Walking and Weight Loss
Positive Affirmations for Walking vs. Snacking
I'd rather walk than eat
I can think more clearly
I sleep all through the night
I can climb stairs with ease
I am fun to be around
I can take my dog for the long walks he loves
My body feels more like ME!
My headaches go away
My feelings of stress disappear
I feel sexy inside and out
I keep up with the kids/grandkids easily
I feel younger than my age
I feel energetic
My blood pressure is normal
I can eat more of my favorite foods
My blood sugar is under control
I feel creative
I can wear my favorite clothes again
I can see my waistline
I find time to meditate or enjoy nature
Walking and Weight Loss
Walking is an excellent way to lose weight. It's simple. You can do it anywhere. Generally it takes less time to do than putting on gym clothes and driving to and from the gym. You can do it in pairs, on your lunch hour at work, in the morning to energize yourself for the day, or in the evening to unwind from your day. Walking's increased popularity has been met with the best products available on the market to help you get more out of walking, from walkmans to walking shoes. However, please do not let the absence of these handy items prevent you from just getting out there and doing it. Walking is still something we were innately born with the ability to do, without all the fancy gadget's that are available these days.
In the Beginning...
The best approach to beginning a walking routine for weight loss is to simply start off by measuring your present ability. Walking can be a bit deceiving. You have to work up to walking quickly or for long periods of time, the same way you do with any kind of exercise. I would suggest that the average person who is not used to walking at all, would be able to walk 15 mins to 30 mins at around 2 - 3 miles per hour for the first week, and then gradually increase the pace and / or time / or distance. You can easily measure this by carrying a stop watch (a regular watch will do fine.) Certainly there are gadgets out there that will calculate how far you have walked, however, you can easily get in your car and use your odometer to gage the distance you have traveled. Keep in mind when walking long distances that you will take just as long to walk back to your starting point (if not longer).
The pace of walking is important. It doesn't help much to get out and stroll around and stop to pet the animals or strike up a conversation with people you might meet along the way. Look at this time the same way you would for any other work out routine. You need to focus on burning fat. As a matter of fact, that is a great visualization to use while you're walking. Imagine leaving tracks of fat behind you as you're walking. This is a great time to make up affirmations about your weight loss and say them to yourself over and over until they really connect with you and you feel emotional inside. Yes, you might have to repeat them a thousand times until they really sink in. What else do you need to be thinking about during this time though?
Breathing
You want your breathing rate to increase to the point that you are breathing deeply and rhythmically. Focusing on your breathing is an awesome way to create a meditative experience for yourself. It allows you to clear your mind. You don't want to be breathing so heavy that you are unable to to carry on a conversation. In the initial stages of walking, you may want to just focus on breathing steadily while walking. You will be able to gage that it's time to take on more distance or walk faster just by paying attention to your breathing.
More Advanced
After several weeks of advancing through the beginning stages of walking, you will want to work into increasing your duration to 35 - 45 minutes a day at anywhere from a 10 - 16 *RPE:
BORG SCALE FOR RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE)
6 - 8
Very, very light (lounging on the couch
9-10
very light (puttering around the house)
11-12
fairly light (strolling leisurely)
13-14
somewhat hard (normal walking)
15-16
hard (walking as if in a hurry)
17-18
very hard (jogging/running)
19-20
very, very hard (sprinting)
Varying between slower and faster paces is very useful for burning fat. For example, let's say you can only withstand walking at the 15-16 pace on the borg scale for 1 minute, you would want to begin by walking for one minute at say 6-8, then a minute at 9-10, then a minute at 11-12, then a minute at 13-14, then a minute at 15-16 and finally back down to the 6-8 again and repeat until you are finished with your walking for the day.
Another advanced strategy is to walk on different terrain. Perhaps you find a new path, one with some hills. Also, the extreme step is freestyle walking which is more of a sport than good old natural walking.
Fluids
Water increases your bodies need for fluid intake. Make sure you drink PLENTY of fresh water. Especially when it's warm out, you could sweat off as many as 5 to 8 lb of water weight during your walking workout. Yes, that might be exciting to see on the scale! Keep in mind though that it's WATER you are losing and you must replace that water with TWO cups of fluid for every pound lost. The actual fat loss will show up over time. It's actually not a bad idea to drink luke warm water as it is less of a shock to your system, so if you are bringing water with you, don't worry about the fact that it may get a little warm. I recommend drinking at least one 8 oz glass before, one during, and one after. If it's not feasible to drink water during your walk, then make sure you make up for it in your water afterwards and before.
Read more about water
Hypnosis is a great way to increase your motivation to walk and to drink the water your body needs. Order the Ultimate Weight Loss Power Pack
Other forms of exercise
Back to Weight Management Page
Other benefits of walking
* One after effect of walking is getting rid of your migraines. Exercise secretes the hormone; endorphin, which improve your mood and relieve stress (a known headache trigger) DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EXERCISE WHEN MIGRAINE IS ALREADY IN PROGRESS.
* All it takes is less than 2 hours a week of brisk activity and you may overcome the need for antidepressants. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of exercise 3 x a week has improved moods in depressed people.
* Walking speeds up weight loss in other ways. For one, you will think twice about overindulging on food that you just worked off. You are able to eat more calories in a day since you are burning more. And finally, exercise simply feels so much better than eating. It may not seem that way before you head out to do it the first time, however, you will notice the improvement in the way you feel more energetic, whereas eating bad food only weighs you down and makes you feel sluggish.
Related Products:
