Hiking: 2 training plans to get out of a sedentary lifestyle in 2022 –

Is having a more active life in your plans for 2022? So you can start now with a simple and democratic activity: the walk. “Exercise also protects the heart, reduces cholesterol and blood pressure and improves mood”, explains sports doctor Renato Romani, CEO at the company Easy Way to Health.

Lack of time, motivation or a gym nearby are not excuses for not starting now. We put together three hiking plans tailored to your goal (and that you can put into practice in the belt or on the street). Check out:

Understand the workout and get into the rhythm

First, here’s how to determine the intensity of your strength training. walk:

CL = Light Walk: it’s not quite like a trip to the mall, but it’s comfortable, you don’t sweat a lot and you can talk easily. On the treadmill: 5 to 6 km/h;

CM = Moderate walking: the step gets faster and the breathing more difficult, but it’s still possible to chat. You use your arms to help with the movement and start to sweat more. On the treadmill: 6 to 7 km/h;

CF = Strong Walk: you get a little breathless, you can talk with difficulty and move your arms a lot. It’s like you’re in a hurry. On the treadmill: 7 to 8 km/h;

TR = Trot: the speed is that of a brisk walk, but the movement is more like running. You get breathless and it’s hard to talk. On treadmill: 8 km/h.

1 – Walking plan to lose weight

When the focus is burn calories, the best option is to combine interval training (alternating strong and weak rhythms), terrain with slopes (or inclination on the treadmill) and jogging. “The variation in stimuli forces the body to adapt to the effort and expends more energy”, says walking and running coach Daniel Nascimento, from São Paulo, responsible for this program. You will do five days a week and spend, on average, 300 calories per session.

Week 1:

Monday and Wednesday: 20 min LC + 20 min CM. Total: 40 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 10 min LC + 25 min (alternating 3 min CM and 2 min CF). Total: 35 min;
Saturday: 15 min CM + 25 min CF. Total: 40 min.

Week 2:

Monday and Wednesday: 10 min CM + 25 min CF + 10 min CM. Total: 45 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 10 min of CM + 30 min (alternating 3 min of CF with ups and downs and 2 min of CM). Total: 40 min;
Saturday: 10 min CM + 25 min CF + 10 min CM. Total: 45 min.

Week 3:

Monday and Wednesday: 10 min CM + 15 min CF + 10 min CM + 15 min CF. Total: 50 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 40 min (alternating 3 min of CF with ups and downs and 2 min of CM) + 10 min of CM. Total: 50 min;
Saturday: 50 min (alternating 2 min of CM and 3 min of CF).

Week 4:

Monday and Wednesday: 15 min of CM + 30 min of CF with ups and downs + 15 mi of CM. Total: 60 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 50 min (alternating 2 min CM and 3 min RT) + 10 min CM. Total: 60 min;
Saturday: 40 min of CM with ascents and descents + 10 min of CF + 10 min of CM. Total: 60 min.

2 – Walk plan to get out of the sedentary lifestyle

The important thing for this group is to start slowly, with a workout to wake up the muscles and metabolism – hence the minimum of 150 minutes per week that you will spend, a reference used by specialists to leave sedentary life behind. Coach Daniel Nascimento has put together a plan that starts off easy and, from the second week onwards, includes interval walking and on sloping terrain. You may feel pain after the first few workouts, but don’t be discouraged: they disappear in the second week. If you prefer, you can divide the total weekly training time into fewer sessions.

Week 1:

Monday and Wednesday: 30 min LC;
Tuesday and Thursday: 10 min LC + 10 min CM + 10 min LC. Total: 30 min;
Saturday: 15 min LC + 15 min (alternating 2 min CM and 3 min LC). Total: 30 min.

Week 2:

Monday and Wednesday: 30 min of CL
Tuesday and Thursday: 10 min LC + 10 min CM + 10 min LC. Total: 30 min
Saturday: 15 min LC + 15 min (alternating 2 min CM and 3 min LC). Total: 30 min

Week 3:

Monday and Wednesday: 10 min LC + 20 min (alternating 3 min CM and 2 min CF) + 10 min LC. Total: 40 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 10 min LC + 25 min CM + 10 min LC. Total: 45 min;
Saturday: 30 min of CM with ascents and descents + + 10 min of CL. Total: 40 min.

Week 4:

Monday and Wednesday: 10 min LC + 30 min CM + 10 min LC. Total: 50 min;
Tuesday and Thursday: 50 min (alternating 2 min CM and 3 min CF) + 10 min LC. Total: 60 min;
Saturday: 40 min of CM with ascents and descents + 10 min of CF + 10 min of CL. Total: 60 min.

What do you need to know

Walking may seem easy, but it raises doubts in those who are starting now. Sports physiologist Paulo Correia, from the Federal University of São Paulo, answers some of them for you to exercise safely.

1 – Do I need sneakers with technology?

No, the model just needs to be comfortable. As you don’t want to perform, nor are you going to compete, and the impact of walking is low, you don’t need a high-end shoe.

2 – I walk 20 minutes to and from work every day, but I almost always wear shoes and jeans. Does it count as exercise?

It’s worth it, but the ideal is to do the route wearing sneakers. It’s just that social shoes or with heels can cause damage to the joints, skin (such as blisters and calluses) and interfere with correct movement, impairing posture.

3 – Do I have to warm up before starting?

Do 5 minutes of dynamic stretching (jumping, jumping jacks, squats, and hip, ankle, and arm rotations) to wake up your muscles, especially if you’re going for a walk first thing in the morning. Or walk 5 minutes at light intensity before setting the pace for the day’s workout.

4 – Walking makes me bored. How can I make exercise more stimulating?

Vary the environment (if you use a treadmill, go outside from time to time), avoid always repeating the same route outdoors, make the route more difficult by including hills (or inclination on the machine), walking on different terrains and alternating strong and weak rhythms . Listening to music is also distracting, diverts focus from effort and time, and makes the exercise pay off.