Walking to Lose Weight
this is an excellent free program

We offer you a choice between two excellent free programs that really work for lasting benefits.

You can chose the easier plan or the harder plan. Simply decide where you prefer to start.

If you are unfit, overweight or obese, recovering from serious illness or surgery, unsure if you are in reasonably good physical condition, or if you are older than middle-aged, then we suggest starting with the easier plan on this page, which is Cardio Walking for Weight Loss Plan 1.

If you hate exercising but are willing to do some, start with the plan on this page.

If you are healthy, young or middle-aged, and you are in reasonably good physical condition, we suggest that our Cardio Walking for Weight Loss Plan 2 may be more suitable for you.

If so, you will find the link to that page at the bottom of this page.

Walking is an excellent way to become active again. The key is to start slowly and persist. You can do it indoors on a treadmill or outdoors, whichever you prefer.

Here we show you how to do it effectively.

If you stick to it and make each walk just slightly more challenging than your last one, you will soon be feeling much better. If you also eat well, the results possible from just walking may amaze you! Walking to lose weight really works.

You will not only be walking to lose weight; you will quickly find that you feel better, you look better, and you are healthier! You will become more trim and energetic. Soon others will begin noticing and start complimenting you—and even asking for advice! (Before changing your exercise habits, you may first wish to obtain the blessing of your personal physician.)

Let’s assume that you have been inactive. If you do a lot of walking, you may lose weight. However, the chief value of this plan is simply to get you more active.

Walking is not the best exercise to lose weight. It is not intense enough.

On the other hand, brisk walking will, after 20 minutes or so, burn more fat than other kinds of exercise during the exercise. "Brisk" walking or other forms of mild fitness exercise (cardio) involve keeping your maximum heart rate at between 60 and 65%.

So brisk walking will enable you to burn more fat than you would without exercising at all.

What, you may wonder, is the best kind of fat-burning exercise?

It is a combination of strength training and intense fitness exercise (such as GXP or HIIT). Their advantage is that that burn more fat after exercising -- for up to 40 hours! Since we spend a lot more time not exercising than exercising, that's important.

When and if you are ready for them, we have sections of this website that explain in step-by-step detail how to do both strength training and intense fitness exercise even if you have never done any in your life.

Nevertheless, just walking briskly (about 60 to 65% of VO2max) burns calories while walking and, after about 20 minutes (depending upon your degree of fitness) most (55%) of those calories come from burning fat.

To be honest, the downside of only doing brisk walking is that, if you teach your body to burn fat during exercise, it will begin to store fat so that it has fuel for your next exercise session! That's the opposite of what you want.

You want your body to burn more fat throughout the day.

Nevertheless, walking has benefits other than fat burning and, if you do enough of it, it can still help you to lose weight.

Incidentally, if you lose 1 and 1/2 to 2 pounds of body weight you'll have lost about 1 pound of fat.

So what's the best way begin walking briskly to lose weight?

Here's how.

How to begin walking to lose weight

You need a place to walk. Walking on a treadmill is ideal, but it’s fine to walk outside. However, if you walk outside, since walking on concrete sidewalks or paved roads may give you shin splints, find a softer surface to walk on.

You need walking shoes that are less than six months old. Not running shoes or cross trainers—walking shoes.

You will need a watch — preferably with a minute hand.

Trim your toenails properly with a convex clipper. Ensure that your feet are clean and dry. Wear clean white socks. Wear whatever other clothes are suitable for the conditions.

If you find that skin rubs on skin (for example between your thighs or between your toes or between your arms and torso), use petroleum jelly to reduce the chafing.

You will need a notebook and a pen. Keep track of each walk: distance covered, the time it took, and any notes about how you felt during or afterwards.

(If you can afford a pedometer and want to use it, fine. However, it’s not necessary.)

Have modest goals for the initial phase

If you have one in mind, fine.

If not, let’s pick a modest goal for the initial phase of your walking to lose weight campaign, namely, one mile in 30 minutes.

That may seem like an enormous challenge. Alternatively, it may seem like too small a challenge. Either way, it’s a reasonable starting point.

Time to warm up

Sitting in a chair, put your legs straight out in front of you. You knees should be locked and your feet about a foot apart. Roll both feet in a circular motion ten times one way, and then roll them ten times the other way.

Next, still keeping your knees locked, point your toes away from you and hold that position for 20 seconds. Then point your toes back towards your head and hold that position for 20 seconds.

Next, stand up. Keeping your heels flat on the floor and your toes pointed at about a 45 degree angle, squat all the way down as far as you can go. Let your knees track out over your toes as you descend. If possible, put your palms on the floor in front of you (with your elbows between your legs) and relax your neck so that your head drops forward. Maintain that position for 30 seconds or so and then stand up again.

This may be difficult at first, but, if you keep practicing it once a day, it will soon get much easier. It’s a wonderful, natural stretch.

Then simply walk at a normal pace for 2 to 4 minutes and you’re ready to go!

How far and how fast

How far should you go? Not far! Just walk for a little while, perhaps only a few minutes, until you begin to feel slightly tired. That's enough for today!

If you are using a watch, note for how long you walked. Write it down. Tomorrow you are going to walk slightly longer—another minute or two. The day after that, you are again going to walk slightly longer—another minute or two.

Persist! Soon, in a matter of weeks, you will be walking for 30 minutes.

Excellent! You are now halfway to the first goal.

All you have to do now is to walk slightly more quickly each time. Do not increase the distance. Just keep walking for 30 minutes every day religiously while pushing yourself slightly to move a bit more quickly. In just a matter of a few more weeks, you are going to be able to cover one mile in those 30 minutes.

(Alternatively, if you are using a pedometer, note how many steps you took during your walk. Write it down. Tomorrow you are going to walk for more steps—another 50 or 100. The day after that, you are again going to walk an additional 50 or 100 steps. Soon you will be walking 2000 steps. If you are taking a normal stride, that’s about one mile. Excellent!

All you have to do now is to walk those two thousand steps slightly more quickly each time. Do not take more steps. Just keep walking 2000 steps each day religiously while pushing yourself slightly to move a bit more quickly. In just a matter of a few more weeks, you are going to be able to do those steps in 30 minutes. Congratulations!)

Tip: after your walk, it’s a good idea to repeat that squat stretch again. (Also, especially if you feel the back of your body tightening up, do some stretching for your Achilles tendons, calves, hamstrings, and lower back.)

Listen to your body if you walk to lose weight.

If you find it relatively easy, try doing it twice a day instead of once a day. If you find it relatively difficult, try doing it every other day instead of daily.

Once you are able to walk one mile in thirty minutes, your next goal should be walking two miles in 60 minutes. Use a similar program to meet that goal.

You may go for two one-mile walks in 30 minutes each or one two-mile walk in 60 minutes; it doesn’t matter. Break it up however it best suits you.

Once you are able to walk two miles in one hour every day, your third goal should be walking three miles in 60 minutes every day. Again, you may break it up. For example, walk one mile in the morning in twenty minutes—and repeat that distance and time in the afternoon and again in the evening.

Once you are able to walk three miles in one hour every day, your third and final goal should be to walk four miles in an hour every day six days a week. Again, you may break it up.

There will be days when you feel discouraged and don’t feel like walking to lose weight. So? Do it anyway. If you persist, you will succeed.

In fact, the more of an obstacle you overcome, the more satisfying your accomplishment will feel.

You now have a clear program on using walking to lose weight. You will soon be feeling much better—and you’ll be looking better and be more fit as well!

Web pages related to walking to lose weight

Alternatively, see the following section of our website for foods that speed up metabolism and use those foods in conjunction with your walking to lose weight plan.

To the Walking for Weight Loss Plan 2 (the harder plan)

Our walking to lose weight recommended reading list

You will find these books on how to eat better very helpful:

• Cordain, The Paleo Diet
• Bennett & Sinatra, Sugar Shock!
• Eades & Eades, The Protein Power Lifeplan
• Wolf's The Paleo Solution.

You should be able to borrow these books from your local library if you do not wish to buy them.

This completes the walking to lose weight page.

From walking to lose weight, to the natural weight loss homepage.