When you think of exercises that help you lose pounds, you might think of vigorous cardiovascular exercises like running or biking. But walking can be a great exercise for weight loss if you do it consistently and keep up your pace.
Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you take in. Any type of physical activity can help you achieve this, but there are many reasons why walking works so well. Let's just say it's the simplest form of aerobic exercise, so it's a great choice for a starter weight loss plan. Walking can be done on a treadmill or in the fresh air, no financial investment is needed, and no special equipment is required other than a pair of walking shoes.
If you've just started a weight loss plan, a simple walking routine can help you burn more calories each day while increasing your fitness. Over time, you can add new moves to increase the intensity and further increase your calorie burn.
This schedule is designed to burn between 200 and 400 calories a day, so it can speed up weight loss by helping you lose more than a pound a week, assuming you also make some changes to your diet. Although it may take four to six weeks to get more noticeable results.
Walking plan to lose weight
This plan starts with just 20 minutes of brisk walking. You'll be able to walk a little more each day, and as you get fitter, you can add additional exercises to keep you challenged and increase your burn.
Remember to keep a brisk pace as you walk – the goal is a moderate pace and somewhat hard. If you can't talk while you walk, you're working too hard. If you can sing or talk a lot, you probably aren't working hard enough.
Day 1: 20-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 10 minute brisk walk
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 2: 30-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 20 minute brisk walk
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 3: 40-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 30-minute brisk pace walk with intervals: every 5 minutes, pick up your pace for 30 seconds, then return to your base pace for 5 more minutes
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 4: 45-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 35-minute walk at a brisk pace – choose a route that has inclines to increase your intensity and overall calorie burn
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 5: 50-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 40-minute walk at a brisk pace: It's another interval day, except this time, you'll be doing high and low intervals much more often. Walk as fast as you can for 30 seconds and return to your baseline fast pace for 60 seconds. Try to keep this up for as long as you can.
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 6: 60-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 50 minute walk at a faster pace: Focus on making your base pace a little faster than usual. (Listening to fast music can help!)
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Day 7: 60-minute walk
- 5 minute warm up: walk at a leisurely pace
- 50 minute interval walk: do 3 minutes at base pace, then 1 minute at a brisk pace. Maintain this 4-minute cycle for as long as 50 minutes you can.
- 5 minute cool down: walk at a leisurely pace
Increase intensity to lose weight
Over time, as your fitness improves, you can make things even more challenging by adding some power moves into your walk. Try things like:
Pushups
- Start face down on your hands and feet.
- Make sure to keep your body rigid as you lower and rise and focus on fully bending your elbows.
- If full pushups are too challenging, do a pushup while leaning against a wall.
Strides on the spot
- Stand in a wide-stride position with your feet parallel.
- Keep your front foot planted and your weight on the ball of your back foot.
- Slowly lower your body down until your back knee almost touches the ground while letting your front knee bend to 90 degrees.
- Keep your front knee straight over your front foot.
- Push up through the heel of your front foot and the ball of your back foot until you come back up. (Don't push forward, just push up.)
Bimini
- Start on the floor lying face down.
- Lift your toes and forearms, keeping your body completely straight (don't let your hips sag or dip).
- If you find this position too intense, you can do the modified version on your toes and fingers.
The goal is to stay in this position for as long as possible. At first this might only be 10 seconds, but try working your way up to 60 seconds or more.
Do not forget your diet to lose weight
It's hard to lose weight just by exercising alone. It's very easy to eat more calories than you burn in a day, even if you exercise every day. If that happens, you could easily sabotage your weight loss efforts or even gain weight.
You need to burn about 3.500 calories to lose a pound of fat. To lose that pound in a week, you'll want to eat about 500 fewer calories a day.
eat smaller portions
Try to serve yourself a little less at each meal. Using a smaller plate or bowl can make it look like you're still eating a generous amount.
This does not mean that we do not eat the amount necessary to cover the daily calories. It is recommended to go to a professional to establish how many calories you should achieve each day. From there you can determine if your portions should be smaller or if it is better to organize a meal plan.
Opt for low-calorie foods
Experts also recommend swapping high-calorie foods for low-calorie foods. For example, use mustard on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise, make an omelet with vegetables instead of cheese, or snack with an apple instead of a bagel.
Small gestures can mean a big step in weight loss. We know that this occurs when there is a caloric deficit, in which more calories are expended than consumed.
Eat high-calorie treats less often
Save the cookies or ice cream for once or twice a week instead of every day. It does not imply that they are prohibited in the diet, but they should be consumed in a moderate and controlled way.
Over time, these small dietary changes along with daily exercise will add up. You may see progress on the scale in as little as a week and start to notice a difference in the mirror within a month or so.