Climb a hill. Find a route in your neighborhood or close by that has a hill in it. Hill work stimulates resistance training. Walking uphill will engage more of your lower body and help to shape and tone your legs.
Step 4
Add resistance exercises to your walks to target your legs. For example, after every five minutes of walking do 25 squats followed by 20 walking lunges. Repeat those exercises as you continue you walk, looking at your watch to stop every five minutes. Building muscle with the moves will mean you will burn more overall calories because muscle burns more calories than fat.
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