Britons can add arm movement to simple exercise to stay fit and burn more calories

Britons can add arm movement to simple exercise to stay fit and burn more calories
Diana Moran takes the GB News panel through her morning exercise routine
GB NEWS
Anna Barry

By Anna Barry


Published: 22/02/2024

- 10:00

Updated: 07/03/2024

- 16:24

Swinging your arms while walking is an effective - and simple - form of daily exercise

Britons do not have to spend hours in the gym every day to torch fat. Walking is a very effective - not to mention accessible - weight loss method.

According to fitness experts, it is possible to maximise your walking workout by adding a few components, one being an arm movement.


Strava's Outdoor Voices Move Your Body Challenge was all about encouraging people to "get moving for at least four hours over the course of two weeks".

There were many qualifying activities participants could pick from, from Crossfit to canoeing, rowing to running and sailing to swimming.

Woman walking and swinging her arms

Britons can torch calories faster by adding an arm movement to one simple exercise

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Walking was an option in the movement challenge and this easy exercise is something most of us do daily.

Britons can burn extra calories and torch fat by incorporating an arm movement into their walks.

Fitness app FitOn advised: "Don’t let your legs get all the glory. Adding a little arm pump to your walk helps increase your speed and your heart rate. Don’t be shy — let those arms fly."

The trekking experts at Earth Trek Gear added: "Brisk-paced walking (also called power walking) can burn 200-400 calories per hour, depending on terrain.

"A large portion of that - up to 50 per cent of it - may come from direct and indirect movements derived from your arm swing.

"When you swing your arms, it’s not just the movement in them and the shoulders, but also side and back muscles connected that are now moving."

As well as getting your arms involved, you can burn more calories walking by speeding up a little.

"A 150lb person (10.7st) will burn about 100 calories per mile at a mild pace (2.5mph) and a 120lb person burns (8.5st) around 85 calories per mile on average at the same pace," revealed fitness instructor Nicole Glorr.

Women walking and swinging their arms

'When you swing your arms, it’s not just the movement in them and the shoulders, but also side and back muscles connected that are now moving'

GETTY IMAGES

She shared that speeding up is an easy way to slightly increase the calories you burn on a walk.

The same people walking at a pace of 3mph will burn 115 calories per mile and 100 calories per mile, respectively, on average.

Another easy way strollers can speed up is by listening to music while they walk. Having your favourite tunes in your ear is likely to put a spring in your step.

Britons can also burn extra calories walking by adding an incline. The experts at FitOn said that "climbing a hill will send your heart rate (and overall calorie burn) skyrocketing".

Britons have been told the ideal amount of exercise they should be doing to lose weight. Keeping active is a "miracle cure".

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