Walking For Weight Loss
Lose Weight the Smart Way

Walking for Weight loss is one of the best methods to slim down. It offers a cardio burning workout and the opportunity to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. If you commit to a regular walking program you'll lose weight and feel and look great.

The facts are everyone needs to exercise. Our bodies are designed to be physically active. When exercise is not part of our daily regimen you become susceptible to coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, weakness, diabetes, obesity and depression. Walking is not only good for weight loss, but it can help to prevent numerous diseases.

Note: One of the best ways to walk and lose weight is with a treadmill. ProForm offers some excellent values for walking treadmills. Prices start at $499 and include free shipping. Go to www.ProFormTreadmills,com for the latest deals.

You do not have to be a fanatic to gain from the benefits of exercising. A gradual and moderate workout program can have a significant impact on not only your overall well being, but also your weight. Walking for weight loss is ideal for individuals that have been inactive for a long period.

Walking is a Democratic Exercise

Walking for weight loss is the everyman (woman) form of exercise. The benefits are numerous. It allows you to escape stress, burn calories, boost your energy, lower your blood pressure, raise your HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce your risk of diabetes and osteoporosis. And walking can be done anytime, anyplace.

Experts suggest that you exercise at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week. However, 10 minutes may be a good start for those who have been sedentary in the past. As you progress, you don't necessarily have to walk single long bouts to lose the maximum amount of weight. Research has shown that short bouts of exercise, like walking, were as beneficial in weight loss as with long periods. You can walk 10 minutes 3-4 times a day and get the same results as walking for 40 minutes.

The Benefits of Walking:

1. One hour of brisk walking at 5 miles per hour, or 12 minutes per mile, burns 530 calories versus 480 from jogging. Surprised? In actuality walkers take more steps and use their arms more often, consequently exerting themselves more then runners. With the proper diet walking can have a serious impact on weight loss.
2. Walking one mile in 16 minutes lowers your cholesterol levels the same amount as running a mile in 7- 10 minutes.
3. Walking is easier on your joints. A walker's foot lands with only 1.5 times the force of body weight. Running on average puts three times the force on your feet.
4. Weather doesn't need to be a determining factor with walking. You get the same health benefits from walking inside on a treadmill as if you walk outside, says Dr. Rippe, MD, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He recommends adding several degrees of incline to increase the workout and simulate uphill walking. By walking on an inclined treadmill at a normal pace you can burn the same amount of calories as a jogger on a flat surface, and once again avoid the additional impact. Treadmills are ideal for weight loss.
5. Walking is an equal opportunity form of exercise. Walking does not require athletic ability or a great deal of coordination. Everyone knows how to walk. It is a no-excuse form of exercise.

Suggestions on the art of walking:

1. Use walking shoes in comparison to running shoes. Running shoes have higher heals and are designed for the stride of jogging. For a walker they can cause shin pains.
2. Do some light stretching before and after your walk. It is important to keep your lower back, legs and shins loose. Also, stretch out your Achilles tendon, hamstring, quadriceps and calf muscles.
3. Simplify, simplify, simplify, according to Martin Rudow, former Olympic walking coach. "Walking with hand weights, ski poles, and the like adds little or nothing to a workout. They might increase your heart rate a bit or build some different muscles, but they also slow down the pace and complicate things," says Rudow.
4. Relax when you walk. Part of the benefits of exercise is to reduce tension. Consciously make an effort to calm yourself. You not only want to benefit your body but also your mind. Achieve a feeling of tranquillity and your entire day will improve.
5. Do not over stride or over reach with your arms. You want to simulate a natural motion. In the process make sure that you stand up straight.
6. Drink adequate amounts of fluids and keep your body hydrated at all times.

If you are not convinced of the value of walking for weight loss here are a few parting statistics:

• Walking just three hours a week cuts the risk of heart attack and stroke in women ages 40 to 65 by 40 percent (Harvard Medical School).
• Women who walk 40-45 minutes five times a week are sick with colds or the flu half as often as sedentary women (Appalachian State University).
• Your weight loss from walking can be 18 pounds a year--without dieting--if you walk 45 minutes, four times a week (University of Massachusetts Medical School).

Walking for weight loss makes sense. Make walking a part of your daily routine. You will look and feel better for it.

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