The Easiest Exercise Ever!

Walking  is an easy way to get rid of a few pounds. It is a beneficial and fundamental movement of humans. Research indicates that in addition to being a good low impact exercise, you can add seven years to your lifespan by walking 20 to 25 minutes daily. However,  a casual walk around the block  will not result in quick and easy weight loss. Walking does burn calories, but it takes a rapid pace and/or a long walk to burn a significant amount of calories. If you’re counting on walking an hour per day at a slow pace to knock off 10 pounds, allow around six months to accomplish your goal. Walking longer or faster or dieting at the same time will hasten your weight loss.

If you’re just starting out on a walking program (after being mostly sedentary), walk at a comfortable pace and work gradually on increasing your pace and distance. Once you’ve eased into a daily walk, you can turn it into a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Exercise. A good way to measure your achievement and walking progress is by using using a step tracker (pedometer).  You can get a tracker here.

In order to  lose weight, you must supply your body with less energy in the form of calories than it needs, which creates a calorie deficit. Burning extra calories through walking is a good gentle way to accomplish this. To lose one pound, you must create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. Therefore, you need to burn 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week. The number of calories you burn walking depends on your body weight. This means that the heavier you are, the more calories you burn  and the longer the distance you go or the amount of time you walk the more calories you burn.

Finally, weight loss always occurs more rapidly if diet and exercise are combined. To lose 2 pounds ( Approximately 1kg per week)  you need to burn 500 calories per day exercising, while  cutting 500 calories from your daily food intake. This means you’d have created  a deficit of 1000 calories per day, or 7000 calories per week. That adds up to 2 pounds per week. At that rate, you’ll achieve your goal in a little more than six weeks.

Heres’s a sample indoor walking routine. Its easy! Try it!