Walking To Lose Weight - Can Walking Really Help You Lose Weight

     Okay you want to lose weight and you know you will have to exercise if you really want to shed the pounds. But do you have to become a body builder or a triathlon athlete to lose the weight and keep it off? Well...relax, the answer is no. It might be as simple as walking to lose weight. Let's find out...

You have probably seen people walking around the malls, on bike paths or at lunchtime. You may have asked yourself "can walking really help you to lose weight?" Guess what...it can!

The exercise to round out your weight loss plan may be as simple as walking a couple days each week. Walking is not only good for weight management but for your heart, cardiovascular system, joints and muscle tone. Here are a few benefits walking can bring to your weight loss goals.

1. Walking burns more calories than you may think.
Walking burns almost as many calories as jogging, yet it is much easier on your joints. Here are some examples. A 150-pound person walking moderately (2.5 mph) for 30 minutes will burn 107 calories. If the same person walks for 45 minutes, he/she would burn 160 calories. You can calculate how many calories you will burn by using a "calorie calculator" which can be found free online. You will need to know your walking speed, weight and amount of time you will be walking then it will calculate the number of calories burned for you.

If you are unsure about your walking speed, try walking on a treadmill with no incline for one mile to see how long it takes. If you do not have access to a treadmill measure off one mile in your neighborhood with your car, walk it and note the amount of time it took you. Once you know the amount of time it takes you to walk one mile, you can calculate your walking speed.

Now divide 60 by the number of minutes it took you to walk one mile. Hence, if it took you 15 minutes: 60 divided by 15 = 4 mph. If it took you 20 minutes: 60 divided by 20 = 3 mph. If it took you 30 minutes: 60 divided by 30 = 2 mph.

2. You can increase your metabolism by walking.
Not only does walking burn calories, but it increases your metabolism for up to 12 hours after you walk even as little as 2 miles. If your metabolism seems to be slow, here is your chance to up it just by taking a daily walk.

3. Appetite reduction.
Do you seem hungry all the time no matter how much you eat? Walking may be the answer you need. Aerobic type exercises like walking have a tendency to suppress the appetite. One of the last things you will want after a good brisk walk is a heavy meal. If you do feel hungry after your walk, try drinking water first. You may be more thirsty than hungry. If water does not work, then you may be walking too fast and not really in the fat-burning zone. In this case, slow your walking pace.

These are just a few tips to help you learn how walking to lose weight can be beneficial. Want to know more...read on.

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