Walking instead of Dieting?

All of our lives, we’ve been told that if we want to lose weight we have to watch what we eat. We have to quit eating the foods that we really enjoy and start eating foods that are healthy. What if you could simply walk and drop some of those extra pounds? What if you could get into shape without giving up all your favorite foods? That’d be ideal, right? Don’t get the wrong idea, watching what you eat and attempting to eat foods that are better for you is always a good idea, but what I’m saying here is that with some simple exercise (like walking) you don’t have to be a total fanatic about every little calorie and it won’t hurt you so much to go scarf down a double cheeseburger and an order of fries! (Occasionally – LOL)   When combined with dieting, walking is one of the best weight loss programs around. It’s affordable, it’s easy, and it can be a lot of fun if you pick places you enjoy to walk or you walk with friends. The benefits of walking regularly are phenomenal and with the right pace and the right techniques you can actually lose weight without dieting.

Say what? How Can I Lose Weight Without Dieting?

When you walk to lose weight, you will start slow and work yourself up – this will send messages to your body to leave some of the excess sugars for energy and to start burning off excess fat. The more you walk the more fat and calories you burn. Burn more calories than you consume and you will lose weight. So how do you lose weight if you’re still consuming a lot of calories? Easy, just walk more! Once you’ve started walking and get warmed up, continue to walk at a brisk pace so that your body will continue to burn away those calories.  If you work yourself up to at least 30 minutes per day of good, brisk walking you’ll see a great improvement in the tone of your body and in your weight. In addition, you’ll get the added benefit of starting to feel great and your new energy levels will surprise you!

Strenuous Exercise Programs Won’t Help

Over time, your muscles and energy system begins to lose efficiency from not be used enough. Because your entire being is so out of shape, you often find that an intense exercise program is more than you can handle. While exercises like jogging and running are great for burning calories, they’re also a little too much for those that aren’t used to regular exercise. Instead of helping you to lose weight quickly, they force your body to burn carbohydrates, which is going to make you tired much quicker. Many strenuous exercises will not allow your body to exercise at the low level that’s required to burn fat. Walking, however, allows you body to do just that.

Walking Provides the Perfect Pace

Walking allows you to workout at a pace that’s consistent, steady and works well for almost everyone. These are characteristics that are required to effectively burn fat. Unlike exercises like hockey, baseball or tennis, which all slow periods sometimes followed by great bursts of energy requirements, walking is consistent and constantly in fat-burning mode from the time you start until your walk is finished. A walking program may be your best choice for losing weight and keeping it off.

Exercise that’s Fun

Walking will easily become your favorite exercise program, especially if you begin to drop the fat and look really great. However, other things make walking a great choice. It’s not only fun but it’s something you can do with your family, friends or even your dog. In fact, your dog will love going for a walk with you regularly and they make great walking companions. It’s also a great way to socialize with friends. Whether you’re walking through the mall, in the park, down the beach or around the block in your neighborhood, walking can easily be the easiest and most effective exercise program you’ve ever used. You’ll find the more you walk, the more you’ll want to walk.

Actually, your results in the long term are more likely to reflect the workouts you put in, not your diet! Let’s take a quick glimpse at how a weight loss exercise program can help your body.

Burning Calories

Eating fewer calories than your body burns up in a day is the simplest way to think of weight loss. When this is accomplished on a regular basis you will lose weight quickly simply as a result of creating a shortage in calories that your body requires for energy. This means you will have to dip into your stored fat deposits for the needed energy.

When you are gaining weight, you are giving your body an excess of calories which forces the excess to accumulate in your fat cells. To lose weight quickly you must do the opposite, which is to short change your body on calories to a certain extent. Just don’t go too far here or you’ll go into starvation mode and start storing calories instead! It’s a delicate balance.

A good weight loss exercise program will increase your calorie burn day after day. This accomplishes two things:

1. It enables you to eat a bit more without gaining weight.

2. You will require more calories to perform the exercises in addition to regular daily activities, so your body will have to utilize stored calories from your fat cells.

Note that this requires cooperation with your diet. In order to lose weight quickly you cannot eat more food with the rationale you are burning more.

Lean Muscle Mass

The most amazing thing your established weight loss exercise program will do for you is support more lean muscle and make you appear skinnier and healthier than you may actually be. If you can schedule in at least a couple effective strength training sessions each week, you will see improvements in how your body is shaped and how your clothes fit even if the scale isn’t registering a huge loss every week. This is because a toned body looks much better than a flabby body!

If you want to lose weight quickly, a weight loss exercise program is essential.

Actually, your results in the long term are more likely to reflect the workouts you put in, not your diet! Let’s take a quick glimpse at how a weight loss exercise program can help your body.

Burning Calories

Eating fewer calories than your body burns up in a day is the simplest way to think of weight loss. When this is accomplished on a regular basis you will lose weight quickly simply as a result of creating a shortage in calories that your body requires for energy. This means you will have to dip into your stored fat deposits for the needed energy.

When you are gaining weight, you are giving your body an excess of calories which forces the excess to accumulate in your fat cells. To lose weight quickly you must do the opposite, which is to short change your body on calories to a certain extent. Just don’t go too far here or you’ll go into starvation mode and start storing calories instead! It’s a delicate balance.

A good weight loss exercise program will increase your calorie burn day after day. This accomplishes two things:

1. It enables you to eat a bit more without gaining weight.

2. You will require more calories to perform the exercises in addition to regular daily activities, so your body will have to utilize stored calories from your fat cells.

Note that this requires cooperation with your diet. In order to lose weight quickly you cannot eat more food with the rationale you are burning more.

Lean Muscle Mass

The most amazing thing your established weight loss exercise program will do for you is support more lean muscle and make you appear skinnier and healthier than you may actually be. If you can schedule in at least a couple effective strength training sessions each week, you will see improvements in how your body is shaped and how your clothes fit even if the scale isn’t registering a huge loss every week. This is because a toned body looks much better than a flabby body!

If you want to lose weight quickly, a weight loss exercise program is essential.

That means that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat.

Makes you think twice before eating a hamburger with the fries doesn’t it?, especially when you put it into perspective with the amount of exercise you have to do to burn it off. That always makes me think twice before reaching for the tub of ice cream because I think how much I’ll have to sweat and burn to get rid of it.

But don’t think for a second that you need to be like those Biggest Loser Guys on television where they lose an unrealistic 10 to 15 pounds per week.

Who has the time to exercise for 6 to 7 hours per day? Not me and I’m pretty sure neither do you. I wouldn’t recommend this method of weight loss; it’s simply not realistic for the general population to follow when you have a fulltime job and family to worry about. Great if you can hole yourself up for 12 weeks with a personal trainer, all of the latest cutting edge technology equipment and with the entire world watching you’re every move, who wouldn’t succeed?

Please don’t think that because you are not losing 5 pounds per week
that you’re failing your program or that it’s not working. Don’t compare your results to these types of shows as the conditions they lose the weight under are extreme.

A recent study revealed that if you give someone a good enough reason to lose weight, they will. 25 overweight participants had pictures taken of them wearing nothing more than their underwear revealing of all their lumps, bumps and jiggly bits.

The challenge for the group was for everyone to lose at least 10 pounds in the next month or run the risk of having their picture published on the front page of the highest publication newspaper. 30 days later, how successful do you think the experiment was?

100% success rate and why wouldn’t it be? If you were faced with humiliation you would do anything to avoid the pain of it. Same thing with the Biggest Loser contestants, not only is money a motivating factor but who wants to look like a failure in front of the world?

Wouldn’t it make you want to work just that little bit harder?, you bet it would.

So please don’t put yourself under unrealistic pressure to match pound for pound what these contestants are losing. I recall once reading a weight loss forum post where a woman was so depressed having only had lost 3 pounds in one week compared to her favorite female contestant who had lost 8 pounds. It derailed her diet because she couldn’t keep up, she thought she wasn’t working hard enough which left her disheartened and feeling like she failed.

A pound of fat is a pound of fat no matter how you look at it; it’s a tiny miraculous achievement that adds up to your bigger goal. Whether you lose 1 pound, 3 pounds or zero pounds in a given week shouldn’t throw you from your overall goal because you need to remember everyone is different and will lose weight at different rates. Even if you don’t lose any weight in one week doesn’t mean you are not making progress. Remember that weight fluctuations will happen and if your weight seems like it’s not budging fast enough, I’m sure your clothes will prove differently.

Any weight loss is great. Just keep with it.

So exercise huh?

The thought makes most people cringe but don’t worry, we aren’t going to ask you to go out and spend hours in the gym working off your weight one mile at a time on the treadmill.

Instead you’re going to get a no nonsense approach to exercise anyone can do despite your current level of fitness.

Exercise in your life

Ok, let’s start the show by busting a myth or two along the way. Contrary to popular belief sneaking in a little housework during commercial breaks doesn’t cut the mustard. It won’t be enough to lose the excess pounds you gained over the years.

For exercise to be of any long term benefit you have to raise your heart rate for at least 30 minutes at a time for at least 3 or more times per week.

Would you believe that some people don’t consider walking around the neighborhood or up stairs as significant exercise? It may be low impact but it is better than doing no exercise at all and whether you realize it or not still burns calories.

When you think of exercise what images do you conjure in your mind?

Is it of sweaty bodies squeezed into a tiny spaces jumping to pounding music? Exercise doesn’t have to be a torture; it can be enjoyable especially if shared with your family of friends. Exercise can be going for a walk, chasing after your children, mowing and raking the lawn.

Anything that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time is considered exercise.

Long after your exercise session whether it be walking, running, swimming, biking, etc, your metabolism continues to burn calories even when you are at rest. The effects of exercise can be experienced long after the actual exercise itself. This is evident in that you sweat a little easier which means your body is behaving like a fat burning furnace, any exercise you do after that point just turbo charges the exercise you’ve already done and burns extra calories.

Exercise has so many benefits:-

Exercise prolongs your life and keeps your heart healthy. Don’t forget that the heart itself is a muscle and needs exercise too. That’s why you should resist taking the easy way by going to those spas that claim you can lose weight by doing nothing or than sweating. Sure you lose inches but they find their way like a magnet back onto your body with the next glass of water you drink. Resist gimmicks, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Exercise, get your heart rate going, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself and your heart will thank you for it.

Exercise also releases your body’s natural feel good chemicals known as endorphins (a combination of the words endogenous and morphine) which naturally relieve stress. Endorphins are thought to be as powerful as morphine yet they are not addictive and are produced naturally within the body. They are also the body’s natural pain relief.

Exercise has so many additional benefits including increased agility and stamina, improved memory and reaction time, increase bone density, keeps your arteries supple and flexible for blood to flow through. Reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Stronger immune system and deeper, restful sleep.

Exercise helps you to live longer, people who do 30 to 60 minutes of exercise 3 or more times per week will generally live longer than those who don’t.

I don’t know about you but that builds a pretty strong case in favor of exercise.

Types Of Exercise

Exercise in your home.

Exercise doesn’t have to mean buying expensive gym memberships or exercise equipment.

All you have to think of is what you can do to start burning more calories than you are today.

Here are some daily calorie burning activities you can do along with the value of calories burned associated with it.

Note – before embarking on any exercise program it is highly recommended that you first consult your physician to assess your current physical state.

Note – these are the average figures for a 185 pound individual, results will vary according to weight. If you are a little heavier you will burn more calories than the figures presented below. These figures are based upon 60 minutes of activity.
- Ironing – 189 calories

- Washing dishes – 189 calories

- Cooking – 222 calories

- Carpentry – 300 calories

- Lawn raking – 333 calories

- Mopping – 377 calories

- Housework– 390 calories

- Gardening – 455 calories

- Furniture rearranging – 555
Exercise as you can see comes in many forms not only are there practical and useful applications but you also get the added benefit of it improving your health.

However if you are serious about losing weight you have to step up your efforts a little more, these everyday household activities are great for getting exercise but as you know in order to lose even a pound of fat you need to lose 3,500 calories. It would take a lot of furniture moving and gardening for you to get to that point.

To get to the stage where you will lose weight on a consistent basis you need to add extra exercise to your routine.

Let’s start small because these are activities that can boost your level of fat burning that little bit extra.

These activities aren’t too strenuous but can help the weight come off faster.
Light Exercise

This is achievable for most people no matter what your fitness level and will kick your weight loss up a notch.

Note – these are the average figures for a 185 pound individual, results will vary according to weight. If you are a little heavier you will burn more calories than the figures presented below. These figures are based upon 60 minutes of activity.
- An hour’s worth of Yoga stretching – 350 calories

- A relaxing bike ride for one hour – 350 calories

- Running around with your children – 350 calories

- Lawn mowing – 366 calories

- Basketball (shooting hoops) – 377 calories

- Pilates – 433 calories

- Walking (4 miles per hour) – 433 calories

- Game of golf – 480 calories

- Snow shovelling – 511 calories

- Walking up stairs – 577 calories

- Stationary bike – 588 calories

- Walking on a treadmill or jogging – 588 calories

- Low intensity jump rope – 700 calories
Light exercise is fantastic because it can be easily incorporated into our daily lives and will be the exercise most people, especially when starting off on a weight loss program will be able to do.

Once the weight starts to come off and you gain a little more confidence you no doubt will be able to introduce more rigorous exercise into your regime. When you feel within yourself your fitness level increasing you might want to try some moderate exercise.
Moderate Exercise

Here are some examples of moderate exercise. Again these figures are representative of a 185 pound person. If you weigh more than this your calorie expenditure will be much higher. These figures are based upon 60 minutes of activity.

- Low impact Aerobics – 431 calories

- Hiking – 499 calories

- Swimming (moderate) – 511 calories

- Hiking (medium terrain) – 520 calories

- Jogging – 588 calories

- Step Aerobics – 588 calories

- Basketball officiating – 588 calories

- Jogging – 600 calories

- Rollerblading – 600 calories

- Repelling – 677 calories

- Game of Ice hockey – 700 calories

- Press-ups/sit-ups – 700 calories

- Mountain Biking – 710 calories

- Running (5 miles per hour) – 710 calories

- Ski Machine – 810 calories

- Rowing machine (minimal effort) – 820 calories

- Jump rope (moderate effort) – 860 calories
If you want to take your weight loss to newfound levels you can introduce more intense exercise to your routine known as heavy exercise. Not only will it build more fat stripping lean muscle tissue but it will make your body both inside and out stronger than ever.
Proceed with caution – these are advanced exercises and you should consult your doctor before even attempting them. Do not jump into these activities without first having built up your strength with the low and medium impact exercises above first. Not only can this damage your health but it will hurt your chances of weight loss as a result of any sustained injury.
Heavy Exercise
These exercises are the same as above but with the difference of increased intensity level.

Remember that if you have been sedentary for quite some time, you may want to build up to these activities by trying the lower intensity alternatives first.

Again these figures are representative of a 185 pound person. If you weigh more than this your calorie expenditure will be much higher. These figures are based upon 60 minutes of activity.
- Step Aerobics (high impact) – 888 calories

- Rock Climbing – 921 calories

- Basketball Full Court – 921 calories

- Bikram Yoga – 950 calories

- Elliptical Trainer – 955 calories

- Swimming (butterfly stroke) – 1,000 calories

- Handball – 1,010 calories

- A game of Squash – 1,040 calories

- Canoeing (above 6 mph) – 1,040 calories

- Jumping rope (high impact) – 1,040 calories

- Cross-country skiing (high impact) around 1,400 calories.

- Running (12 miles per hour) – 1,876 calories

I know it’s not easy. With the crazy pace of our lives in the 21st century we are finding ourselves busier than we ever have before at any other time in history and as a result, we may find it difficult to incorporate exercise into our hectic schedules.

The reality will always be that if you want to have any success with your weight loss efforts you have to be able to exercise and make it as part of your new lifestyle.

But just because you will be adding exercise to your daily routine doesn’t mean that you have to join a gym unless you really want to.

Even just watching a little less television and opting instead to go for a brisk walk can contribute to your weight loss. Playing with the kids and exerting yourself a little more will burn extra calories. Finding the balance that’s right for you and the exercises that you can work into your lifestyle without turning your whole life upside down is the key to your success.

If you find it difficult to materialize the time during your day to exercise then simply take the times that you undertake any kind of physical activity and amp it up just a fraction more to burn the extra calories.

Use the time you play with the kids to increase activity levels. Instead of just playing with them why not bike ride with them or throw a ball around at the same time? You still get to spend quality time with the added benefit of ditching extra calories.

Get active, sign up for a sport whether it’s tennis, football, baseball, swimming or aerobics this is a great way to lose weight and have fun at the same time while making new friends (what a great way to get support). Even making the time to do this once per week can contribute to your overall weight loss.

If you work in an office building why not opt to take the stairs? To build up your fitness you may even wish to go past your own level. Not only is this a great way of increasing your fitness level but it’s also fantastic for incorporating into your daily schedule so you in essence made it part of your new lifestyle change without having to make too great a sacrifice. Before know it, it will have become such an integral part of your life that you won’t be able to do without it

Try renting exercise equipment for home. Why rent? So that you don’t get bored from using the same piece of equipment day in and day out.

When renting you can advance to more challenging and sophisticated equipment the more your fitness increases and you’re not stuck with the same thing each day.

By renting you can continually upgrade and take advantage of the latest cutting edge equipment. The beauty of exercise equipment is that you get to exercise anywhere you want and why not take the opportunity to do an hour long workout during your favorite show, that way you get to enjoy the show while doing something beneficial for yourself. Don’t forget though as with anything in life you only get out what you put in. So if you’re going to go to the trouble of renting a piece of equipment, you have to use it.

Not enough hours in the day? We can’t create extra time however we can use wisely the time that we do have. Why not try jumpstarting your day an hour earlier by doing some exercise? Why not walk the dog? Why not do an hour on the treadmill or an hour of yoga or Pilates? Not only do you kick start your metabolism into action but you will continue to burn calories long throughout your day as a result of your early morning exercise efforts.

Any activities that you do such as housecleaning or vacuuming, sweeping and mowing the lawn, why not put more effort and intensity into it? This can make an impact on your weight loss efforts just by doing a little more.

Any form of exercise is good and the more you do it and increase the intensity level the more fat you will burn. Aim to start with three times per week then increase from there and you will notice the results. Not only will your energy levels increase but you will notice your body changing and your clothes fitting looser on your body.

Remember that exercise is not just for the here and now; it’s a lifestyle change for life. Beyond just wanting to look good you are prolonging your life in the process and the benefits far outweigh sacrificing a little down time. Your health and life are worth it.

More than 3 times per week if you want to see even more significant results and double your weight loss.

Expend more calories than you eat. Double your length of exercise and intensity to lose two pounds per week instead of one.

To really get the full benefit of exercise workout for longer than 15 minutes. This is so that you can give your heart muscle exercise but also because within the first 10 to 15 minutes you are only burning sugar from the muscles. The fat is a little more stubborn and comes after the 30 minute mark, go figure.

Don’t forget that exercise can be anything, it has to be realistically incorporated into your lifestyle because at the end of the day, that is what’s going to ultimately work for you. This can be anything ranging from housework to joining the local tennis club. You have to find what work’s for you.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your exercise:
1. Don’t forget to consult your physician before embarking on any weight loss program. Work your way up gradually to the more physically demanding exercises rather than jumping straight into them.
2. Do something you enjoy, chances are you’ll stick with it longer and it won’t feel like exercise. This could be brisk walking in the park with your dog or a friend while using it as catch up time while getting your daily exercise dose.
Use your time wisely, find other activities you could be doing rather than sitting and watching television and if you have to catch your favorite program why not grab an hour of exercise on the treadmill at the same time? You could even record it or TiVo it.
3. Make exercise a priority, remember this is lifestyle choice and to undo all the negative habits that were formed throughout your life you have to counteract it with positive ones. Exercise is definitely a high priority on that list. Set your exercise goals, re-evaluate them every month then aim to increase your duration and intensity once your fitness level improves.
To achieve your weight loss goal:-

Know your target weight and determine how much you need to lose. Break your goals down to weekly weight loss amounts and work one pound at a time towards it, it may seem pale in comparison to those Biggest Loser contestants but yours is realistic and achievable in the time that you can devote. Don’t think you’re going to lose 100 pounds in one month because it will mostly be water and precious muscle and to shift that kind of mass in such a short time frame will no doubt damage your body in the process.

Slow wins the race, that’s how the weight came on, don’t think you can lose 10 years worth of weight in one month. I promise it will come off quicker than it went on. Stick with it.

Prioritize your weight loss. Sacrifice something you can do without such as watching television or playing video games. It’s important that you make that time for yourself if you want to see results.

Keep track of your calories and how much you’re eating. Buy yourself a little notebook and jot down all of the things you eat in a day. Look at the food packaging and determine how many calories you consumed. Also watch out for how much sugar and sodium you are taking into your body. Unless they are unprocessed and raw, most cereals will have high hidden sugar content in the form of fructose which is fruit sugar to give cereal its sweet taste.

You must be aware of this because this is where hidden calories are coming from. Fructose although a fruit sugar can still be stored as fat if not burned off as energy. Be mindful and aware of what you are eating. And find the things you can do without in your current diet such as food high in fat and sugars. Look for added sugars and added juices on your food packaging.

As soon as you have figured out how many calories you are currently consuming compared to how many calories you are burning you can get started. See where you can start reducing calories from your diet. This can easily be achieved by cutting out extra fatty junk foods and reducing your food portions.

Look at your current schedule and where you can start slotting in some exercise. Are you able to squeeze in an easy walk for at least 30 minutes? Can you go for a bike ride with the kids? It doesn’t matter where your fitness level is currently at, you will only get stronger from this point on.

Be consistent, this is now your lifestyle. It takes a while to replace old habits with new ones and your health will improve and you’ll feel better then you have in a long time. Don’t cheat because the only person you’re cheating is yourself. Stay focused on your goal, remember your reasons for wanting to lose the weight in the first place and you the weight will drop off. (This is why your purpose is so important).

Re-evaluate where you’re at every 30 days. You will gain more energy, more strength as the weight falls off and as you do you will be able to increase your intensity and duration.

It is also important the type of exercise that you do. You need to do cardiovascular exercises in order to lose weight. Cardiovascular exercises get your heart pumping and your metabolism going. They are exercises such as the following:

- Running
- Speed walking
- Jogging
- Elliptical training
- Stair stepping
- Rowing
- Jumping
- Dancing

All of these get your heart rate climbing and help you burn off calories. While toning and yoga exercises are a good way to relax, cardiovascular exercises are a good way to get energy and burn fat. This is the reason that you need to do them as early in the day as possible.

You should set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than usual and make it a point to exercise in the morning. You do not have to buy expensive gym equipment for your home. You do not have to buy into a gym membership, although this is not a bad idea. You just have to get your heart going in the morning by exercising and raising your metabolism. When you combine cardiovascular exercises with protein in the morning, you are setting your metabolism up to burn off calories during the day. By simply adding 15 minutes of exercises in the morning, you will be able to easily take off 10 pounds in 10 days.

When you first start out exercising, you can start out slow. Never over exert yourself or get to the point where you feel ill. If you get dizzy from exercise or feel pain, stop. You may want to start out by brisk walking or even lightly jogging in place in the morning. Any little bit of exercise that you can do that you do not normally do will help you lose weight by boosting your metabolism.

Do not think that you will get tired from exercise. Just the opposite. You will have more energy by exercising than by not exercising. This is why you should not do cardiovascular exercises in the evening before you go to bed.

If you cannot manage to do cardiovascular exercise when you get up in the morning, you should do it when you get home at night. You should wait at least 20 minutes after eating to exercise and never do it right before you go to bed. If you are looking for a way to unwind during the evening and also tone your muscles, giving you a better shape, you can do Pilates. These are stretching exercises that can help your body get into shape while relaxing you at the same time. Yoga exercises are also good for exercising before bed.

Running in place is a good way to get your heart pumping in the morning and does not require that you buy any equipment or spend money at a health club. You can run in place right as soon as you get out of bed in the morning and then jump up and down to get your heart going. The more exercise you do, the easier it will be. You will find that every day, this gets a little bit easier and you have more energy. Once you get into an exercise routine, it is like an addiction. The more you exercise, the easier it gets and the more fit you become. As you start to see results, you will want to exercise even more.

Exercise not only helps you lose weight, it also promotes toning of the body. As you lose fat, you need to do something about the skin. You do not want it to sag, so by exercising, you can tone your muscles and tighten your skin.

You will also feel healthier mentally when you exercise. Many people who need to lose weight grow depressed. Some people actually are depressed which is the reason that they are overweight – they eat out of a source of comfort. Exercise actually boosts the serotonin in the brain and makes you feel better. Taking a brisk walk will help you feel happier. This is compared to the effects of an antidepressant.