Walking is one of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise for anyone at any age or fitness level whether male or female. Walking is especially beneficial for women over forty, it is low impact, requires no equipment or learning curve and it resets your metabolism to its ideal state. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day. This type of exercise has many health benefits associated with improving blood circulation which is vital for providing your body the oxygen it needs to nourish every cell.
After turning forty, most people do not engage in regular exercise resulting in a sluggish metabolism that encourages fat build up. So, for Kandie’s Health & Fitness Project for Women Over Forty it is vital that women get moving towards regular cardiovascular or aerobic exercise in order to reap all the benefits. In the Journal of The American Medical Association they found that brisk walking is very effective for reducing deep abdominal fat, the most dangerous kind of fat. Walking is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this, plus it is “women over forty” friendly. It is fairly easy for anyone to begin walking as a way to lose weight in conjunction with a proper diet.
Here is a list of some of the benefits for walking:
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Lowers high blood pressure
- Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Reduces deep abdominal fat
- Burns calories
- Increases bone strength
- Improves circulation
- Improves your mood
There are numerous ways for you to add moderate aerobic/cardio exercise to your day. However, walking is one of the best, easiest, cheapest and most effective ways to start. You don’t have to limit yourself to a boring treadmill routine either, add in some inclines and short speed intervals for added benefits and enjoyment. If walking outdoors, you can change your scenery, your distance, your terrain and level of workout just by changing your route. You can walk alone with your headphones on or with a group of people on a designated path or even join a mall walking group. However, getting moving doesn’t have to be limited to just walking. But, based on the fitness project’s goal to slowly introduce healthy habits, walking seems like a good place to start. Check out The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for information on Selecting and Effectively Using a Walking Program:
For this project, there are three levels that will help you determine how often and how long you will be walking each week.
The Beginners: start out walking 3days a week for 30 minutes each day, once you can do this comfortably increase your walk time by 5-10 minute increments until you can walk for an entire hour.
The Intermediates: will walk 4 days a week for 30-45 minutes each day, then increase your walk time to an entire hour in four to six weeks.
The Advancers: will walk five or more days a week for one hour duration.
No matter what fitness level you are, everyone should be walking hard enough to break a sweat, but still be able to carry on a conversation. The 30 minutes a day can be broken down into smaller increments if you find you can’t accomplish it all at once. You can do 3-ten minute intervals or 2-fifteen minute intervals as long as you get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day. This way you can easily work up to 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week as recommended by the experts. Remember, that walking is just a starting point. You can chose whatever aerobic type activity or exercise that will help you accomplish this new habit of getting moving. As Nike says, “Just Do It”
Examples of typical aerobic exercises are:
• Walking
• Running
• Stair climbing
• Cycling
• Rowing
• Cross country skiing
• Swimming
Even if you do other types of exercise, walking should be the foundation of your activity plan. National Weight Control Registry participants cited walking as their top weight-loss strategy; they walk off an average of 1,000 calories a week, says Liz Neporent a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers.
So, realistically how much weight can you lose by walking. Fitday.com states that this is determined by how many calories you can burn by just walking. The number of calories per minute you can burn by walking is determined by your body weight and walking pace. If you walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour (a common pace) you can burn the following amount of calories per minute: 120 lb. person = 4.7 calories; 140 lb. person = 5.5 calories; 160 lb. person = 6.3 calories; 180 lb. person = 7.1 calories; 200 lb. person = 7.8 calories; and 220 lb. person = 8.6 calories. If you plan to lose 20 pounds by walking alone, try to burn at least 250 extra calories during your walk per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds you’d have to walk at least 40 minutes per day at a pace of 4 miles per hour to lose ½ pound per week. If you’re unsure of your pace, try walking on a treadmill to give you a better idea.
At a weight loss rate of ½ -1 pound per week, it will likely take you at least 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Losing weight at this pace is safe and will help you keep the weight off long term. To accomplish a weight loss of ½ - 1 pound per week, try to burn an extra 250–500 calories per day by walking. If you find you’re not burning this many calories by walking alone, simply reduce your calorie intake through diet in addition to walking.
The average person can realistically lose 2 pounds a week when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise. If walking seems a little too easy for you, or the weather hinders outdoor walking, just pick an aerobic workout that you enjoy and do it 3 times a week. The goal is to get you moving and ease you into a sustainable exercise regime. I enjoy working out to either Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs or The Wave, three times a week. Being that winter is rolling around, walking at the high school track is out of the question until early spring.
Walking is definitely good for its health benefits but it also has some extremely good psychological benefits that go beyond just weight loss. These types of benefits may persuade more women to engage in walking and stick to it. These benefits are instantly achievable as compared to the more well known physical benefits you can achieve in the distant future. Most people are unaware that aerobic exercise releases a drug like effect similar to morphine that lingers for hours. Therefore, walking not only helps you burn calories but it also puts you in a good mood.
- Feel more energized
- Reduceses stress
- Feel more productive
- Become more engaged in activities
- Feel happier
- Spend more time with family (if walk with the kids)
- Boosts confidence
- Enhances daily well-being
- Promotes social networking
For those of you that need a more structured or advanced walking plan, here are a few resources to help you get started incorporating a walking plan into your lifestyle:
Make a walk your workout:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/walking-for-exercise
Lose Weight Walking: Burn 1300 calories:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/walking/lose-weight-walking/
Starting a Walking Program:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/walking-for-exercise
Walking: Trim your waistline, improve your health:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ016123
Ways to Walk to Weight Loss:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/livestrongcom/3-ways-to-walk-to-weight_b_669031.html
Visit the library, checkout walking for weight loss DVDs
So, as you can see, exercise is a very important part of obtaining a healthy body weight. Whether you want to lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds, you can do it just by getting your body in motion. However, your exercise must be fun, flexible, inexpensive and easy to maintain as a daily part of your overall healthy lifestyle. Therefore, no more excuses as to why you can’t or don’t exercise. As always, please check with your doctor before starting any exercise.
Drink your 8 glasses of water a day
Eat a hearty healthy breakfast
Get movin’
Assignment #1
Since this week is all about getting your butt up and getting you physically moving, this assignment is about finding an activity or two that you can use as an alternate cardiovascular exercise. This depends on your level of fitness as well as your commitment and reasons for wanting to shed those unwanted pounds. Losing weight has to be a priority in order for you to be successful, you make time for everything else, why not make this your personal priority. The reason you need to have an alternate cardiovascular exercise is to stave off boredom and to overcome any weight loss plateaus.
Proper exercise clothing and footwear is mandatory. Even if you are just walking, you can injure yourself by not wearing the proper shoes. You don’t have to go out and by the latest workout gear or name brand footwear, just make sure when walking you have on loose fitting clothing and a decent pair of tennis shoes. So, your assignment is to set out your walking gear or pack it in your gym bag the night before so you will be ready. Remember, no more excuses.
References
Fit Day; “Understanding Weight Loss: How to Lose 20 Pounds by Walking”http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/understanding-weight-loss-how-to-lose-20-pounds-by-walking.html
Selecting and Effectively Using a Walking Program:
http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/selecting-and-effectively-using-a-walking-program.pdf
The American College of Sports Medicine; “Changing Our Tune on Exercise”
http://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/selecting-and-effectively-using-a-walking-program.pdf
Why Is Walking So Good For Weight Loss? By Liz Neporent
http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/08/19/why-is-walking-so-good-for-weight-loss/
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