Walking for Weight Loss

Walking for weight loss is a great option if you want to get rid of those extra pounds. Not only is it a great option but it’s easy, it’s free and can be done anywhere at all.

Walking is a great excuse to get out into the fresh air, socialise with friends and above all get that exercise you badly need.

If you walk regularly and make healthier food choices you are guaranteed to increase your overall health as well as decrease the amount of fat on your body.

It is estimated that the average male body uses up 100 calories for each mile that is walked. This figure is slightly lower for women.

Benefits of Walking To Lose Weight:

Walking for weight loss is not just something to fight obesity, it has so many other health benefits also.

1) Walking has been proven to reduce your risk of developing type two diabetes. A massive 52% is the amount the risk of developing diabetes is reduced to, if you walk an average of 150 minutes each and every week and lose 7% of your overall body weight.

2) It also has been proven to be good for your brain. A study carried out on a large number of women proved that, women who walk as little as 1 and a half hours per week had much better cognitive functioning and less cognitive deterioration than does women who walked for less than 40 minutes a week.

3) And also significantly lowers symptoms of depression. It was studied and proven that if a person goes walking 3 times a week for a period of 30 minutes, it will reduce symptoms of depression by a massive 57%.

Now that is a lot of benefits in walking and these are only the tip of the ice berg.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

However if you do decide on walking for weight loss then you need to remember to start off slow. Maybe walk slowly for 5 – 10 minutes and then gradually build up a little speed.

This will give your muscle a chance to warm up and help avoid any injuries.

Starting of slowly will also send your body a message that your body will be moving for a while and will result in it burning off excess fat instead of just sugars which is what usually happens when your body does short fast activities.

When walking to lose weight you can ensure you are walking at the right speed by ensuring you are able to hold a conversation without struggling too much to catch your breath. The whole idea is to simply raise your heart beat without over doing it.

Don’t make excuses why you can’t go out walking on a particular day! Decide on a few routes to walk and allocate times where you are free to walk them. Consistency is important when walking for weight loss. It’s all about making this a part of your routine. Maybe try writing down a plan of action (i.e. the days you are going to go walking and the distance you plan on covering).

Some people find this helps them keep motivated as it allows them to track their progress. Another great motivation tip is to find yourself a partner to go walking with, it will make your walk so much more enjoyable and after all you won’t want to let your partner down by backing out. A good hour walk 3-4 times a week should be enough to help you shift that weight.

But remember you need to combine this with a healthy diet plan for maximum weight loss results. Walking to lose weight is by far the best low impact activity for burning calories as well as toning up you leg and butt muscles!

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Filed under: Fitness & Exercise

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