Losing weight is an ambition which is shared by a great many people. Unfortunately it conjures up images of starving yourself on the latest fad diet or getting hot, sweaty and out of breath down at the gym. Pounding the pavement or doing laps of the track in the rain is another image. None of these options are especially appealing to the vast majority of people.
Losing weight – and gaining a whole host of additional health benefits – is achievable just by performing a simple form of exercise which most of us perform on a daily basis without even thinking about it. Walking is a low impact, low injury risk way to exercise which is a great solution for many people – at a variety of different fitness levels and across a wide age band. It’s ideal for anyone recovering from an illness or injury and is a great way to lose weight post childbirth.
The thing about walking is that it’s a natural activity. There’s no need for any special equipment, training or expertise. Anyone can do it – whenever they feel like it and whenever it suits them best. You can slot it into your daily schedule whenever it’s most convenient for you. No need to find time for a special trip to the gym – which will save you money on membership fees as well as time.
The important thing to obtaining all the health benefits and losing weight by walking is consistency. Relatively low level exercise, performed on a regular and frequent basis, is very much better than intermittent periods of high intensity exercise – and it’s much less likely to result in sprains, strains and other injuries as well. Walking for just thirty minutes a day will soon produce results – as long as it’s done on a consistent basis.
If you can gradually build up to 10,000 steps daily on a regular basis, you will be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly you start to feel the benefit and actually see the results. For the majority of people, 10,000 steps is roughly equivalent to a distance of 5 miles. That may sound like a long way – but it really is much easier to achieve than you may think.
Another good thing about walking is the fact that you don’t need any special equipment. A good pair of comfortable shoes is all that’s necessary for you to get started. It’s not strictly necessary, but you might consider getting yourself a pedometer to be a worthwhile idea. You can pick these up for less than $ 10 these days – even an Omron pedometer, which is the best known brand on the market, can be found starting at just over $ 10 – although the more feature packed ones do cost a little more. They will help you to keep track of your progress and are able to display results in terms of the number of steps taken, the number of calories used or the total distance covered. It might help you to stay motivated and encourage you to find other ways to include walking as part of your normal routine.
It’s also worth considering the latest developments in fitness footwear. Brands like Skechers Shape Ups,Reebok Easy Tones and Fitflops are designed to increase the amount of work done by the lower body muscles whilst walking normally. This will help to boost the efficiency of your walking to lose weight workout.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...
