When we decide we need to lose weight, we get it in our heads that we have to put in hours at the gym, fighting through soreness and burnout, to get the results we want.
First of all, to lose weight, we’ve got to adjust our diets. After that, we often overlook something simpler, gentler, and less expensive than a gym membership: walking.
Walking for weight loss and weight management is almost too simple. All you need is a decent pair of shoes and a long stretch of road. It’s easy enough that you can do more of it, and there’s not a high risk of injury or soreness that could set you back for days or weeks.
Walking also gets you outside. Spending time outdoors, especially in a natural area like a field or the woods, has been shown to boost your mood and your immune system.
I’m not saying skip the gym entirely, but I will suggest adding some strong walks to your routine to help you develop the active lifestyle helpful in losing and maintaining weight.
Here are a few tips to make the most out of walking for weight loss.
Quicken your pace.
A stroll is nice, but if you’re trying to burn calories and improve your condition, you need to up the speed a little bit after your warm up. Walk faster than your normal pace, and really get your arms pumping. Don’t be afraid to walk fast enough that you start to breathe a bit heavier.
Walk intervals.
You hear a lot of talk about interval training when it comes to running, but it’s great for walking, too. Practice walking two minutes at a slightly faster-than-normal pace, then walk for one minute fast enough that it almost feels like it would be easier to break into a run. Do this several times. Vary the length of the intervals during each workout to keep challenging yourself.
Tackle the hills.
Get on an incline, and the difficulty factor goes up. You’ll strengthen your legs and get more cardiovascular benefits if you walk uphill.
Vary your route and length of time.
With any sort of physical activity, your body adapts surprisingly quickly. You’re more likely to keep seeing results if you vary your walking workouts.
Go long.
An hour of walking isn’t going to burn as many calories as an hour in an aerobics class–but while you couldn’t easily do two straight hours of kickboxing, you probably can do two hours of walking, even if it’s not all at once. If you’re brand new to an exercise program, start with shorter walks (maybe two or three per day) and gradually make them longer.
If you’re concerned that so much walking is going to take time away from other activities, think about how you can multi-task. Now, I’m generally no fan of multi-tasking when it comes to fitness, and even if you need to do this I hope you’re still spending some of your walking time doing nothing but walking.
However, if you’re going on two or three walks per day, consider using one of them to chat with your mother on the phone. During another, bring your spouse or a friend with you–you’ll get some time together, and they’ll get a fitness boost as well.
I love walking, and I go on a walk almost every day (even before we got Max). Have you ever made walking a regular part of your weight loss plan?