A lot of people are really overweight and therefore want to find some simple ways to shed the pounds. Because of this you will see so many crazy diets and exercise routines being promoted and it’s difficult to know whether it’s worth the effort.
This is why you might want to find ways of losing weight that doesn’t require lots of effort and can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle with little fuss. Walking can be an excellent way of starting a fitness regime however there are a few ways you can make it even more beneficial for your weight loss efforts.
- Ankle Weights – These are a really simple, easy and cheap way of getting the most out of walking for weight loss. It doesn’t matter where you are walking you can just strap them on and then set off on your walk. Whether you are walking around the park or to take your kids to school. Please note that some people have problems with their joints and should be careful about doing any kind of exercise, including the use of ankle weights. If you have been leading a very sedentary lifestyle then you might want to start off with short walks and then build up to longer and longer walks.
- Weight Loss Shoes – You will probably have seen a number of adverts for EasyTone by Reebok and thought that this would be a great way of toning up and losing weight whilst walking. However we’re still to find out whether it really works in practice. The idea behind it is that your muscles have to work harder due to the stability balls under your feet. Whether you decide to buy these is up to you, just be careful that you only wear them for walking and not for other activities such as running.
- Nordic Walking Poles – They are really gaining popularity with lots of people using them to augment their walking routine. Normally walking poles are used to help your balance on steep hills however people are using them on flat walks too. The idea is that they work out your upper body too and not just your legs, meaning you burn off a lot more calories.
For anyone who is looking for a way to start losing weight through exercise, walking is a great thing to do because you can do as much or as little as you feel is right for your body. Just be careful that you take the advice of a doctor if you are unsure of anything.
Related Reading:
Kathy Smith: Weight Loss WorkoutThis hour with Kathy Smith will get you sweating, burning fat, dropping pounds, and strengthening muscles. This moderate- intensity workout includes both aerobics and strength training. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, and the combination of aerobics and strength training burns more calories than either alone. Smith offers both beginning and advanced modifications so you can work at your own pace. Insets give helpful alignment tips. You start with an 8-minute warm up, then you work your arms with weights for 6 minutes. Four different aerobic segments follow, totaling 30 minutes. Most of the aerobic moves are simple and frequently repeated, with no difficult choreography until the last segment, which becomes dancier. After the aerobics, you do standing legwork for 5 minutes, add weights for another 5 minutes, and cool down for 6 minutes. At the end of the video, Smith explains a nutrition program for weight loss. --Joan Price
