Q: I am a 28 years old female. I weigh 142 lbs. My target weight is 122 lbs and I am on a diet and exercise regime to achieve this. Since I can't run for more than 1 and half minutes on treadmill at a stretch, I walk on a 5-6 incline for about 45 minutes to an hour at 3.7 mph - burning around 430 calories. If I walk at 0 incline, I would end up burning 275-300 calories. In order to burn more calories in same duration, I have taken up walking on an incline. I am quite comfortable with that and experience no uneasiness. Will this increase the bulk on my thighs/legs? I want to tone my lower limbs, but not make them bulky.

A:You may find that walking on an incline will help burn more calories because it needs more energy. Also on an incline, there is more stress on the quadriceps (muscles on the front of the thighs). But this will not add bulk to such an extent that if will look ugly. So go ahead and walk away!