Before you read this post there’s something that those of you new at exercise might not realize. Your body will get used to anything and everything if you do it long enough. In other words, Anything I do to lose weight will only temporarily. Mostly I’m talking about exercise; I wrote about weight plateaus in my last post, plateaus can be caused by you. For instance, you walk 2 miles a day to lose weight and It’s working just fine for about 2 months and then you stop losing weight. What’s going on you might ask? Your body got used to your routine and now it knows what to expect, so it makes the adjustments to the calorie burn and you stop losing weight or hit a plateau.
You have to out-smart your body to lose body fat continually. I do different workouts on alternate days. In other words, If I use my stationary bike on Tuesday and Friday, I might swim on Monday and Thursday, and jog on Wednesday and Sunday. The trick is not to let your body get comfortable with the exercise. Do something your body doesn’t expect, so the body is constantly having to go into your stored fat reserve to create the energy you need.
Okay, I do a pretty heavy workout and it’s not for a beginner, but you can get some ideas from the internet to vary your workout without doing anything extreme. Remember you want moderate exercise to lose weight, yoga is great for anyone at any age. You have to lose body fat before you build muscle if that’s your goal, but regardless you have to lose body fat to be healthy.
Plan Out Your Walk
Walking is one of the most efficient and easiest ways to lose weight because you don’t need a gym membership or any equipment. All you need is yourself and some motivation. If you’re considering adding walking to your daily life to lose weight, you have to make sure that you do it right.
The first step to walking off your weight is to make sure that you set a schedule so you can adapt to this new healthy lifestyle. Experts recommend getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week — that means you have to walk 30 minutes a day to achieve that goal.
Planning out your 30 minutes will ensure success. Ask yourself questions about when and where you’ll walk to get started. For example, if you’re busy at work all day you may want to consider taking three 10-minute walks around or outside of your building, but if you have more free time, taking a 30-minute walk after dinner may be more ideal.
Walk the Right Way
While walking is a natural instinct, making sure you’re walking the right way is key to bust your belly fat, tone your legs, and improve your overall health. When you walk you should have good posture, slightly bent and swinging arms, and an engaged core. These three things will help ensure you are getting the most out of your walks and burning more calories. Additionally, remember to stretch at the end of your walks to avoid any stiff muscles or potential injury.
Walk Long Enough to Burn Calories
Walking is only effective at burning calories if you do it long enough and fast enough: taking a stroll in the park does not burn as many calories as taking a brisk, paced walk. Walking 30 minutes a day at a moderate pace will help you burn an average of 150 calories, but the longer and faster you walk, means the more calories you will burn.
While walking is a great form of exercise and helpful for weight loss, a key thing to remember about losing weight is you have to eat fewer calories in order to lose or maintain weight. That is why having a healthy diet in conjunction with daily exercise is the best way to ensure you lose the weight you want.
Other Health Benefits of Walking
Walking isn’t just for burning fat, it helps a lot of other things in your body too. A daily walk gets your blood pumping and can, therefore, lower your risk of heart disease and blood clots. Walking may also reduce your risk for a stroke, improve your mood, help your sleep quality, reduce stress, and sharpen your mind. So what are you waiting for? Start walking today!
Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.
If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.
There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.