Many people aren’t aware of the connection between walking and weight loss. I thought walking was too easy, if you want to lose weight you have to work hard. I spent months in the gym everyday, doing advanced workouts, without any of the results I was hoping for. I was building muscle, for sure, but the pounds just weren’t coming off. It was so frustrating!
So I had to try this ridiculously easy idea of walking and weight loss. It was hard to believe how quickly the pounds fell off! And it was seriously SO easy. So, let me explain how it works.
Whenever you exercise, your heart rate increases. This increase initially causes your body to burn off fat. Unfortunately, as you start to increase to faster / harder workouts, your body moves on to burning the calories from your muscles instead of your fat cells!
The Advantages of Walking ad Weight Loss
Here is the list of the amazing health benefits of walking and knowing these will help you to stay motivated and focused.
Improved cardiovascular function;
Improved muscle mass;
Reduced body fat;
Reduced cholesterol;
Improved blood pressure;
Increased health;
Better bone and joint health;
Better immune function;
Less back pain;
Better posture;
Reduced risk of degenerative disease and such serious conditions such as stroke and breast cancer.
If you have a sedentary lifestyle, walking for weight loss can not only help you trim down and tone up, but it can get you out moving in the world as well. It can be done by any person at any age, alone or in a company of friends or family members, even together with children.
For the maximum benefits of walking for weight loss, walk fast. But not too fast that you can’t catch your breath. It can be done at any time of the day, any month of the year. And you don’t need a lot of expensive equipment for walking and weight loss, just a comfy pair of decent shoes and appropriate clothes for the climate.
Before you begin your brisk, (but again, not too fast!) walk, warm up for 3-8 minutes by just walking at a normal pace. You need to wake your muscles up. Starting too fast could cause muscle cramps or other injuries. And, if you start too fast, you will be burning sugar and not actual fat.
Hot Tips for Walking and Weight Loss:
Start walking for 30 minutes at a time, but do not overwhelm your body. If you cannot handle the full 30 minutes, let yourself take a break. Make 30 minutes at a time your goal if you cannot do it right away.
Another important point is to do your exercise regime regularly. If it’s 3 times a week or an everyday routine you’ve chosen, you have to keep up with it. After all you want to see the results.
You would benefit much more if you combine your walking and weight loss with a healthy diet plan in order to optimize your results. And the last important note is walking and weight loss should never be started unless you are in optimal health or have talked to your doctor about starting a new exercise regime.
To make walking more fun, listen to your favorite music. Bear in mind that upbeat music will help you increase your pace.
Walking WITH someone else is also a great way to stay motivated. So find a walking partner or perhaps join a group for walkers. Joining a group will give you the added benefit of meeting new people as well.