Walking is a great way to shed some extra pounds. However, excessive weight can make it difficult. Shirley Miller is a retired kindergarten teacher who walks more than two miles daily. It’s a great average for someone with various breathing problems like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Walking has made it easy for Shirley to get rid of the oxygen tank she needed while doing domestic chores. The couple started walking two years back, and have lost 20 pounds each since then.
Ketut/Pexels | You can choose your favorite spot to walk to enjoy the beautiful day
Walking Is A Great Exercise
Walking is the perfect way to lose weight as demonstrated by Shirley and her husband. It’s easy to do and you also don’t need any special skills or equipment or a coach to get started. Also, walking outside lets you breathe fresh air and absorb sunshine along the way. Undoubtedly, a long walk is all you need to enjoy the beautiful daylight and burn some fats. Physiologist James Hill has been observing many people who have successfully lost weight and managed to control it. He found out that 75% to 80% of them are walkers.
Julia/Pexels | If you can't go out to walk, you can use a treadmill to exercise indoors.
According to research, it's not necessary to be a marathon walker to lose some pounds. Another study says that women were instructed to lower their calorie intake and given appropriate exercise programs, primarily walking. Some women were given strenuous workout routines, while others were given less strenuous workout routines. At the end of the year, the women with moderate workout groups experienced the same weight loss as the women who did an intense workout.
Some women were assigned strenuous workouts, and others were less strenuous. At the end of a year, women in the moderate workout group had about the same weight loss as women in the intense workout group. Even if you don't see the weighing scale dropping, there are powerful health benefits that make walking a great exercise.
RODNAE productions/Pexels | Many health issues can be avoided by walking regularly
How To Get Started?
Everyone knows how to walk. The difficult thing is to make it a part of your daily routine. To enjoy the full benefits of walking, you should practice a five to ten-minute walk at least three to four times a week. Starting from a thirty-minute walk can demotivate you. Hence, start by walking for 5 to 10 minutes a day, then slowly increase the time. Experts recommend walking at least 40 minutes a day by dividing it into three stages:
- Walking slowly for 5 minutes to warm up
- Brisk walking for 30 minutes
- Finish the walk with 5 minutes of slow walking to cool down.
If the above routine seems too hectic, you can try the following alternative:
- Walking slowly for 5 minutes to warm up
- Brisk walking for 5 minutes (You can gradually increase the time for brisk walking according to your ease)
- Finish the walk with 5 minutes of slow walking to cool down.
