Walking is a great habit for weight loss. It helps you burn calories. Plus, it can increase your heart rate. And it’s a form of low impact exercise that you can do without fear of injury.
You might think that a vigorous exercise class is the only way to burn fat. But walking for weight loss really does work. So if you walk regularly, you’ll see results.
Today we’ll go over some of the benefits of walking for weight loss. And then we’ll see how you can incorporate this as part of a larger program to help you take off the pounds and keep them off! Here are some of the benefits of walking.
Your body will burn more fuel
Diet is really important for weight loss. But you also must incorporate some physical activity or you won’t succeed. Find a good balance between diet and exercise and your weight loss efforts are likely to succeed.
Walking burns calories. You stand to burn at least 100 calories per hour. And if you go at a quicker pace, you should burn even more!
Walking can help you lose weight faster.
Related Reading: 10 Simple Exercises for Burning Belly Fat
You’ll increase your metabolism
Exercise isn’t just about the initial calorie burn. When you do cardio, you speed up your metabolism so that you burn more calories all day. And walking is a low-impact yet very effective form of cardio.
Just lace up those shoes and get moving. Want to increase your benefits? Build in challenges like walking uphill.
Walk for an hour per day and your metabolism will continue to burn more throughout your day.
You’ll relieve stress
Walking for weight loss has the added benefit of relieving stress. Exercise helps your body produce endorphins which naturally lift your mood. Plus getting into nature is mentally beneficial.
Stress reduction in turn can further help with weight loss. When you’re stressed, you’re more likely to make bad food choices.
Additionally, an anxious body releases hormones like cortisol that can slow your metabolism further. So break the stress cycle and you’ll help your body more effectively burn calories.
You’ll tone your body
You don’t want to simply lose weight. You want to actually tone.
Walking will not only help increase your overall upper and lower body strength. It will help give you that toned look that you seek.
And the great news is that you’ll never get bulky muscles from walking. It should help you shape your body. But you won’t get over-developed legs or overly bulky in your arms.
You can combine walking with your other healthy habits.
The great thing about walking for weight loss is you’ll get even more benefit when you mix it with other healthy habits. As you make other positive choices for your health, you’ll start to really see results.
You’ll see progress. And this will give you the momentum to keep going.
Here are some other healthy habits that will help you lose weight.
- Drink enough water. When you’re thirsty, you’re more likely to grab for some potato chips or that donut. That’s because you can easily confuse thirst with hunger. Plus there’s some evidence that your metabolism will slow when you’re dehydrated.
- Get enough sleep. It’s so easy to make sleep your last priority. But you’ll increase your cravings when you’re sleep deprived. That’s because your brain will urge you to eat sugar and other quick energy fattening foods to give you a boost.
- Eat foods with fiber. This is because fiber rich foods are helpful in making you feel full. Plus prebiotic fiber is beneficial for your gut bacteria. And having a healthy balance of gut bacteria is an emerging factor for effective weight loss.
How to start walking for weight loss
Now you know that you should be walking for weight loss. Here’s how you should get started.
You should aim for 30 to 60 minute walks. If you’re new to exercise, start small and build up from there. The most important thing is to lace up your shoes and get moving.
As you gain confidence, you can start to challenge yourself. So here are a few ways to increase the intensity of your workout.
- Pick up the pace. You’ll burn more calories if you move faster. You can alternate between periods of faster walking, with break periods walking at a slower pace that help you catch your breath.
- Work in some hills. If you haven’t worked out in a while, you’ll want to start on flat terrain. But as you get strong, find some hills to burn more calories and build muscle.
- Incorporate hand weights. If you’ve been walking for a while and feel you’re getting stronger, you may want to incorporate hand weights into your walk. This will allow you to tone further in your arms while also doing cardio.
You’ll feel better about yourself
Walking for weight loss is good for the body and mind. You’ll likely find that a good walk will rejuvenate your spirits. And any physical activity helps release endorphins and dopamine which send happy signals to your brain.
All this positivity can help you take a more optimistic attitude towards yourself. Weight loss is a journey. And when you feel good, you’re ready to succeed!
