Walking For Weight Loss
If weight-loss is your goal, you will benefit from increasing your incidental activity as you can burn more calories than relying on your diet alone. (Your incidental activity is all movement outside of your exercise routine) Fat is burned from your body when cells oxidise to release energy through exercise or movement. When exercise or in particular walking is done slowly to moderately, then the majority of energy is taken from the fat stores.
The best place to start for fat-loss is fast walking. I like to prescribe three, ten minute walks a day for any of my new clients. Three ten minute daily walks had shown to be more beneficial than one thirty-minute walk each day. These walks will improve insulin sensitivity, decreases gas, improve your digestion. (1) Walk at a pace that you are mildly puffing and hold that rate for ten minutes.
Here are some other benefits of moderately fast walking.
Walking is easy to Perform
No equipment needed
Walking is an all-natural body movement
Walking doesn't cause injuries (mostly)
You can walk almost anywhere
Walking can reduce stress (2)
Walking can strengthen your heart (3)
Walking can boost your immune function (4)
Walking is excellent for your mental health (5)
Research has repeatedly shown that regular, brisk walking is one of the best exercises we can do for overall fitness and mental health. Walking is perfect for people of all ages and people of all fitness levels.
Walking is an exceptional starting point if you are new to exercise as it is safer on your joints and your back than most other forms of exercise due to its low impact on your body.
Walking combined with other weight-bearing exercises like strength training, will help to increase your bone mass, and protect you against osteoporosis and things like bone fractures as you get older.
Practical Tips:
If you are feeling stressed, try counting your steps repeatedly from one to ten as you walk, this could help you get into a semi-meditative state and can be a great stress reliever.
If you go out for a meal, park your car at least a ten-minute walk away from the restaurant, this will ensure you get your ten-minute walk done after your meal.
Use a step counter. Many people need accountability to be consistent, so things like FitBit, Apple Watches and Garmin are great for tracking your movement each day and making sure you're hitting your goals.
Take the stairs where possible. Stairs are a great way to get a few extra and more difficult steps in each day.
Ditch your TV remotes. You will have to get up to change programs or change the volume.
So what are you waiting for? Get out in nature and start walking. The benefits are amazing!
(1) https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00125-016-4085-2.pdf
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10626033/
(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19306107/
(4) https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/12/987?sid=fe62a8c5-430b-4506-b854-20b62e8a5e9e