Walk It Out

Posted by Jessica at 5:09 pm

Welcome back! Ready to show off your skinny transformation? Email me at jessica AT cuteandskinny DOT com with before and after photos. Enjoy your stay ;)

We all started walking since we were what, six, eight months old?  Remember when we were growing up we walked everywhere: to school, the store, the playground, to our friend’s house…

Find a photo of yourself in adolescence.  Take a good look at it and what do you see?  I bet it’s a skinny kid with a big smile and not a care in the world. Especially any cares about weight gain.  Am I right?  Of course I am, because all of us have those photos.  And why didn’t we worry about our weight?  Because we practiced the best and simplest weight control program on earth.  We walked.

And then we got our driver’s license.  Why walk when you can drive, right?  So instead of walking to our friend’s house, to school, to the store, etc, we drove.  In our sixteen and seventeen year old minds, having to walk anywhere seemed pretty uncool.

So we drove.  Everywhere.  For awhile everything was okay with our bodies.  Good genes and a youthful metabolism got us by for a few years.  Then sometime after high school, genetics called it quits and our metabolisms started slowing down.  And our clothes started getting tighter, and we were forced to buy bigger sizes.  And still we drove everywhere.

Take another look at that picture of the skinny kid that used to be you.  If you wanted to, you could go back to that kid in the photo smiling at you.  Just start doing what that kid used to do.  WALK.

Walking is the easiest exercise you’ll ever do.  Even a kid can do it (like the kid in the photo).  You just put one foot in front of the other, and it’s amazing what this simple exercise can accomplish.  Consider this: 1 pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories.  On the average, a 180 pound person will burn 100 calories by walking 1 mile.  That’s a 10 pound loss in 6 months.  Another study showed walking just 45 minutes a day will average out to a loss of 30-40 pounds in one year.  And these weight losses were reached without any changes in diet.  Include dieting with walking, and the pounds will melt away that much faster.

Besides weight loss, there are a plethora of health benefits attributed to walking just 1 hour a day.  It will cut the risk of heart disease, breast and colon cancer, diabetes, and stroke. Additionally, walking will lead to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as an improved mood and look on life, i.e. it reduces stress.

How many of you reading this article belong or have belonged to a gym or health club?  How much did they charge you to work up a sweat in their building?  How long did it take to DRIVE there?  By walking you’ll be getting your exercise in the best health club in the world, provided free of charge by Mother Nature, and it’s right outside your door.  Walk around your neighborhood, and chances are you’ll meet up with like minded neighbors who want to join in.  Before long you’ll have a little walking club, encouraging and measuring each other’s progress.

A few tips to get started.  If you’re out of shape, work slowly towards a 30 minute goal, gradually building up to 60 minutes, or longer, if you want.  Remember though, that time is more important than distance: the faster you walk, the more calories you’ll burn.  However, for the first 10-15 minutes, start out slow.  This opening pace will trigger the body into tapping your “fat reserves,” where the stubborn calories are stored.  If you start out with a fast pace, your body will tap into your “sugar reserves,” where the “temporary” calories are stored for everyday use.

After the 10-15 minute warm-up, kick into what is called a “determined pace.”  Walking.com defines a “determined pace” as “breathing noticeably, but able to carry on a conversation: think 10 minutes late for an appointment.”

All you need for this wonderful, life-saving exercise are a good pair of walking shoes.  After awhile, when you’re in better shape, the decision to adopt the more strenuous Power Walking Method, with its use of weights and specific walking style is entirely up to you.

Need a motivator to get started?  Here’s an idea.  Get that picture of the skinny kid you used to be and place it on your refrigerator.  Each day, before starting your morning routine, take a look at that kid smiling at you.  Over time, as you progress and start to lose weight, I’ll bet you start smiling right back.  Now get out and start walking!

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