Walking to Lose Weight Choices
A big part of the walking to lose weight process is setting yourself up for ongoing success. We’ve previously mentioned the conclusions of a Consumer Reports analysis of over 20,000 people who’ve lost weight that the small number who maintain the loss keep almost the same exercise and diet routine that led to their initial success.
So a weight loss process requires a lifetime commitment to diet and exercise. This is also why we at Walking to Lose Weight prefer a weight loss approach which is easiest to maintain and is flexible enough to incorporate variety, any number of others, diverse interests.
This is really about activity.
There are 2 basic options. Create specific exercise opportunities such as brisk walking; and increase your activity choices in daily life.
Option one is to take a walk every day preferably of over 20 minutes duration because 150 minutes brisk (break out in a light sweat or do 3,000 steps in 30 minutes) walking in a week will result in some weight loss. For a quicker weight loss 250 minutes weekly is required. I find that to fit in a walk of 60 minutes daily which is the time frame this requires takes some adjustment. Knowing that it also is required to be a new lifestyle means I want to find a way which will enable me to incorporate it into my daily life with pleasure. So rushing in to 60 minutes walking daily and maintaining it over the long term, may not be easy for you, whereas adding in extra physical activity or a 20 minute walk may be more so. As you become willing and dedicated to finding the time for successful weight loss the opportunities present themselves and you make the choices which lead to this new slim life.
There also is the option of walking in private, at home, and the bad weather alternative of using walking dvds or a treadmill.
The latter exercise option of increasing physical movement through daily tasks is most effective if you have been sedentary. In this case any conscious choices to walk further or do more bending and lifting or jogging around the house, will have an effect. The only way to really know the number of steps you are doing is to use a pedometer.
When I started using a pedometer I was astonished at how few steps I did in normal day. Then I increased these by going to the mail box several times a day to check for mail instead of once only when I knew the mail had been delivered, choosing to go to the Ladies which was furtherest away at the shopping centre, taking several trips to the car to deposit groceries rather than use a trolley.
The object is to increase your daily step total to an active lifestyle level which requires a minimum of 8,000 and for weight loss at least 10,000 steps each day.
Some activities result in a disappointing response on the pedometer such as weight lifting so stick mainly to activity which has enough movement to register a correct number of steps. When naturally added activity from your housework, shopping and playing with the kids, doesn’t add up to the 10,000 required, add in dedicated walks. This has a dramatic impact on the steps walked in a day.
This is called walking to lose weight.
