Now you have decided to walk to lose weight. Now what? Well this is going to sound like a long walk but experts say you should walk 10,000 steps a day. I know what you’re thinking because I thought that too, but it’s really not that far. And if you are walking somewhere you like to walk, and it’s for a good reason, then who cares? Let’s walk to lose weight!

When you decided that you would walk to lose weight you probably didn’t think that you would be walking for a lot of other things too. Walking can be good for the mind, body, and soul. If you are lucky enough to live near a place that is full of nature like the beach or mountains, somewhere calming, and then you have an opportunity to quiet your mind, soothe your spirit, and build your body. But if you live in these places, chances are you already know this.

How to Start Walking to Lose Weight

Before your journey of a thousand steps begins, you need to do a few things. I have made the mistake of not doing warm up exercises before and the results are not pretty. You can pull muscles and tendons and all sorts of other painful things. The one that got me happened the next day. It was due to lactic acid build up in my muscles. Muscle stiffness and soreness and I could hardly move my legs, for three days. So you have to do warm up and cool down stretching.

You want to make sure you have comfortable shoes, some with good support for the ankles and heels. If you are going to be walking on concrete you should get walking or running shoes. The walking shoes should be first choice. If you will be walking to lose weight on dirt trails, then you should get some hiking boots. Don’t forget your socks.

Alright now we have our walking shoes on and we are all warmed up. Next, we need to know how we should walk to lose weight. I know most people have been walking since before their first birthday but you didn’t walk to lose weight back then. Many people believe they have to “speed walk” their 10,000 steps. This is not true when you are walking to lose weight.

When you start your walk you want begin with a faster pace for about 10 minutes to raise your heart rate. After that, you will slow it down to a more moderate pace. The first ten minutes will burn sugars for energy. Then when you slow it down your body starts burning fat. When we burn fat we lose weight. We want to keep our heart rate up in the moderate zone. This may mean you having to pick up the pace for a few minutes to do that.

The goal here is to get where you can walk at least 20 miles a week. You should also be able to walk each mile in under 13 minutes. The beginner should start by walking 30-60 minutes a day at a moderate pace and you can start adding more time and speed when you feel comfortable doing so. Doing this will build muscle and burn fat. That is how we walk to lose weight.

Here is some really good news. Most of your weight loss will happen after the walk. Walking at that moderate pace will cause your metabolism to stay at the fat burning level. If you are hungry when you are finished with your walk then you have another great opportunity to burn more fat. You eat! I know what you must be thinking; you won’t lose any weight if you stuff your face after you exercise. The secret is in what you stuff your face with because it will make your fat loss continue automatically long after the walk!

Eat and Walk to Lose Weight?

I know it doesn’t sound right but here is the secret. You eat your veggies! Most of you are screaming “No, not that” right now, and I’m with you. I would rather come home and have spaghetti, garlic bread, and some ice cream for dessert. But if we want to get the most out of our walk to lose weight then we need to follow through with the whole plan.

When you eat raw vegetables such as carrots, celery and others like them, they will make your body to burn fat. They are “negative calorie” foods. Your body will burn more calories digesting them than they contain. This means it starts burning more of that fat you were storing up for the winter. That is what we are talking about, burning off that fat!

Ready to Walk to Lose Weight

Now you should be ready to step out on your own. Get good comfortable shoes, remember to warm up before you start, and warm down when you finish. Add some extra fat burning power to it by eating some yummy vegetables and you will be skinny in no time. You will be healthier too. Walking will lower your blood pressure, help prevent breast cancer, builds your cardiovascular system, boosts energy, and increases your overall health.

So get out there and walk to lose weight and enjoy all of the other benefits that come with it. You will be on the road to better health in no time. Try to walk at least an hour every day. You might be wondering how you can keep up with 10,000 steps. There is a cool little device known as a pedometer and it will count your steps for you. Now there is no reason you can’t walk to lose weight, but you have to take the first step!