Walking and Weight loss

Written by Jordyn King, MS Nutrition 

Benefits for overall health of walking

Do you know what a 30 minutes brisk walk or increasing your heart rate can do for you? Walking can be one of the most beneficial and useful types of exercising. Through your daily walks, you can burn up to 150 calories. Walking can benefit in cardiovascular fitness, improve your mood, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, reduce joint pain, increase muscle tone, improve balance and coordination and support endurance. Research suggests that walking every day can help reduce risks of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and many other chronic conditions. “Forest bathing” is a Japanese therapy of ‘shinrin yoku’, which is the act of walking through nature and is believed to help with mental health conditions as well as reducing stress and improving mood. Additionally, balancing out your food habits by cutting calories and walking can help you lose weight and keep the weight off. Physical activity is so important for weight control since it can help burn those unwanted daily calories. In the end, physical activity does not need to be complicated or overwhelming. Think about adding some walking into your daily routine to benefit from the wide ranges of mental, physical and emotional fitness it has to offer. 

How can it help with weight loss

Regular strides and walks can offer numerous amounts of health benefits throughout your body. Additionally, it can be one of the easiest exercises and most cost effective. Strengthening muscle in your legs and abdomen will help protect bones and joints while burning belly fat and reducing waist circumference. This helps preserves lean muscles thus increasing metabolism. And remember, the faster and more frequently you walk, the more calories you will burn each day. So, let's get to stepping. 

Where did 10k steps come from

Recently, there has been a consensus theory that claims 10,000 steps daily will ensure an individual in good health and stay healthy, but where did this number come from? In the Japanese population, back in 1964 for the tokyo olympics, they wanted to increase their focus on fitness and walking to seek all the health benefits from the activity. The 10,000 steps came from a marketing slogan from a Japanese company introducing their new step counter which is called “Manpo Kei '' which is translated to “10,000 step meter”. This product became a popular means of tracking daily steps. Today, fitness professions use Manpo Kei to set their standard daily goals.  

Actionable steps 

From Apple watches to Fitbit, the daily step goals are around 10,000 steps. However 10,000 steps can be challenging to reach. A 30 minute walk is equivalent to around 3,000 to 4,000 steps depending on the person's stride. Through just everyday normal day tasks; it is equivalent to around 6,000 to 7,000 steps per day and varies from person to person.Some advice for taking those extra steps and factors that are considered when setting fitness goals are taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the first empty spot you see and not the closest, and when you’re doing your at-home chores, break up your chores into more than one trip such bringing in the dishes from the dinner table or bringing in groceries from your car. Through technology, we become lazy and disconnected from society, however, through everyday activities, you can increase your steps each second. 

What is the recommendation for weight loss and walking 

For weight loss, it is recommended to lose one or two pounds a week, to maintain your weight loss goals long term and overtime. One pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories, but remember, your body is constantly burning calories, even when you sleep.The exercise recommendations are measured through time of at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week and has been the government's physical activity recommendation since 2008. Thus, at least thirty minutes a day is permissible. Remember, balance is important to understand keeping up with your physical activity and promoting your own weight loss because everyone is different. If you're new to walking; short walks are good to start out with or walking with light intensities to go further into more brisk longer walks over time. 

Tips on increasing walks

Increasing your walking strides takes practice requiring good posture and steady movements. For proper techniques, your head should be looking forward, shoulders and back relaxed while swaying your arms back and forth to burn extra calories. Some other additional step you can take if you really want to push yourself, is wearing a weighted vest. This exercise will help you burn more of those extra calories faster. However, be cautious if the person isn't ready to fully commit to the weighted vest. Other activities could include walking uphill regularly, incorporating resistance step intervals, power walking intervals, and doing three short walks a day instead of one. Some individuals may find it less challenging and easier by walking in small increments, and has been said by experts, it is best to walk after each meal to bring more potential health benefits to the body. Above all, aim for steps each and don't give up! You got this!

What should an optimal goal be for walking for weight loss

In conclusion, you as the goal setter should set your own goals and steps for your weight loss journey. Again, it takes time and practice to overcome walking for more than 30 minutes, but you can do it! Set a goal once a week and each week after that; increase your distance, steps or speed of your choosing. As humans, we are all different and we need to remember we need to set our own pace, and focus on you!