Walking To Lose Weight

As I mentioned in my last post I rebelled for a while by changing my walking to lose weight blog details from the accepted SEO standard of keyword optimization by playing around with some alternate keywords. My last few posts have digressed into business and have also attracted a number of business related comments and inquiries.

Having satisfied whatever desire to break the rule I felt at the time, I have returned to my first love which is walking to lose weight as a title. It seems much more meaningful to me and is a cornerstone of my well being strategy. Just as an alcoholic may think it better to see himself as an alcoholic even after numerous years on the wagon, I like the idea of keeping my weight loss maintenance through a walking (to lose weight) program.

Also as successful weight loss through walking requires preparation on the part of long term over eaters and under exercisers, the same is true for home based Internet Marketers when first starting out if you have worked for a large organization previously. The routines, responsibilities and logistics of working from home, and for yourself, make it normal to require a transition period for learning how best to create a high performance lifestyle.

The advantages of walking as a daily activity for home business owners is enormous- stress relief, creativity, mood control, health and energy improvements, physical well being, etc.

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Every day I am aware that I want to do my walking for weight loss or pedometer steps quota and usually decide in the morning exactly how I plan to do it for this day. Sometimes though the ‘feeling’ isn’t there: I don’t want to do it, or I cannot see how to do it without stressing about conflict with other goals.

That’s when pedometer steps helps! By wearing a pedometer daily it is easy to get started. In fact the busier the day the better. Make a game out of fitting in extra steps especially when it seems difficult. Walk while waiting, fill in time with picking up toys or clothes (bend and take each item back to its spot individually), walk from the back of the house or the office instead of shouting or phoning.

Walk to the shops. Walk to the other side of the car park. Walk down the stairs instead of using the lift.

Walking for weight loss can be taken too seriously. Walking or exercise can be taken too seriously.

Make it easy on yourself.

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Stress.

When walking to lose weight particularly if you have come from inactivity over a long period say several years, stress can be eustress, the good type which has you jumping around with excitement or anticipation, and tends to mean that you can’t help but get either incidental or purposeful exercise because our bodies react to the adrenaline by wanting to move, or what we commonly know as stress the so called ‘bad’ stress which floods our bodies with hormones which call for action when at the same time we are forced to not act – maybe because a passive environment or role requires you not to act but restrict activity.

Think of watching an action movie or a chase scene- does your body move at that moment when the hero grabs the bad guy? Although your body is not involved but is physically inert the feelings produced are similar, the body reacts and wants to move. Watching a really good dance show makes you want to get up and move or jump around.

Our bodies are designed for action particularly as a defense mechanism (fight or flight) but also to celebrate joy. Thriving requires both bountiful rest and inspiration (breathing) as well as vigorous action.

When someone has not got their hormones in balance, if adrenaline is flooding the body without enough cortisol produced to balance back to stasis, then tiredness results. The body feels as though it has done a lot of physical work without having been active, and the mind races and without the balancing hormone required , cannot return to calm.

Balance.

Walking can be playful, invigorating and destressing. As your body adapts to the new amount of exercise, to increase your results, you need to increase the activity level by doing more or doing it faster/harder. However the body also needs rest to repair and restore. There comes a time when walking to lose weight, when you find your body is feeling “it” and not in a good way- unless you are the type who sees pain as gain.

The body adjusts beautifully, even miraculously, given the rest it needs. So for those times when you feel stressed about walking, consider the cause. There is a difference between motivational and physical reluctance. Ongoing or chronic overuse (stress) of the body requires rest. Acute or one-off incidents require walking through. If it is physical such as a strain, take it gently but do some activity. If it is mental such as tiredness from lack of sleep and too much anxiety do not overdo it but put some fun into the activity, a stroll along the beach with your kids (assuming this would be fun!) If your tiredness comes from depression, walk until your spirit lifts!

Sleeplessness and stress causes increased production of cortisol and this can cause a desire to eat calorie laden food (comfort food) and lack of motivation to exercise which in turn causes increase in fat retention.

Destress!

The good news? – the reverse is also true! Rest, good feeling, fun, lightness of being, recreation make well being, and weight loss, easier.

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