Regularly exercising is an important thing to do if you want to remain healthy and fit. When you are active physically, you lower the risks of developing health ailments and other conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. In addition to a healthier and longer life, walking can help with weight loss efforts. It can help you lose weight and maintain the loss. Now when we think of exercise, images of gym workouts and running tracks may pop. For those who don’t have the time nor the drive to actually engage in serious exercising, walking is your best choice. Why? Because it is simple and low risk. Walking is something very basic that most of us do daily. And it’s something that’s very easy for us to do more of. If we commit to it as a weight loss method, walking will help you lose weight.
Walk to burn calories.
We need and must burn the calories we eat on a daily basis. The function of food is to supply us the energy our body needs to function properly as we go about our daily routine. We can walk to burn calories, especially if we tend to eat more than we burn. Daily calorie needs differ with each person. It is affected by weight, height, age, sex, and activity level. If you want to lose weight, you either need to eat fewer calories or burn more calories than you consume. Walking keeps you physically active. It is a basic form of exercise that will contribute to calorie burn.
Do a brisk walk to focus more and burn more calories.
A sedentary lifestyle will cause weight gain and health problems. Working in a desk job for the whole day is sedentary. Lingering in the couch or bed during all your free time is sedentary. Don’t fall into physical inactivity. Walk more and reduce health risks and weight gain risks. Did you know that, walking one mile (1.6 km.) burns about 100 calories for you? Try it! And try brisk walking. Brisk walking contributes to more calorie burn. When you do a brisk walk, you put a little more drive, joy, and focus in doing the walk. It makes walking exciting. It makes you more intent and aware that you’re walking to burn more calories and to lose the excess weight.
Walk through hills and inclines to burn more calories.
Lose your belly fat by walking up inclines and hills. This will increase the intensity of your walk. This type of walking helps you burn more calories and lose weight.
Walk to preserve lean muscle.
With some weight loss methods, people cut calories and lose weight. But they also lose muscle along with body fat. It’s counterproductive when this happens. Muscles are metabolically active and they help you burn more calories. When you do natural forms of exercise regularly, especially walking, you do not experience this negative effect. You preserve lean muscle while you burn calories and lose weight. You rate of metabolism stays steady and you experience no drop in the calorie burn.
In this light, we understand that walking will help protect you not just from weight gain but from age-related muscle loss. As we age, the body tends to lose muscle and strength; bodily functions start sliding down. But walking helps counter that by keeping your muscles in good condition.
Walk to burn belly fat.
We don’t want belly fat because it increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and more. Men who measure over 40 inches around the waist (35 inches for women) can be considered to have abdominal obesity, and that is medically recognized as a health risk. Now regular aerobic exercise like walking is an effective way to cut that stored fat around the midsection. Studies show that regular walking reduces obesity. It reduces waist circumference and body fat. One study notes that 50-70 minutes of walking for three times a week resulted in a waist circumference reduction of 1.1 inches plus 1.5% body fat loss after 12 weeks. Another study showed that compared with sole dieting, coupling a healthy diet with one hour of walking for 5 times in a week can cut 1.5 inches off the waistline and 1.3% off your total body fat.
Walk to improve your mood.
Exercise is a natural mood booster and influencer. It lowers stress levels. It is a healthy, drug-free way to manage depression or anxiety. When you walk, your body releases serotonin and norepinephrine. These are hormones that in turn release endorphins, the hormones that lift your spirits and make you happy. Stress and anxiety can lead to health risks and most probably, food dependency. As the body searches for relief, unhealthy eating may come into play. When you walk, you keep your mood up and positive. You avoid health and weight problems.
Last Updated on July 27, 2021
