Walking will help you lose weight. In fact, walking can be a huge counterpart to overall fitness, good health and weight control. Here are some of the benefits of walking for weight loss, and a plan to help you start walking to lose weight today:
Walking burns more Calories: Walking burns almost as many calories as jogging but is much easier on your joints. A 150-pound person walking for 30 minutes at a moderate, 2.5 mile per hour pace burns 107 calories. The same person walking that speed for 45 minutes would burn 160 calories. To determine exactly how many calories you burn, try this calories burned calculator. You choose your walking speed, then it takes you to a page where you enter your weight and time and then it calculates your calories burned.
If you have no idea of your walking speed, try walking one mile on a treadmill with no incline and note the time it takes.
If you can walk one mile in 15 minutes, your walking speed is four miles per hour.
If 20 minutes, your walking speed is three miles per hour.
If thirty minutes, your walking speed is two miles per hour.
Walking increases metabolism Of course, walking burns calories while you are walking, but it also kicks up your metabolism so that you burn more calories for up to 12 hours after you walk as little as two miles. Walking daily means you get the added benefit of a higher metabolism every day.
Walking reduces appetite Walking and other aerobic exercises have a slightly suppressing effect on your appetite. The last thing you want after a good, sweaty walk is a big, heavy meal. If you do find your appetite increases, you may be thirsty, so drink some water. And, if water doesn’t do the trick, you might be working too hard. Slow down so that you stay in the fat-burning zone.
Warm up and cool down with five minutes of light walking, a rate of 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 being sitting on the couch and 10 being the hardest activity you can possibly do. Then, walk the prescribed amount of time at a rate of about 5 or 6, whichever pace you can sustain for the entire walk without over-exerting yourself. Ideally, you want to be breathing slightly harder; still able to talk but not sing.
Week one: Walk three times this week for 30 minutes each time.
Week two: Walk three times this week for 35 minutes each time.
Week three: Walk three times this week for 35 minutes each time.
Week four: Walk four times this week for 30 minutes each time.
Week five: Walk four times this week for 35 minutes each time.
Week six: Walk four times this week for 40 minutes each time.
Week seven: Walk four times this week for 40 minutes each time.
Week eight: Walk four times this week for 45 minutes each time.
Week nine: Walk five times this week for 40 minutes each time.
Week ten: Walk five times this week for 45 minutes each time.
Continue walking five times a week for 45 minutes each time until you reach your goal weight, then walk four to five times a week for maintenance.
At about week six or eight you will notice that you are firmer, able to walk farther, and you have lost some weight. While following this plan, do increase the amount of water you drink. Staying hydrated is very important for exercisers!
For more help in losing weight with walking, I recommend these books:
