Lose Weight By Walking

We’ve talked several times about the health benefits of walking. Walking can improve your mood, relieve stress, lower your blood pressure and much more.

Few forms of exercise are as good for your body as a daily walk.

However, is it also possible to lose a few pounds just by going out for a walk? You may already be doing this, but you haven’t really noticed a difference in your weight so far.

Then don’t despair! Pay close attention to the following tips for losing weight by walking.  These tips are based on scientific research. Nevertheless, in severe cases of obesity, it is best to first visit your doctor or personal trainer.

Lose weight by walking… is it really possible?

As you probably know, any physical activity that requires exertion activates your metabolism, makes your heart beat faster and your body burns more fat.

• Walking is a great way to burn off some extra calories and expend carbohydrates before they are stored by the body in the form of fat.
• Taking a walk every day and keeping your heart rate high will make it easier for your body to build muscle mass and burn excess fat. As you develop more muscle mass and burn more fat, your overall health will also improve.

• However, keep in mind that to really reap these benefits, you also need to watch what you eat. Limit your consumption of fatty foods, refined flour, commercial and processed foods, sweets, and sugary soft drinks.

What other factors do you need to take into account to lose weight by walking?

1. How long should I walk?

To see a difference within two months, it is really important to walk for half an hour twice a day (morning and evening).

By walking twice a day, your metabolism will continue to work faster throughout the day and so you may also burn more fat and of course build more muscle mass.

If your goal is only to improve your overall mood and lifestyle, then just walking for half an hour once a day is also sufficient.

So make time for this in your daily schedule!

2. How fast should I walk?

A brisk pace of about 6 to 6.5 kilometers per hour is best. If you manage to maintain this pace, you will burn fat more efficiently without exerting yourself too much.

The reason you need to run so fast is that when your heart is only using 60 or 70% of its full capacity, your body stores energy faster as fat.

And this is exactly what you are trying to avoid. So a slow pace is of little use (and it won’t make your jeans fit better either).

So try to push yourself to walk one and a half to two kilometers every 15 minutes. Make this your goal!

3. Watch the way you walk

It is important to consider the way you walk. Keep the following aspects in mind:

• Bigger steps won’t make you cover those miles faster. Walking faster.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed and try not to keep them cramped.
• Be careful not to move your hips too much and try to move as smoothly and naturally as possible. You are not supposed to feel any tension or discomfort.
• Remember that you are not supposed to make a fist with your hands, as doing so may prevent you from moving your arms freely. So just keep your hands relaxed.

4. Choose a nice area to walk in

Do not go hiking in an area where your path is full of stones and gravel. In this case, you could step wrong and sustain a sprain or even hip injury. It is wiser to walk on a level surface.

It is also important to wear comfortable and closed shoes to protect your feet as well as possible. In addition, remember to also wear loose-fitting clothes that breathe well.

One last tip before you head out the door:  if you like listening to music while walking, by all means be careful. 

Headphones can distract you from what’s going on around you and it wouldn’t be the first time that an accident has occurred because of this. So be aware of this!