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Marsha
Brascher, July 8, 2009
Want to know one of the best ways to loose
weight - keep moving! Walking for weight loss
is a great way to get started and keep
motivate. Fact: every moment that you are on
the couch watching the boob tube or sitting,
searching the internet - your body is
sedentary. You may have a glandular problem -
the I’m
too tired gland that keeps you from getting
up and moving. Do you want
more energy - you have to expend it to get it!
Get up and get moving.
First Step
The first step for walking for weight loss is
your warm up. Just like jogging, you need to
warm those muscles up. Before you step out the
door, do some simple stretching moves. Then
start your walk at a normal, easy pace for
about 5 to 10 minutes. This routine
will send the signal to your muscles that it’s
time to start working harder. Caution: Do not
start off at a high speed - this may set you up
for an injury and burn sugar instead of fat.
The reason for the slow start is to activate
your fat burning machine.
Plan Your Routine
Create a routine that will maximize your
walking for weight loss program. You should
have three parts to your routine; warm up,
endurance and cool down. Above, I talked about
the importance of warming up and starting your
fat burning machine. Next is the endurance
part. Start with a brisk walk that allow you to
breath heavier than normal but still be able to
carry on a conversation, breathy as it may be.
Your heart rate should be 60 to 70 percent of
your maximum heart rate. (You can look online
for tools to calculate your heart rate.) If you
physically can, walk at this faster rate for 30
minutes. This may be a goal that you work up
to.
Once you have finished your accelerated speed,
slow it down to a more relaxed pace, believe
me, you will be ready to do that! Walk at this
pace for 5 to 10 minutes to cool down and let
your muscles know that you are slowing
down. Stretching
exercises at home are a good way for you to end
your routine. The best part
- you have started your fat burning machine
working for the rest of the day and all
night!
New Life Style
Habit
Once you build your routine, you can lengthen
your endurance time, add small weights at your
hands or ankles, add listening to motivation
tapes. Using walking for weight loss as a long
term strategy, in addition to a healthy diet
plan, your entire body shape changes and you
get a healthier you! Keep it
up!
(Note: As with any exercise program, be sure to
consult your physician first to make sure using
a plan of walking for weight loss is good for
you.)
Your Workout
You can determine what speed for walking for
weight loss is right for you. You should be
breathing heavy, but you also should be able to
carry on a conversation albeit laboriously. You
should try to keep your heart rate at about 60
to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
(However, if you are older or have health
related issues, make sure to talk to your
doctor about what heart rate is best for you.
You can also look online for target heart rate
calculators, but do not use internet
information as a substitute for talking to your
personal physician.) A great way to think about
how fast you should be walking is to imagine
you are almost late for an appointment. Start
walking for 30 minutes at a time, but do not
overwhelm your body. If you cannot handle the
full 30 minutes, let yourself take a break.
Make 30 minutes at a time your goal if you
cannot do it right away.
Keep Going
Walking for weight loss will only work if you
keep it up. You should combine your walking for
weight loss with a healthy diet plan in order
to optimize your weight loss. Once again,
walking for weight loss should never be started
unless you are in optimal health or have talked
to your doctor about starting a weight loss
plan like walking for weight loss.
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