How to Start Walking for Weight Loss

Preparing for a Walk

Smartphone Apps and Walking for Weight Loss

Does Walking Really Help Weight Loss

Boosting Weight Loss When Walking

- As your fitness increases, gradually make each walk a little longer by adding just 2-3 minutes to the length of the walk each day or every couple of days. This is a manageable increase, but over the course of a week, this adds up to an extra 15-20 minutes. You will soon be walking further without even noticing.
- If you are tracking the number of steps you take, aim for a higher number of steps per day. Even just increasing your target by around 200 steps per day will give you well over a thousand extra steps per week. Over a few weeks, this could really boost your stamina and weight loss.
- Increasing your speed is one of the best ways to boost your results. You should aim to be walking fast enough that you can feel the exertion, your heart rate should increase, and you should be breathing faster, but you should still be able to hold a conversation.
- Consider building in some very short periods of jogging in your walk. This is one technique that people use to make the transition from walking to jogging; they walk for a minute or two and then jog for a short time; perhaps as little as 20 seconds to begin with. Then they return to a walking pace. When this feels easier, you can increase the time spent jogging. Even just one short jog in the middle of your walk can help boost your calorie burn and endurance.
- Think about the terrain you are choosing for your walking. Walking for weight loss should begin with how you feel comfortable, and that might mean choosing flat routes, routes that have places you can stop and rest if you need to, or routes close to home so that you can go back if you need to. In time, you should look for tougher challenges; a route with some small hills is an excellent way to transition into the tougher walk. Keep pushing yourself and have a challenge in mind to work towards; a mountain hike or some rough terrain that will get your body working harder.
Walking for weight loss is a great way to make a big change to your life. Not only does walking help to shift those unwanted extra pounds, but it is also a good way to boost endorphins, those happy hormones. This gives you a feel-good feeling that offsets the stress in your life. So go on, get out and explore your local area, enjoy the fresh air and remember that every extra step is a step in the right direction.