Can you get toned/fit from walking?

[Anonymous]

Several miles a day, 5/6 days a week, brisk pace?

[Anonymous]

No, sorry. I don't think so. Unless you are hiking up a mountain.

[Anonymous]

You can make a dent in improving overall health and build endurance. It’s a great health tonic. I lost quite a bit of weight this way along with a few dietary changes. Then I added Pilates and functional training to go a bit further. But walking is great on its own and definitely good for body and mind.

[Anonymous]

You will never get on the cover of Muscles, but sure you can get more toned/fit by walking, especially with weights and/or up hills.

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

Yes it was the only exercise I did until mid 40s then I needed to add weights.

[Anonymous]

Fit, yes. Toned, probably not though maybe. I'm sure some of this also depends on where you start out and other health and fitness factors. If you are already overweight, if you eat poorly in general, then probably no.

But walking was my main form of exercise for much of my 20s and is also mostly how I got back in shape after having a baby. And yes, it was several miles a day 5/6 days a week.

One thing that really helps is some form of resistance. Post-baby, most of my walking was done either with my baby in a carrier or pushing a stroller. Often I'd do my grocery runs with the baby so I'd have 20-30lbs of groceries in the stroller as well. You'll find that added resistance fatigues you much faster and makes the walking much more aerobic. This is also where you might get some muscle tone in your legs -- my calves got visibly more muscular due to pushing the stroller to and from our daycare (1.5 mile walk) every day.

If you are looking for total fitness, I'd combine this with something like HIIT workouts or barre, depending on what you are looking for. But walking can be terrific exercise, especially if you turn it into incidental exercise by doing a walking commute or running errands on foot. It's a great way to maintain weight, built low-intensity endurance, or complement higher intensity workouts (I love to do a HIIT workout and then walk a few miles, the muscle fatigue from the workout will ensure I get the maximum benefits out of the walk).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several miles a day, 5/6 days a week, brisk pace?

it's worked for me in the past (my baby weight fell from 160 to 130 in 4 months just from walking)

[Anonymous]

Up until my 40s I used walking as my primary exercise and when I needed to lose weight post babies. I wouldn’t say toned, but I was healthy and it kept my weight stable. I walked on average 7 miles a day.

Now, in my 40s, I’ve had to adjust my diet, calorie intake, and exercise level. I’m fit again, but definitely not toned and I’m going to add in strength training now that I’m back at my target weight.

[Anonymous]

Of course not.

You can healthier. You can lose a few pounds. You can sleep better at night and have less stress.

But thinking you'll have toned, rounded shoulders, or muscular arms, or heck, even a round butt from walking?

That's just not how it works.

As I said, its a super healthy habit with many benefits. But you won't get toned from it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course not.

You can healthier. You can lose a few pounds. You can sleep better at night and have less stress.

But thinking you'll have toned, rounded shoulders, or muscular arms, or heck, even a round butt from walking?

That's just not how it works.

As I said, its a super healthy habit with many benefits. But you won't get toned from it

This.

[Anonymous]

"Toned" typically means having visible muscle. Which is a combo of having muscle to show and and a low enough body fat percentage to see that muscle.

Will you build muscle walking- not really, lifting weights is more bang for you buck.

Can you lose weight walking- not really unless you also reduce calories or walk a ton.

walking is great exercise and important for heart health but you will not build a fit, toned body by walking alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course not.

You can healthier. You can lose a few pounds. You can sleep better at night and have less stress.

But thinking you'll have toned, rounded shoulders, or muscular arms, or heck, even a round butt from walking?

That's just not how it works.

As I said, its a super healthy habit with many benefits. But you won't get toned from it

^Yep

[Anonymous]

The reason people looked tone, which really is an annoying term is because they have less fat. The layer of fat in our bodies is on top of the muscle and the less fat you have the more "tone" you look.

To burn fat you must have a complete exercise plan that includes a good dietary plan, strength training, and aerobic exercise.

[Anonymous]

If you're starting at a low level of fitness, then yes it will make a considerable difference. The more fit and toned you become the harder this is to achieve just with walking.

I know this from personal experience.