Walk for Weight Loss
Friday, June 26th, 2009If you’re among the many Americans who want to lose weight these days, walking is one of the easiest and most fun exercises you can do. It doesn’t require any special equipment, and it’s among the most effective exercises you can do when you need to lose weight. If you are sedentary, it’s a very simple way to begin your weight loss program and squeeze in a little exercise, too. Shirley Archer, a health educator and fitness excerpt from California, agrees with this.
It helps you lose pounds and inches, of course, but it does a lot for your psychological health, too. For example, there’s Jim Wilson. He is a financial adviser from Arkansas, and he lost 50 pounds in just six months by walking. He states that as his weight fell off and as he continued walking, his self-esteem improved markedly. He also feels healthier and sleeps better.
Even if you simply want to walk to lose weight, you’ll also gain medical benefits that can’t be disputed if you walk. In fact, it’s cardiovascular exercise that can help you reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other injury. It lowers your cholesterol and blood pressure, improves your heart’s function, and can tone your muscles all over your body.
If you need to walk for weight loss, don’t make it a chore; and if you’re just starting out, don’t be drastic about it, either. Doing just a little can make all the difference in the world. Start small. Walk to work. If your office is too far away to do that, take the car but then park about 15 minutes away from the building and walk the rest of the way. Simply walking the 15 minutes to and from your car gives you a total of 30 minutes a day in walking.
At work, take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you can’t manage three or four flights of stairs, take the elevator to one floor below where you have to be, and walk one flight of stairs. As you become better conditioned, take the stairs two at a time. This will help you burn calories off (yes, those for lunch, too), and you’ll burn more at the same time and keep your weight loss going. And don’t send an e-mail to a colleague in the same office building. At least a couple of times a day, pop over and tell him or her in person. Don’t pick up the phone unless you absolutely must; instead, walk over and say what you need to same person. This gives you a chance to get up and away from your desk for a little bit and gives you a little bit of exercise, and it also gives you a good mental health break that will give you an emotional boost.
But try keeping it fun and useful. Exercises are no fun if they’re not fun. To keep you on your feet and walking to loose weight, bring a friend along. Walking home with your friend allows you to catch up with each other. Walking together is a great chance for conversation. Plus, talking actually ensures you’re breathing whilst doing the exercise. This makes it even more effective.
Or, if you walk alone, listen to music while you do so. Pick something with a good walking beat and pop your headphones in, then get up and get moving so that you get energized. Even if weight loss is your actual goal, walking is also a good way to spend time with yourself alone, and it’s enjoyable to boot.
Walk toward fun. Plot a route that ends at a fun place. It can be your favorite grocery store, a favorite spot at a local park, even a spa. Your route does not have to be the same everyday. And you don’t have to actually go to the park, buy something from the store or walk into the spa every time you wind up there. But you can schedule it with your weight loss goals so that when you’ve reached a weight goal, you can reward yourself right away with a treat.