I often see people walking for fitness and I think that's great because honestly anything you do that gets your heart rate up and you moving is fantastic.  What is not so fantastic is when I see people walking with weights around their ankles or holding onto bulky weights and performing upper body exercises while trying to walk.

While it is true that adding resistance or weight to your walks will burn more calories it is also true that adding weights may increase the possibility of injury, especially when wearing the weights on your ankles or in the form of weighted shoes.  There are better ways to tone your body and to burn more calories through walking.

You will burn an additional 5 to 8 calories for every mile you travel with an extra 10 pounds at a leisurely pace so it is safe to assume that at a faster pace you will burn a few more however do the benefits outweigh the risks? If all you have to do is walk another 5 or 10 minutes isn't that preferred to  spending weeks or even months with a stress fracture or some other overuse type of injury?

Wrist weights along with pulleys or flexing devices that promise to give your upper body a workout are not necessarily any better at additional weight loss or caloric burn although have a lower incidence rate of injury. The problem with walking with wrist weights or other type of device in the hands is that it takes away from your natural walking rhythm which is partially responsible for the calories you will burn.  You are better off walking properly and doing an upper body workout after your walk.

There are three ways to increase your fitness level; you can improve your frequency, intensity, or the amount of time you spend working out, in this case, walking. You will burn a greater number of calories and tone more muscles if you start to walk at a quicker pace or learn to racewalk.

If you want an aid to help with you with your walking workout then you may want to look into walking poles. These tools  will assist with toning the upper body and burn more calories per mile than regular walking. Walking poles actually help to alleviate the strain on your ankles unlike weights which add to the strain.

Still hooked on walking with weights? Try a weighted vest which will distribute your weight across your body in a more natural manner than hand held or ankle weights will do.

 By Steve, FitnetssFuture Expert