Walking is an exercise that can range in intensity depending on the effort you put into it -- you may enjoy a leisurely walk or one that leaves your muscles tired and your breaths deep. Walking is a well-regarded form of exercise because it does not apply much stress to your body the way running or contact sports might. It can also activate your stomach muscles, giving you a workout above the belt. But the degree of this abdominal benefit is dependent on how you push yourself when walking to maximize the quality of the workout.
Step 1
Walk about 30 minutes a day or more. If you are new to walking, start out by walking 15 minutes a day and gradually increasing in time until you hit at least 30 minutes. Push yourself to walk about a mile in 20 minutes or less, which is faster than a leisurely pace and should feel like work. Go on walks five times a week.
Step 2
Tense your stomach muscles while walking. This will help pull in your muscles, strengthening them and using them to support your upper body. This can also help to reduce lower back pain. Keep your buttocks tucked in rather than sticking out far behind you. Maintain an upright posture and slightly arch your back when walking.
Step 3
Swing your arms when walking -- this increases your workload and also improves your efficiency by creating forward momentum.
Step 4
Incorporate tempo changes when walking to stimulate the body. For example, rather than walking a consistent, moderate pace, add in short periods of heightened intensity followed by slower, recovery-oriented walking. The end result shouldn't produce an overall speed greater than walking consistently at a moderate pace, since your high- and low-intensity periods will cancel each other out.
Step 5
Work your way up to walking 10,000 steps per day, or about five miles. This is the recommended exercise workload for walking, and if you keep your abdominal muscles activated and tense, you should see results in your stomach.
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