Walking for weight loss is a very popular strategy. It is recommended in many different programs and most doctors will recommend that walking be a part of a regular active lifestyle. After all, you don’t need much in terms of equipment – only a comfortable pair of shoes – and you can do it virtually anywhere. Even when the weather is bad, you can walk on a treadmill at home or at a gym.
Other types of exercise can be tough to keep up with. Walking for weight loss comes far more naturally to most people than virtually any other kind of daily exercise. It’s great for your health and can indeed play a great role in contributing to a healthy weight loss strategy.
Walking for Weight Loss Needs Help
As is the case with every other single action, walking for weight loss is not enough to make it possible to lose weight. At least, this is not the case if it is the only effort made. While it is a great component to a complete strategy, if it is the only thing you’re doing to drop the pounds, you’re likely to be disappointed in your results.
The great news about walking for weight loss is that it doesn’t take much time to benefit from it. If you’re already incorporating other techniques to control your weight, such as eating right, just 30 minutes per day can help you to lose weight or keep lost weight from returning. In fact, you don’t even need to do all 30 minutes at once. If you find that it’s easier for you to do two fifteen minute walks per day, go for it. You’ll benefit from that, too.
That said, it’s important to remember that this only works if you’re also making other smart lifestyle choices such as eating right. If you overeat, eat only junk food, and don’t get enough sleep at night, a half hour walk – even at your fastest pace – won’t do a darned thing for you when you step on the bathroom scale.
Eat for Weight Loss Exercise to Keep it Off
The rule of thumb, according to several research studies, is to count your calories or watch what you eat in order to lower the number on the scale. The exercises you do are what make it easier to stop the weight from coming back, even if you have a day in which you eat slightly too much, or when you’re maintaining lost weight.
Therefore, when you’re walking for weight loss, what you’re really doing is making sure you’re getting the most out of the care you’re taking when you eat. You’re also making certain that the pounds you’ve lost will stay away.