How to maximize your walking exercise routine

• Take your shoulders up, back and down away from your ears.

• Make your spine long.

• Pump your arms back and forth keeping them close to your side.

• Take a natural stride.

• Make sure you walk heel to toe.

• Push off on your back foot as you walk.

• It’s important to get aerobic, with oxygen.

• Breathe through your mouth with your jaw slightly dropped.

• Your walking workout will burn body fat and calories when you get aerobic, break a small sweat and are at a good pace.

Hi I'm Chris Freytag from Prevention magazine. One of the most commonly asked questions to me as a fitness expert is this: is walking a good enough workout? And my answer is yes as long as you pay attention to good form and intensity.

Let's start with form. Walking is something that almost everybody can do, but your form really does make a difference. I'm going to turn sideways to help demonstrate. You want to take your shoulders up, back, and down. Away from your ears. You want a nice long spine, and pump your arms at your sides, keeping them close by your body. Now you want to take a natural stride, don't overstride. And take a stride heel to toe. Push off on that back foot. Continue to walk in a comfortable position with good intensity. You see it's important that you get aerobic which means with oxygen and burning body fat. I tell people if you are window shopping just breathing though your nose at that pace, it's not fast enough. You need to be mall walking, power walking, fitness walking. That means you're breathing through your mouth, your jaw is slightly dropped, you're focusing. You can utter about thirty five words in a row and then you need to take a little breath. And as a matter of fact, you'll break into a little sweat. That means you're aerobic. When you are with oxygen at that pace you'll burn body fat and burn calories, and you are on your way to being a walker.

Now check out our Team Prevention at prevention.com and also check out our walking events throughout the year in order to keep you motivated.