If you want to lose weight then you need to consider your calorie balance. If you consume fewer calories as a result of eating and drinking than you burn off by physical activity, you will tend to lose weight. Physical activity includes almost everything that you do throughout the day. You are burning calories all the time throughout the day. Sitting watching the TV, typing on your computer, reading a book – all of these activities use up calories.
Your metabolic rate sounds very scientific – but it’s just the rate at which you use up calories. Of course, not everybody has the same metabolic rate. We all know some fortunate people who just don’t seem to gain weight regardless of how much they eat. They probably have a high metabolic rate.
And that’s why you should incorporate some amount of regular exercise in your weight loss efforts. Clearly when you exercise you will burn off calories, which is a good thing of course. However, what’s even more important is that, as long as your exercise is conducted on a consistent basis, it will actually raise your metabolic rate. You will use up calories faster than before – even when you’re not exercising – and that could mean that you see improved results, and a lot quicker, than if dieting is all you do to lose weight.
The important thing is consistency. You don’t need to go to the gym and get all hot and sweaty, a low level workout will give you results – if it is performed consistently. Walking is one of the best and most popular ways to take regular exercise. It’s easy to do, it doesn’t carry any high monthly membership fees, you can fit it into your day whenever you like and you don’t need any special training or equipment. It has many health benefits over and above helping you to achieve weight loss and, because it’s a low impact workout, it has a very low risk of injury.
If you wish, you can boost the effectiveness of your walking exercise program using the latest design of exercise shoes. You can now buy specially designed shoes like Skechers Shape Ups, Reebok Easy Tones, MBT’s and Fit flops sandals – all of which use specially designed soles to increase the amount of work done by your lower body muscles and to help tone your legs and trim your butt. However, if you don’t want to experiment with these, then do at least be certain that you get yourself a comfortable pair of shoes. You’ll find it hard to keep up your walking routine if you have blisters or if your shoes cause you any discomfort.
A lot of people want to know exactly how many calories walking will use. Your weight is an important factor. Someone who is heavier will use more calories per mile than a lighter person – simply because they are carrying more weight over the same distance. A rough rule of thumb is that a 180 pound person will burn around about 100 calories per mile. A 130 pound person will use about 84 calories when walking the same distance. If you want to know more accurately how many calories you are using up then an Omron pedometer is accurate to a tolerance of 5% and can show your results in terms of calories burned, distance covered or the total number of steps taken.
Most health advisers recommend a target of 10,000 steps a day in order to get the full benefits of walking, including weight loss. However, there’s no need for you to do this in one fell swoop. Take your time and build up to the target value at a pace which is good for you. If you are over 40 years of age, if you have any medical conditions, or if you just haven’t exercised for a while, then you should seek the opinion of your doctor prior to taking up any new exercise program. Remember, consistency is key, and taking your exercise on a regular basis. Short periods of high intensity activity are nowhere near as good as repeated low level exercise. That’s why walking is such a great option.
Increase the effectiveness of your walking workout routine using Fit flops exercise shoes. Keep your motivation levels high by using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress.