Best-kept Exercise Secrets for Burning More Fat While Walking, Says Trainer

When it comes to trimming fat and shaping up, leading an all-around healthy lifestyle is key. That starts with eating a nutritious diet that's chock-full of veggies and lean protein, in addition to getting in your strength training and cardio. One very underrated form of cardio that's great for fat loss is walking. It's something you do every day, but you can take your exercise game to the next level with these best-kept exercise secrets for burning more fat while walking.

If you're intrigued, read on to learn more about these expert-approved tricks that'll help with your fat-loss journey. And next up, check out The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.

The benefits of walking

mature man doing cardio exercise, burning more fat while walking — Shutterstock

Getting in your daily steps is linked to so many amazing health benefits. If you're in need of stress release, a mood boost, or an energy boost, it's safe to say, walking will be your new best friend. According to Mayo Clinic, this kind of cardio is also a great way to keep a healthy body weight in check and trim excess fat.

Whether you walk solo or grab a walking buddy to come along with, this low-impact, low-intensity exercise is great for active recovery and can be done just about anywhere. There are a few things you can incorporate into your routine that we'll dive into now. Burning more fat while walking has never been easier! So lace up your sneakers, find a fun route, and let's get to it.

Wear a ruck

man using weighted backpack as a way to burn more fat while walking — Shutterstock

A great way to make this exercise more challenging and increase your calorie burn is to wear a ruck or a weighted backpack while taking your strides. The extra load you're carrying will force your body to work harder so it can burn even more fat. I recommend starting with 5 to 8 pounds and working your way up.

Perform bodyweight exercises in between

mature woman doing beach yoga and keeping in shape after 40 — Shutterstock

Another trick to increase your fat burn is to incorporate bodyweight exercises into your routine. You can mix in a combination of squats, walking lunges, pushups, butt kickers, and high knees either for a certain amount of time or reps. This will get your heart rate up and engage other muscles in your body that aren't being used while you're walking. Do this after you hit a certain distance during your walk (such as every 1/4 or 1/2 mile).

Walk up hills

woman doing uphill walking workout to shrink belly fat faster — Shutterstock

One of my favorite methods to make walking more challenging is to go up hills. Walking uphill will further activate your glutes and calves, which in turn increases your calorie burn dramatically compared to walking on a flat surface. Find a hill in your local area, and perform several laps going up and down to get your heart rate up and legs working hard!