Not really considered a sport, walking is a physical activity in its own right. Moreover, in its guide "Nutrition for All" 2011, the Ministry of Health advocates the equivalent of 30 minutes per day brisk walk for adults and 1 hour for teens and children.
The reason: walking plays a vital role in maintaining our fitness and health. This probably explains in part the recent success of connected bracelets that slip on our wrist and count our steps every day.

One makes work all his body with the walking

"While walking, all parts of the body work , explains Hervé Dourver, head of sports at the Thermes Marins of Saint-Malo. The upper body, the lower part, the blood circulation, the heart ... "

Walking , for example, allows you to work your cardio without much effort . No need to run 200 meters as fast as Usain Bolt: walking helps to control your heart rate * so you do not run out of breath after 500 meters. So to gradually accustom your heart to the effort, not to get discouraged and in the end to maintain the activity and repeat it more frequently. As Hervé Dourver explains: "it is better to walk 3 times1 hour per week than to run for 10 minutes" .

But for walking to really benefit our body, we do not do it anyhow. The short trips to the office, throughout the day, it's good but it does not really matter ... we actually stomp much more than we walk.
The ideal? Put on your pair of sneakers after work and go for a walk. The sports coaches agree that it should be at least 10 000 steps per day, about a walk of one hour. As a bonus, we oxygenate the mind.

Walking, an activity we practice on a daily basis

But while waiting to wake up the hiker who sleeps in us, just review some of our habits to learn to walk . Because finally, to walk is not so complicated ... To go buy a wand we zap the car, to go up to the 3rd we snipe the elevator, we go to the post office while walking ... In short, our legs become our first way transport.

And besides, walking is practiced anywhere, anytime and without costing a dime.

Fast, Nordic, Afghan ... It's up to you to choose the walk that best suits you to burn between 300 and 500 calories per hour . For that, discover our file ...


* The average heart rate of a 40-year-old person is 126 beats per minute. To find and stabilize your cardio frequency, you can invest in a heart rate monitor. This small device is worn on the wrist as a watch (the first prices start at 20 €).