Walking for Weight Loss

One of the easiest and safest ways to achieve healthy, lasting weight loss is to begin with a simple walking routine. Walking is a complete, low impact form of exercise that works all of the major muscle groups in the body, as well as the heart and lungs. You will burn extra calories and lose excess weight, tone your muscles and achieve greater mobility as your muscles get stronger.

Your walking regimen doesn't need to be fancy or complicated--in fact, the simpler, the better.
All you really need is a pair of sturdy walking shoes, an open area to walk, and you can begin.
Set a starting goal of something easy, like 5-10 minutes on a track or a walk around the block.

Always begin your exercise time with some gentle stretches to get your muscles adjusted to the work you will be asking them to do during the walk. If you haven't been in the habit of working out on a regular basis, be sure and go easy on yourself. You may find that you can't go as far or as fast as you had hoped to, but don't beat yourself up over it. During your next walk, you can always try to make it that much further.

If the weather is inclement, don't let that keep you from getting fit. You can always walk in place inside your house. Many companies sell walking workout types that can give you a full body cardiovascular workout while you stand in front of your television.

As you continue to walk, you'll notice that your stamina and mobility improve. Take advantage of your increased fitness abilities to make your workouts more difficult by incorporating hand or ankle weights. You can also vary your usual walking terrain to include a higher level of difficulty such as stairs or hills. You'll also find that your body can withstand longer increments of exercise, so be sure to continue to challenge yourself by increasing your workout time. You should aim for 30 minutes or so 3-5 times a week.

As time passes, you may find that your initial enthusiasm for your walking workout has waned. At this point, in order to maintain your weight loss, it can be a great help to get a walking buddy who will help keep you accountable. On the day you don't feel like exercising, your buddy will help keep you motivated, and vice versa. Plus, your workout will time will go much quicker if you have someone to keep you company.