So you’re finally found the motivation to get up off the couch and get started on your weight loss journey — congratulations. But before you wander into the gym for the first time in ages and start torturing yourself by trying to do everything at once, even signing up for training sessions you’ll very possibly be ghosting within weeks, consider this — you may be doing too much, too fast.
Walking is an excellent form of exercise to help meet weight goals and improve overall health and fitness. You can benefit from various walking speeds and amounts of time spent walking. There are lots of ways to create a walking plan that fits your needs. Walking can help reduce waist size, and lower weight, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, per week. Exercising for longer amounts of time each week further increases the benefits.
How many steps do you really need to take in a day to stay healthy? While we are often told that 10,000 steps is the gold standard for a healthy lifestyle, reaching this target can be no easy feat. But are 10,000 steps a day really necessary? And would 5,000 steps be enough? “Modern life has humans sitting and much more sedentary than the levels of activity we are supposed to be at evolutionarily,” John Ford, an American College of Sports Medicine certified exercise physiologist at JKF Fitness and Health in New York, told Newsweek. “Many negative health risk factors that cause mortality are increased significantly by a sedentary lifestyle and sitting too much during the day.”
Turns out, there’s one simple exercise that beats the rest when it comes to kickstarting your effort to melting away the pounds, according to TJ Mentus, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews, in an interview with Eat This, Not That! Walking is a simple and easy way to be more active and fit, offering numerous health benefits beyond weight loss.
In conclusion, if you want to jumpstart your weight loss journey, consider incorporating walking into your daily routine. Not only will it help you shed pounds, but it will also improve your overall health and fitness. So lace up those sneakers, hit the pavement, and take the first steps towards a healthier you.
