Burn 12% More Calories On Your Next Walk

            

By Linda Melone, CSCS , Prevention
   

The claim:

Wearing a weighted vest equivalent to 15% of your body weight may enable you to burn 12% more calories, according to a new study from the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
    

 

The research:

Led by Len Kravitz, PhD, of the University of New Mexico’s exercise physiology laboratory, ACE recruited 13 women ages 18 to 55, who didn't exercise. Each subject was assigned to wear either no vest or one weighing 10% or 15% of her body weight. They then each walked at 2.5 mph (a speed deemed comfortable for unfit people) at an incline of 0 to 15% for a total of 16 minutes. The result: walking on a flat (zero grade) surface while wearing a weighted vest equivalent to 15% of bodyweight increased calorie burn by 12%.

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What it means: 

Walking fast, running or walking on an incline on a treadmill may be not be comfortable or achievable for some women due to a prior sedentary lifestyle or health issue such as low back pain. A weighted vest is a simple way to boost intensity and calorie burn without requiring speed or a high incline.

The bottom line: 

For those without health issues, this is a great option to increase calorie burn. Weighted vest aree available at most sporting goods stores or at amazon.com, where you can expect to pay $40 to $70 for one. But a note of caution: this additional weight also increases impact on knees by three to four fold, cautions Michele Olson, PhD, FACSM, CSCS, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery, Alabama. “This could cause too much of a load and impact,” which could set you up for injury. so if you are someone with no prior hip, knee, or ankle injuries you may want to slip a vest on for your next walk.

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