
To display a flat stomach, walking can be very effective! Just follow this method recommended by this physiotherapist.
To lose belly fat, you will have two important accomplices: a balanced diet and regular physical activity. No need to follow a drastic diet, you just need to adopt a diet adapted to your energy expenditure. Every day, give pride of place to fruits and vegetables, without forgetting proteins, starches, healthy fats and fiber. Avoid processed products as much as possible and favor foods that promote weight loss.
On the sports side, combine endurance activities with muscle strengthening exercises. But rest assured, if you’re not a sports fan, know that you can simply walk. The important thing is to move every day. Indeed, as Kelly Sturm, American physiotherapist, explains to the online magazine EatThis, NotThat!there is a particularly effective walking exercise for losing belly weight. This is the pyramid walk. “A pyramid walk workout uses a structure of increasing then decreasing intensity”specifies Kelly Sturm. Before adding: “Imagine climbing to the top of a pyramid: you start at an easy pace, then gradually increase the speed or incline, reaching maximum intensity, and finally, work your way back down in reverse order.” This technique, accessible to all, allows you to vary the intensity of the effort over the same session and thus burn calories, even after training. Moreover, “This makes this activity much more effective for weight loss than walking at a brisk pace, which does not tax your body in the same way,” indicates the professional. This way of walking is suitable for everyone, beginners and advanced alike, because you can adapt it both in terms of speed and duration of training. Also, it is ideal if you have little time to devote to your activity. “In just 20 to 30 minutes, you get a solid cardio workout that burns calories and engages the abdominal muscles, helping to tone the midsection,” underlines the physiotherapist.
So, how to actually train? Start with 3 to 5 minutes of easy walking to warm up and gradually increase your heart rate. Then, walk at a brisk pace for 1 minute. Slightly increase the incline or speed and continue walking for 2 minutes. Walk at a faster or steeper pace for 3 minutes. If you walk on a treadmill, increase the incline and speed; If you’re walking outside, find a hilly route or pick up the pace. Give it your all for 4 minutes. To recover, nothing could be simpler, reverse the pyramid by reducing the speed or incline for 3 minutes, then 2 minutes, and finally 1 minute at an easy pace. Now you know what you have to do!