Make no mistake about it, losing weight is much harder than you might imagine. If it was, then the weight loss industry wouldn’t be the multi-billion dollar behemoth that it is. Dieting is, quite frankly, no fun at all – you need to abstain from all the things you enjoy and results seem to take an eternity to arrive.
If you want to get results faster – and who doesn’t – then adding exercise to your weight loss routine is a smart move. The good thing about exercise is that, not only will you burn off additional calories due to the fact that you are taking exercise, but since you are exercising regularly you will increase your metabolism. That is to say, you will burn calories faster, even when you aren’t exercising but just carrying out your normal day to day activities. Whether you’re just listening to the radio, watching your favorite TV show, surfing the web – or even when you’re sound asleep – you will be burning calories much faster.
If you have any medical conditions, or if you haven’t taken any regular exercise for a while, then it would be advisable to seek the opinion of your doctor before you embark on any new exercise program. When it comes to what the best type of exercise is, you will hear a huge variety of suggestions. At the end of the day, the best exercise for you is whatever you are able to do and will be able to motivate yourself to do on a regular basis. It may very well be true that riding a racing bicycle at a speed of twelve miles per hour will burn off a lot more calories per hour than walking at 3.5 miles per hour or jogging at a speed of 5 miles per hour. Nevertheless, it’s an academic discussion if you don’t like cycling and can’t – or won’t – be able to motivate yourself to get in the saddle.
One of the best starter exercises is, without any shadow of a doubt, walking. It’s an activity that everyone knows how to do and which doesn’t need any special equipment. It’s also a low intensity, low impact form of exercise which can be carried out by a broad age range and which has an extremely low abandonment rate. You can pretty much fit it into your day whenever it suits you best – you can even increase your step count in two, three or even four mini sessions throughout the day if that’s what works best for you.
Don’t let the fact that walking is, relatively speaking, a low intensity workout make you think that it can’t deliver major health benefits for you. There seems to be general agreement amongst health professionals that walking 10,000 steps each day will deliver a whole host of health benefits – including weight loss. By the way, that is a total of 10,000 steps daily – and it includes all of your normal walking activity. Get hold of an Omron pedometer and keep track of precisely how many steps you take each day. It will also display the number of calories burned or the distance covered if that is more likely to help you stay motivated.
There’s absolutely no necessity to immediately get up to 10,000 steps. Look for ways to build walking into your day and gradually work up to the target figure. You’ll be amazed at just how easy it is. Walk around when you’re chatting on your mobile phone – a 15 minute call will give you the opportunity to get an extra 1,000 steps in. Get off the bus a stop or two before you reach your destination and walk the last leg of the journey. Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. You will amazed at just how quickly such small changes can increase your daily step count. You will be surprised and delighted at how quickly you will see and feel the benefits.
The only other piece of equipment that you really need for your walking workout routine is a good pair of shoes. Make sure that your shoes don’t give you blisters or cause any discomfort when you walk in them. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to motivate yourself to keep walking. If you wish, you can make use of the latest advances in fitness footwear technology. Shoes such as Skechers Shape Ups, Reebok Easy Tones and Fit flops sandals are all designed to boost the level of work performed by your lower body muscles. They increase the effectiveness of your walking exercise program and help to tone your lower body even faster.
Whatever exercise you decide to adopt, and however you choose to fit it into your daily routine, the key thing is consistency. A small amount of extra effort, if undertaken on a consistent and regular basis, will help you to burn calories faster – both due to the exercise itself and the increase in your metabolic rate. You’ll see results much more quickly than by dieting alone and – most important of all – you will feel great.
