Walking To Lose Weight

Losing weight can be life saving. Exercise can be fundamental to a meaningful life. Walking to lose weight combines both. For many people it is easy to start and keep going. Instant success. This is good.

Others are puzzled by the popularity of walking as a weight loss strategy. Some do it and question its success. Also starting a walking to lose weight program, if you do it around others, can attract lots of attention. There are many options for walking whether inside or outside, or doing it alone or with friends or a group. Look at Walk Away the Pounds as a less public alternative to walking in a gym.

It’s simple with this basic understanding:

What is required of you when walking to lose weight is relative to the activity already existing in your life.

1. If you are already active and then start following recommended walking times you will find little response. This is natural because you may not be adding much, if anything, into your active life -perhaps even doing less than normal. Or you might be adding to your eating allowing the exercise to stimulate your appetite and then rewarding yourself with food or drink. The purpose of additional exercise is to create a calorie deficit, stimulate your metabolism, divert the mind, increase well being, and improve sleep. All these things and others combine synergistically to enhance weight loss.

2. If you haven’t been particularly active before but focus on the specific time requirements or distance recommended, and then stop for the rest of the day, you may not be adding to your exercise at all; if you stop other exercise when adopting a weight loss routine it has to be because the amount of exercise you’ve added more than substitutes for your normal activity.

However if you are frail, underweight or under-exercised to extreme weakness, the only way forward is to build up your muscle strength before taking on extensive walking.

A couch potato who adds in a 10 minute walk morning and evening will respond well to wearing a pedometer all day, finding out what is their normal daily step count and being motivated in bringing them up to the 10,000 recommended daily steps for weight loss. Any significant increase in walking for this person is likely to lose weight.

However, an active person may not find adding walking has an effect on weight loss. Normally though, an additional one hour daily walking will cause weight loss.

Generally diet modification is also necessary for weight loss. Think about what you are eating. Instead of mindlessly looking for what appeals right now, consider the impact on you real goal, to lose weight. Being a little bit hungry is all right. Eat wisely if still hungry and always drink water before you are thirsty. I.e. consciously drink water or diet drinks, after you have exercised, increasing the amount depending upon the temperature of your body, and the weather.

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The story of this 78 year old nun who leads an extremely active lifestyle, makes me aware of the standard of well being which is acceptable for most people at 78. And it ’s not a high level of activity. Often health is an issue, particularly aggravated by over weight and “aging” body dysfunctions. Walking to lose weight is ideal for the older person needing to lose weight, although it may require starting very slowly, and with assistance.

Over a life many of us consider the older we get the better off we will be if we decrease activity. It’s easier to get others to do the running about, and each neglected body part becomes more achy.

Generally speaking, as we age, we don’t feel older, until our bodies start feeling that way. If then we connect the two and decide that we are old because our body doesn’t work like it used to, or vice versa, we are accepting a convenient myth. It’s convenient because it saves looking for another answer but it is not an answer that I like.

It seems obvious to me that as this first generation of long lifers enjoy an unprecedented aged lifestyle, those of us coming along behind will learn from them and make the changes necessary to enjoy excellent health into our longer lives. Until we saw, en masse, the results of years of neglect of physical and mental well being, we did not make a decision to take responsibility for this side of our lives.

Madonna Buder

Previous generations enjoyed the concept of having younger generations take on the physical “burdens” of life for us, and this was seen as a reward, a respect for all that that person had contributed throughout their life. In part because the baby boomer generation is much larger in relative numbers than older generations previously, and because we demand or expect more from our lives, we want better than a slow decline.
Nun, Madonna Buder, is now 78, but is 75 year old in this photo, after winning a triathalon.

“At the age of 47, a priest suggested she try running for spiritual enrichment. At 52 she added swimming and cycling, and she hasn’t looked back since.”

Yes, she is exceptional. For right now.

A 52 year old plastic surgeon does extensive gym work for both personal health benefits and to look good. His training program is “like that of a 25-year-old who’s into bodybuilding.” Body building proponents often look exceptional into old age.

Walking to lose weight is not in this league. This is a good thing because walking is easier and the benefits add enormously to the functionality of a life, especially putting fun back into physical activity. Weight loss and physical activity, separately and combined, have significant health benefits.

Everyone has to start. Walking is a fun, easy and age-appropriate, weight bearing exercise.

Using a pedometer is great way to assess the amount of steps a person normally does. Increase by 10% each day, if possible. For some a walker or other support device may be necessary. Local shopping centres often arrange special walking times for the disabled or frail, which means they use the air conditioned environment at times when others aren’t there. Usually a health worker or volunteer will assist, if necessary.

At home, use a walking DVD. They are “adjustable” and can be used for company initially until you are comfortable doing the more vigorous movements. Always modify to your level. Start with 10 minutes of the program and see how your body responds. Add to your walking as you improve in stamina. Leslie Sansone has some suitable titles although the ones I am recommending are designed for who can do at least 3,000 steps a day, and still be comfortable.

Be part of the walking to lose weight revolution!

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An Overview of the Wii Fit.

It’s a discovery that is exciting me. I seem to have found the key for Wii Fit, walking to lose weight and me. Regular readers of this blog will know how I like to avoid weight monitoring and prefer checking out the clothes and how they fit. I do however have the occasional weigh in for confirmation purposes. This I have taken to doing on the Wii Fit. It is a fantastic mechanism for the detail work- weight, BMI, goals, time frame. The introductory trailer above isn’t working properly but this link to it shows some Wii Fit features for measuring progress.

I’m doing brisk walking of at least an hour daily, and my clothes are getting looser.

But today with the weather not so good, and feeling frustrated with my work/life balance I woke up feeling more reluctant than usual. Inspiration hit, perfect timing to get out the Wii Fit. Now generally if I want to walk inside than I get out the Walk Away the Pounds DVD, I use it a lot. I am definitely a fan of Wii Fit but ever since I changed my walking program to one hour I haven’t returned to the Wii for exercise. In the past I found that I could get to about 30, maybe 35 minutes Wii exercise before getting bored.

I started using Wii Fit on November 24th and since then have lost 6.8 kg (just under 15 lbs) and just over 2 BMI % points.

So I get it out, which is not that difficult because I haven’t actually packed it away this time, just tidied it up. As usual I remember why I find it so much fun, it asked me how I was and then about Gaz, a friend who hasn’t been around much, then inquired as to how Gaz is looking, has he lost weight? I said he had put it on just to see the response. It advised that it was best not to mention “it”.

I have lost 2.4 kilos in the last 30 days. About 5 lbs. Today it is raining and windy and generally unpleasant. And I am feeling less than enthusiastic about my weight loss than usual. Generally I feel super confidant about the weight I am losing because I’m doing brisk walking of at least an hour daily, carefully monitoring what I eat and my clothes are getting looser, or actually fitting, in some cases.

So I need a boost and the Wii Fit test is the way to do it. I anticipate a good result but have had times when the answers are not what I wanted to hear. This is where an attitude of resilience comes in. Ignore the poor results unless it is gives you good information.

The fitness tests let you check out your history and then I take a different approach with the exercises. Take jogging. I have always found it difficult to work out the desired 60% running speed. And I can’t find a way where swinging my arms to burn those extra calories feels right. Until today. I decided to play with the options and increase the standard distance to a round the island run…but this time I walk. Marching on the spot and it works really well, and I can swing my arms and burn those extra calories (if I want to). So a marching action works for anyone who is turned off by jogging.

Then the hula hoop-I have seen a couple of videos with girls doing this and it has puzzled me because they do it in a sort of lazy way to my mind but…

turns out that is the way to get the best result! That is score highly on the Wii for that exercise.

I tried it on a few other of the games and it is a very successful strategy. This is very motivating. It helped me get to 62 minutes without really trying by doing some muscle exercises, balance games and aerobics.

Slowing down allows you to refine the posture and other details, check the balance monitors, succeed at the game and feel in control.

Walking to lose weight on the Wii Fit!

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The feeling of loving being in my body is like money in the bank, an asset, and one of the benefits of walking to lose weight or just loving the activity in my life. To feel again that satisfaction that comes from knowing your body is working well. I walk and I can feel the looseness of the jeans around the tops of my legs. I feel the way my breathing is good when I climb stairs. I know I walk with straighter posture and balance. I move quicker when necessary, jumping out of the way of spilled coffee recently, for example.

I love doing things for myself again-those body care things like facials and body scrubs. My hair looks better. I swear!

I’ve said before that I had a time in the past when 2,000 steps a day was a highpoint of my active life. I also spent a lot of time in bed. And I lost weight! This is also typical for those recovering from long term illness or disability.

I misguidedly thought this was good. I was down to a weight that had seemed impossible. Of course I had lost muscle and gained fat. I thought that it didn’t matter. As I started improving and moving around I started eating and gained a lot of weight, again mainly fat. Then I started several years of exercising and losing weight and stopping exercise and gaining weight and starting again and losing weight…

Now I have added something which I have never done before, I’ve built a lifestyle which supports exercise, through walking to lose weight.

This change coincides with starting working from home. This requires a lifestyle change anyway. So I am able to combine the changes in a way which is beneficial for both my business and weight loss.

I have a new found respect for the foundation support necessary for success at business. It is easy to take for granted the structures that enable our work when in a corporate environment.

By deciding to buy the tools and assistance which have made a big difference in my home business, I have learned the many benefits of using services or products which simply make it easier to do what you want to do. e.g.back up services for those times when you can’t meet a deadline in time or with alacrity.

With my weight loss program it is the many accessories which bring joy or function to my daily walking. This could be my new shoes or the tiny bags which look good and keep all my necessary bits together, or the personal trainer on the Wii Fit, and my mainstay for rainy weather, Walk Away the Pounds.

Walking to lose weight as a lifestyle takes the pressure off. It means that I know by the feel of my clothes that I am losing weight and trimming. I also know the difference of feeling sure that this is ongoing and will continue while I am doing what I am doing. The first 6 months of walking to lose weight I lost 5 kg. This last month I have lost 2.4 kg. All together just under 15 lb.

Resiliency is the best attribute to bring to life. Bring it to your walking for weight loss path as well. Walking to lose weight requires resiliency. Once you make it through those early days after the initial enthusiasm has worn off and it’s raining and your best friend has given it away, you will glow with the success of making it this far. And the miracle of our bodies can unfold because these wonderful blood and muscle machines have everything you need to be the vehicle for your fabulous life.

See the exercise and diet efforts you are making as deposits in your bank account. It all adds up. I am an advocate of using whatever walking to lose weight, diet, coaching or lifestyle support, assists you in getting there. Choose wisely however.

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Tip 3: Success at walking to lose weight requires an appointment: committed time which remains committed to walking no matter what.

I’ve seen it, and done it. When it is time to do your walk, and for some reason it is a little difficult to fit it in right now, you think I don’t have to make a big deal over this, no one else does. I can just move it to later in the day- and later in the day there isn’t quite enough time but you think you’ll do it anyway and then as you leave the house the phone rings. End of weight loss process…unless you have a diary with a red action flag which enables you to recommit to an extended time tomorrow or a real mental acceptance that this is to be a priority from now on.

If you’re saying that this is too difficult, too complicated,too formal or too obsessive, you’re probably not going to lose weight at this time.

Plan when you are able to walk for one hour daily over an extended daily period. Since weight loss requires a lifestyle CHANGE, less exercise and calorie control may be more doable on an everyday basis, but there is always some time when it becomes possible or practical to do one hour of moderate exercise such as a walk or the Wii Fit; but plan for it.

Think of this as one of those times which we all have when we need to fit some scheduled activity into our agenda. Prior to exams, tax time at work, medical tests- we simply adjust our daily lives to accommodate this extra time pressure and because it is a short period with an end to it, we can do it.

This is the attraction of the magic weight loss programs…because we see or like to believe that there is an end to the changes we are asked to make we can accept making them in the first place. Even though a complete return to previously normal eating or activity patterns will just result in a similar problem, the idea of short term behaviour modification is more appealing, and therefore more likely for us to do. Stretching out the behaviour changes, allowing a gradual increase to a peak period which then reverses to a more moderate exercise or diet, is easier to achieve.

Make an appointment to walk: Don’t hesitate, do it now! And always have a backup-alternatives for those occasions such as when it’s raining or you can’t get to the gym. See another way to walk.

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