Walking for Weight Loss

Walking for Weight Loss? A Simple but effective Guide- 10 Tips

When you think to lose some serious but excess weight, walking never comes to your mind at first. But it should as walking is an efficient way to lose weight.

Brisk walking, combined with a healthy diet, is hugely effective for weight loss. Walking can have a big impact on your overall health by reducing your risk of everything from heart disease to depression.

Walking is a smart long-term fitness plan. Brisk walking is a free, simple, and easiest way to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. Most of the time overlooked as a form of exercise. Brisk walking can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.

Most importantly, you do not have to walk for hours. A 30-minute daily brisk walking has lots of health benefits and counts towards your goal of weight loss

1. What to consider before you start

• Look for Good Quality shoes or trainers that are comfortable. Shoes must provide adequate support without causing blisters while walking.
• If you’re going to work and choose walking to work, you should wear your usual work clothes with a comfy pair of shoes and just change shoes when you get into work or office.

• When going for long-distance walks, take some water, healthy snacks, a spare top, sunscreen, Sunglasses, and a sun hat in a small backpack to help you to stay dehydrated and save your skin from sunburns.
• When you start going for longer walks regularly, invest in a waterproof jacket and some special walking shoes for more challenging routes.
• Always warm-up for at least five minutes at an easy pace before starting your walk.

2. Check you’re walking fast enough or not

• Normally, a brisk walk is about 2.5 to 4 miles an hour, which is faster than a stroll or 100 steps per minute is considered good brisk walking.
• Give due attention to your health conditions and the level of exercise your body can withstand.
• One way to check that you’re walking briskly you can still talk but cannot sing the words to a song while doing a walk.

• In the era of technology and smartphones, Use free Health Apps to check whether you’re walking fast enough or not. These apps are really helpful to keep the record of your running routine and distance your cover while walking

3. What if you’re not very active?

• Life is sometimes busy. If your schedule doesn’t permit you to walk continuously for 30 minutes, break it up into shorter periods of walking two or three times a day for at least 10 minutes at a brisk pace
• For people who are not very active but are able to walk, should increase their walking distance gradually
• For people with joints problem, should consider local swimming pool that holds exercise classes on a regular basis. The water helps to support your joints while you move and can help you strengthen your muscles. but seek advice from your doctor before the start.
• Brisk walking is still easier on the joints than running.

4. How to keep yourself motivated?

• Make walking a habit, this is the  easiest way to walk more
• Think of different ways to include walking in your daily routine
• Try to walk for local shopping centre if you are going to buy just one or two easy to carry things.
• Include walking as a part of your journey to work
• Consider using the stairs instead of the lift
• Just leave the car behind for short journeys
• walking with the kids to school instead of using car
• Plan for a regular walk with a friend or in a group
• Enjoy going for a stroll with family or friends after dinner
• Take your dog for a walk with you

5. Make Your walking a fun

• Listening to music while walking can take your mind off the effort and make your walking fun and enjoyable
• Music can also get you into a rhythm and help you to walk faster.
• Time will go fast when you’re walking to your favorite tunes on your podcast or mobile

6. Mix your walks with variety by adding more ways to burn more fat

• Consider adding variety to your walks. There is no need to travel to the countryside to find a rewarding walk.
• All Towns and cities offer interesting walks, which include parks, heritage trails, canal towpaths, riverside paths, commons, woodlands, heaths and nature reserves.
• Adding  hills on a treadmill or in your neighborhood can increase your calorie burn to make you bit closer to achieve your goal
• Go off the road for a light but brisk hike and burn more calories on the uneven terrains, forcing you to work harder. Add this in for one of your weekly power walks.
• Swing your arms with elbows bent at 90 degrees, hands in loose fists, move your arms in an arc, keeping elbows tight to your body. This will help drive you forward build upper-body strength and can increase your calories burned
• Instead of taking more steps, Try to make longer strides. By increasing your stride length, you can cover more ground resulting in more fat fried.

7. Join a walking group in your community

• Make new friends and stay motivated while Walking in a group and this is a great way to start walking
• Walking in a group helps to stay consistent while enjoying the company of  likeminded people or friends

8. Choose the right way to walk

Your body and brain know what to do while walking. You’ve been doing it since you took those first wobbly baby steps. You can maximize your burn, big time with these six steps,

 Right posture is important before you begin walking:

1. Avoid arching your back: Stand up straight, stay tall and straight, like a tree.
2. Avoid leaning forward or lean back Leaning can put a strain on the back muscles while walking, avoid leaning except when on a hill.
3. Keep Eyes forward: Avoid looking down while walking and keep your focus ahead to see your path and anything coming from the sides.
4. Keep your Chin up: Keeping your chin up will reduces strain on your neck and back. Avoid checking your mobile phone again and again and keep your head to a level position, chin at the correct position during your walk.
5. Keep shoulders back and relaxed: Let your shoulders fall and relax, with your shoulders slightly back, this will help relieve tension and put your shoulders into a position to use good arm motion while walking. You can do this at regular intervals during your walk to ensure you are keeping your shoulders relaxed.
6. Use core muscles of the stomach: Keep your stomach pulled in slightly with deep, full breaths can help to maintain good posture and resist slouching and leaning while walking

9. Choose the right amount of walk for Weight Loss with monitoring – How much walking for weight loss

• The right amount of walking can  help you to achieve your weight loss goals
• Aim for 30 to 90 minutes Brisk Walking on most days of the week for weight loss.
• Walk fast enough in the moderate-intensity exercise zone at 60 to 70 % of your maximum heart rate.
• Breathing should be harder than usual and can speak in full sentences, but you couldn’t sing.
•  Use your heart rate and exercise zone reading from a fitness Tracker band, Mobile app, or heart rate monitor to ensure you are walking at moderate intensity.
• Break up your walking time into periods of 10 minutes or longer, you will get an added benefit of burning fat while doing a brisk walk for longer than 30 minutes at a time after initial warming up
• You can also monitor your walking with fitness trackers or smartwatches with ease of checking them at a wristwatch. It’s up to you which one you can fit into your budget
• Try some walking for weight loss apps on your mobile to explore more info on how to monitor your goal

10. Slow and steady wins the race

• If you are new to walking then get started with shorter periods of walking and steadily build up your walking time
• Maintain your consistency and try not to skip more than one day in a row. Consistency can help you to burn calories and improve your metabolism, as well as for building new habits.
• High-intensity intervals are as good as continuous moderate-intensity workouts and can be a good way to fit exercise into your day.

Finally, you’ve gone through this useful piece of information, now pick your sneakers, put them on and just go for walk with your friends. Good luck with your goal for weight loss and happy walking!

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