Walking for Weight Loss

Being constantly surrounded by weight loss centers, fitness plans and experts who promote exercise machines and programs that bear a little resemblance to medieval torture devices and boot camp regimens can have its advantages. But if you’re out of shape, starting one or these routines could be difficult, even dangerous. For many people, the best way to start losing weight and getting fit is by walking. Here are a few tips to get you started on a simple, lifelong conditioning program.

Start Sensibly

The best way to start is to get up off the couch or chair, go outside, and walk. Go down the street, through the park, or wherever the road takes you. Walk for 10 minutes. Turn around and walk back home. You’re done. You’ve just exercised for 20 minutes. Repeat every day or at least five times for a week. The next week, add five minutes. Keep adding five minutes a week until you reach your time goal.

About the time you’re regularly walking thirty minutes a day, you should incorporate some stretches into your walk. Walk about five minutes to warm up, do some stretches. These will make your walking easier, and help prevent injury.

Keep Building

With walking, as with any fitness program, you have to increase your intensity to maintain any weight loss or strength benefits. Along with adding additional time to your walks, you can speed up your pace, or incorporate some light aerobics into your walking. To lose weight, you should build to walking at least five days a week, 45 to 60 minutes, at a good pace, and incorporate warm-ups, stretches, and cooling down exercises.

Keep Track

One of the keys to making any major change in life is keeping track of your progress. You should keep a record of how often you walk, for how long, at what kind of pace, and a few words about how you feel about it. It’s also a good idea to keep track of your weight, your successes or temporary setbacks, and your food intake. Keeping a diary or journal will help you make your walking program and your new ways of eating a habit, not a daily challenge.

Eat Sensibly

If your walking program is part of an overall weight loss plan, you need to eat sensibly and exercise.

Drink plenty of water, especially before, during, and after your walk, but also throughout the day. Staying hydrated will help your body maintain healthy fluid levels during exercise and control food cravings.

Jumpstart your results with some simple, but effective changes in your diet like cutting back or eliminating certain things from your daily intake. Cut back on sugar, eliminate greasy fried foods, switch to diet soda and light beer (and in moderation), and reduce portion sizes and you’ll see changes relatively quickly. Also, follow common sense guidelines for eating. Remember, exercising without keeping a balanced diet will not help you lose weight and stay healthy.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So take that first step and then the next and keep going.