While I have tended to use Walk Away the Pounds as a backup for those difficult times when bad weather or being tied to home for business or personal reasons has left me short of the time for an effective walk, today has started the process of more consistent and purposeful use of this wonderful walking to lose weight resource.
This is because of the use of weights and the more thorough exercise in the DVDs’ guided calorie burning approach to power walking from Leslie Sansone.
To explain more, anyone who has been following my progress with walking for weight loss on this blog will know that I love walking outdoors for this purpose. However this is a lifestyle which can be modified. That is I have changed my life in subtle ways (huge for me but not that obvious to others) to continue the process of controlling my weight and looking and feeling as good as I can. In the year that I have been writing and walking for weight loss I have lost over 20 pounds! The main weight loss tool has been the calories burned walking, starting with tracking the distance and number of steps, and finishing with a routine daily walk of one hour.
The purpose of this weight loss program has been to tame the thoughtless process of excess weight and lack of activity which has contributed to my up and down weight gains all my life-until now! This last year has provided stimulation and focus on exercise and a restricted eating and low calorie diet. Calories have not been reduced substantially, just enough fuel to both exercise comfortably and lose weight with less calories taken in and the calories burned walking, ensuring the energy to continue working, playing and exercising.
Now as I continue on this weight loss process I also want to add some upper torso work and strengthening, as well as toning of those areas which need it, such as the abs. in the past I have found a similar pattern to that of other weight loss processes when doing weights and specific exercise programs-getting totally enthusiastic and enjoying wonderfully fast results, without any long term plan for continuing a toning program to keep these muscles looking their best.
Activity based weight control requires a lifestyle change and continual change as your needs change. Progress in weight loss in particular is the best reason for making additions to the walking for weight loss formula. Now I want to tighten and tone my muscles as well as strengthening them. This time though I am introducing weights and other exercises in a similar manner to when I re-introduced walking for weight loss. It is a lifestyle adjustment which, having allowed to build into my every day or weekly schedule, becomes a benefit in many other ways as well.
Starting weights at full pace will divert my energy away from other areas of my life and perhaps even weight loss. Additional and more intense exercise will be tiring and may result in some soreness. This can be a distraction from my goals. The easy and slow introduction of new muscle uses ensures a controllable adjustment in lifestyle which has long term benefits for ongoing weight control.
Walk Away the Pounds DVD">Walk Away the Pounds provides water-filled weights which are easy to use and a great introduction to using weights if you haven’t used them before, have had a long lay off or have hand problems. They weigh about 400 grams each so this is not a long term solution if you wish to tone your arms but are a great way to start. I use my own hand weights which are heavier and certainly most men would need to use heavier weights for effective exercise. In addition the various leg lifts and other exercises used in the 3 miles walk (and the 1 and 2 miles) are a vigorous workout- much harder than walking the equivalent distance!
So I am increasing the intensity of my exercise by making Walk Away the Pounds a standard part of my walking for weight loss.
