ABOUT WALKING WORKOUTS

Hello, I’m Suzy Kilgour, founder of Walking Workouts. In 2007 I was inspired to set up Walking Workouts whilst out power walking on Clapham Common. That’s what happens when you walk, you find inspiration!

Whether you want to lose weight, get fitter, improve your health or reduce your stress levels, Walking Workouts can help you to achieve your goal.

How? Our hour-long workouts combine up to 45 minutes’ walking with body conditioning resistance exercises to improve your muscle strength) and stretching routines (to increase your flexibility) and are designed to add up to a total-body workout.

Why are these important? Muscle strength is important in order to support and protect your joints and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you are asleep! And increasing your flexibility gives you greater ease of movement, keeps you supple and helps reduce muscle soreness.

Walking Workouts welcomes all ages and all fitness levels.  Walking is particularly suitable for newcomers to exercise, those who are returning to exercise after illness or injury, pregnant women & new mothers and older people.

MY STORY …

I discovered the benefits of power walking for myself in 2005, when I bought my first pair of MBT walking trainers and embarked on a programme of power walking.

I soon noticed the benefits: no more aches and pains in my ankle, knee or lower back. My posture improved and my body shape changed.

I had worked out for years - going to Step, Aerobic and Resistance classes which I enjoyed and to the gym which I hated! - trying to rid myself of my big bum and chunky thighs but it took only a few months of power walking, combined with resistance exercises, to lose those unwanted inches. And they have stayed away too!
 
Entering the fitness world was a whole new career direction for me, inspired & encouraged by some wonderful people who I met. I am now a qualified fitness instructor and have gained valuable experience as part of the Wandsworth Common Fit for a Princess training team.

I believe that age is no barrier to being fit & healthy. I was never particularly sporty when I was young and didn’t start working on my own fitness until I was in my 30s, when I wanted to improve my skiing (I was rather better at the après-ski!).

My new mantra is: “Fifty is the new Thirty!”

I look forward to walking with you!

Resistance Exercises

Resistance exercises are also known as body-conditioning or –toning or -sculpting exercises. These are exercises that involve your muscles pulling against the resistance of gravity or a weight. If you have been to, for example, a “Tums & Bums” class at a studio you will have done resistance exercises to tone & strengthen specific muscles or muscles groups – all those squats and abdominal crunches. You may even have used hand weights or body bars in a class.  In the gym, there are ranks of rather scary-looking weight-lifting resistance machines!

Exercising outdoors, our workouts include exercises that use our body weight as resistance against gravity or sometimes we use resistance bands (long flexible rubber bands), to increase the intensity of the exercise. But don’t worry, you won’t build muscles to look like Mr Universe – that takes years of dedication!

MBT Shoes

MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes are those rather strange-looking training shoes that have been designed to improve your posture and gait, activate neglected leg and buttock muscles and reduce stress on your knee and hip joints so not only do they tone your legs
and bottom but they can also help with back, hip, leg and foot problems. Some people even claim that they eliminate cellulite…
For more information see www.swissmasai.co.uk.
For a local supplier see www.sweatybetty.com

Nordic Pole Walking

Nordic pole walking developed in Scandinavia so that cross-country skiers could train all year round. It may look a little odd to be walking on the Common with what look like ski poles but fitness walking with nordic poles burns up to 30% more calories than walking without poles
and gives your upper body muscles a great workout too. No wonder that it is becoming an increasingly popular activity in the UK now.

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