Can walking for twenty minutes every day be the key to losing weight? Fitness fanatics on TikTok seem to think so.
The popular 10-2-20 workout has emerged on social media as a low-impact, but still extremely effective, way to lose up to 15 pounds in two months.
The workout involves walking at a speed of two miles per hour on a treadmill for 20 minutes while running at a 10 percent incline four times a week.
It has been suggested as an alternative to the 12-3-30 routine, which involves walking at 5 km/h for 30 minutes at a 12 percent incline.
However, experts say the less intense version is still an efficient way to lose weight.
Doing the 10-2-20 workout while lifting weights and eating nutritious foods can help you lose eight to 10 pounds of fat in six to eight weeks, Nicole Rauch Winter, a fitness coach at Ladder, an app-based fitness program, said in a TikTok.
While the original workout may not seem that difficult at first, it is actually intense, according to DeAnne Davis Brooks, professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
“You have to be in pretty good shape to be able to maintain that pace and incline for 30 minutes,” she says told Health.
Therefore, users have created a slightly lower version that is easier for the average person to achieve.
“Instead of just doing the workout wrong, or worse, not doing it at all, I modified it for me, I did the 10-2-20, something that is still a challenge, but something I ‘I can accomplish it’ TikTok user Jennifer Nicole said.
Some social media users are excited about the results they’ve seen. ‘I have lost 1 kg [2lbs] in two weeks just by using the treadmill,” user Naima commented on Ms Winter’s post.
“To the TikTok gym girls who said 2/10/20: thank you” user Miranada Cheyenne shared in a video.
She said the routine would help her get her “body” into shape before the holidays.
Treadmill workouts like these are a popular alternative to the intense workouts that many makers offer online. Georgie Spurling, the founder of GS Method, an online wellness platform, previously told DailyMail.com.
‘Power walking can provide a great cardio workout – strengthening the lower body, building endurance and muscle,’ said Ms Spurling.
This type of exercise helps get your heart rate up without damaging your joints, and can be a less intimidating introduction to the gym for people who may be turned off by more intense routines, Ms Spurling added.
Regular walking can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke. according to Mayo Clinic.
But this exercise isn’t a magic pill and probably won’t help you lose weight unless you also make other lifestyle changes, such as dieting.
Ms Spurling told DailyMail.com: ‘If you want to lose weight [or] getting fat or gaining muscle, there are so many other factors like diet, sleep, stress and lifestyle, and no amount of training is going to help you change overnight – no matter what the viral claims are.”
That’s probably why creators like Ms. Winter recommend incorporating the routine alongside dietary changes.
Ms. Winter recommends following an 80:20 diet, where 80 percent of the meals you eat focus on eating unprocessed, heavy meals, and 20 percent consists of what you crave.
The frequency of your routine is also important. To get the recommended 75 minutes of aerobic exercise doctors at the Mayo Clinic per week, you should do this division at least four times a week.
Although walking is generally a fairly safe form of exercise, doing so on an incline can cause you to walk in a way that puts stress on your joints and back. Jenny Francis-Townson, a famous fitness trainer, told Women’s Health.
She added: ‘If you’re not used to repetitive walking or running, you may also feel pain in your knees, ankles or calves due to overuse and the repetitive nature of this form of exercise.’
Additionally, Ms Spurling said doing this exercise more than twice a week can be monotonous, which can cause people to fall off their fitness journey out of sheer boredom.
However, if you enjoy doing it, she recommends combining it with other forms of cardio, or taking a walk outside.
‘I like that this workout is low impact and doesn’t raise your stress hormones too much, but there are so many other ways to do this that are engaging, exciting and just as effective, such as Pilates or different sports,’ said Ms Spurling .