Spring Shape Up - Part 2 of 7: Up the Intensity!

The first step in your Spring Shape Up program was to start walking 10,000 steps every day.  Hopefully, you've hit this goal (or come close) for the last several days. Starting today, we're going to start to turn up the intensity a bit.  By increasing the intensity, you'll burn more calories (both during and after exercise) and you'll also get your heart rate up a bit higher, which will begin to increase your fitness level.

Here's some simple ways to up the ante during your daily walking stints.

1. Pick up the pace.  For example, walking briskly burns about 30% more calories than walking at a moderate pace.

2. Build some hills or stairs into your daily treks.   Walking up an incline will get your heart rate up quickly and can burn twice the calories of walking the same distance on level ground.

3. Add some load.  Wearing a weighted vest--or even carrying a backpack--is a safe and convenient way to increase the intensity of any exercise, including walking.  (See this post for more on what to look for in a weighted vest.)

For the rest of this week, continue with your goal of 10,000 steps a day, but try to find ways to add some intensity to some portion of your daily walking.

In part 3 of the Spring Shape Up, we'll start strengthening and toning some major muscle groups with simple resistance exercises that even a beginner can do, without any special equipment.