Do you need to improve your fitness?
Walking is an inexpensive and easy way to help you lose weight.
It’s a great form of physical activity with little risk of injury and can be enjoyed by almost everyone.
In today’s society more and more people move less and therefore tend to be overweight and lethargic, plus a sedentary lifestyle will also increase your risk of health issues.
Walking is probably one of the easiest exercises to incorporate into your daily activities. You can walk in the morning before you go to work, walk on your lunch break or in the evening. Walking where there are hills and inclines as you build stamina will help to increase the amount of calories burned and help to increase your intensity and durability.
Walking one mile will burn about 100 calories.
Here are some tips to get started:
- First you need a pair of good walking shoes. ( they don’t have to be real expensive) Just make sure they are comfortable and fit right.
- Second you will need casual clothing that you are comfortable in. Some people prefer loose fitting shorts or slacks. But this is just personal preference.
- You don’t need membership in a gym.
- Walking can be done anywhere. Outdoors, on a school track, in a mall ( in inclement weather)or with a DVD or YouTube in your own home.
- If you have a treadmill, dust it off and get going.
If you haven’t exercised in a while or are very overweight, get the O.K. from your health care provider.
You should start out slow so you don’t get burnt out and quit. Only do 10 minutes if that works for you. Slowly you will build your strength and stamina. Be persistent, do your walk at least daily or more often if you have the time. And take one day off a week.
Before you know it, you will be walking 30 minutes or more. Which is great.
If you can do 30 minutes that is an admirable length of time, but if you feel like, it do more!
It doesn’t matter how old you are as long as you can move around you can benefit from walking. It will help you look and feel younger, if you stay active.
It will help lower your risk for many conditions such as, dementia, diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, some forms of cancer and obesity to name a few.
What the experts say:
If you are on a weight loss regimens any exercise including walking will help to prevent muscle loss from the weight loss. And if you walk with a moderately intense pace it will be very beneficial and will also increases your chances to lose belly fat, which has been linked to type2 diabetes and heart disease.
Experts say you should walk at least 10,000 steps a day which equates to 4.5 to 5 miles a day. But it doesn’t have to be all at one time. Break it down into shorter times more often. And if you are just starting out, don’t expect that you can do that right away. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Get up a little earlier in the morning and do a walk for 20 minutes around the neighborhood.
If you are still working, during your lunch time squeeze in a 15 to 20 minute walk. After dinner in the early evening add another 20 minute walk and you have gotten in 1 hour of walking.
Add that to your everyday activities and you will soon see how much stronger and fit you will feel. Think how much better you will feel if you do that every day.
Start off slow and easy if this is all new to you, but you will be surprised how quickly you will build up your stamina. I know if I don’t get in my walking every day I feel tired and out of sorts.
Also there are DVD’s available on line, on Youtube or in the stores if you prefer to walk in the comfort of your own home.
This may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but you will surprised how quickly your body will adjust to the increase in activity. Also, your mood will benefit also.
Your overall physical and mental health will be so improved. So get moving and enjoy!
I would love to hear from you and if you liked this article and would like to leave a comment or a question, please do so below and thank-you, Deanna
weightlossbyfasting.com
Hey Deanna, I’ve been hearing that walking when I’m hungry will help burn off fat that my body has stored up on. Sounds about right. Also, it has been suggested that I use walking sticks … though I’m not thoroughly convinced as I feel though it looks like I’m trying to ski on asphalt. :-))
What is your take on the walking sticks? Are they all that great in helping us burn off excess fat, or what?
Hi Trish, Thank you for your interesting comments. I’ve heard of walking poles or sticks, but have not tried them. But being a skier, I’m sure they are very helpful for upper body workout. I think I’ll try them. Thanks again, Deanna