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Walking There is no better exercise to begin with if you have not been exercising regularly. Walking is an excellent form of light aerobic workout. It will help to strengthen your legs, lungs, and heart. Walking is also safe for your joints. Don't just start right out by jogging or running if you haven't been exercising. Start off by walking - at least for the first couple of weeks to a month. Walking at a relatively moderate pace (say, 3 miles per hour) will burn 300 to 400 calories per hour. That means if you take just a 15 minute walk, once a day, you're burning an extra 100 calories per day, or 700 calories a week... that's one-fifth of a pound of body fat lost per week, just from a 15-minute walk every day. Get that up to a 30-minute walk per day, and you'll be shedding a pound every two weeks. If you find that you're really out of shape and you can't walk for 15 minutes - that's fine. Walk as long as you can and write it down in your Activity Journal. If you walked for 5 minutes today, great! You're putting in the effort. Tomorrow, try for six minutes. Above all else, don't go overboard and try walking too long. You don't want to push yourself too hard and then injure yourself and not be able to walk at all tomorrow. Remember, your knees and ankles might not start swelling up until later that night... at which time it will be too late to do anything except ice them and hope they don't hurt tomorrow. You can easily incorporate more walking into your daily schedule by parking your car far from stores or by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Look for any excuse to walk. Me, personally, if I need to go somewhere and I can walk there (or ride my bike in the summer), I will - weather permitting. Of course, I live in Buffalo NY, so the weather is real crappy here most of the year, but even in the winter I will bundle up and walk to the store. Do your thighs rub together when you walk? When I was 340 pounds, I had this problem. Let's face it - it's embarrasing and uncomfortable, and it makes you not want to walk. Here's what you can do: go to your local sports & fitness store and get some softball sliding shorts. They're long, and made of a very silky material. Now, when your legs rub together, they won't chaffe. You can also spend the extra money on long undershorts made by Nike or UnderArmour. They work well too. I also like to wear a pair of briefs under the sliding shorts - for added jock support. Then, put on some shorts or sweat pants and go to town. Remember to wear bright colors. Especially if you're walking at night, make sure you wear bright colors. I personally wear a bright yellow shirt (or hooded sweatshirt in the colder months) along with light gray sweat pants. If I'm walking after dark, I have two little flashing red lights I attach to my belt. You can get them at your local fitness store (or bike store - mine are actually rear flashers for my bike). Also, you should carry a small flashlight with you... just in case you walk into a really dark area. You can also buy reflective tape and make a big "X" on your back, or around your legs. Hey, it might look geeky, but it could save your life. Invest in some comfortable sneakers! I can't stress enough how important it is to buy yourself a good pair of walking sneakers. Don't just get any kind of sneaker. You don't want cross-trainers, basketball sneakers, flats, or sandals. You want to tell the clerk in the store you're specifically looking for walking sneakers - or, if you're planning on moving up to jogging soon, tell him that. You want something that is good for walking and light jogging. I personally like the sneakers with the air-cushioned soles. Yes, you're going to spend a few more dollars, but it's worth it. And, hey, you're an adult now. Your foot is done growing. You should be able to make an investment in sneakers and have them for 3 to 5 years. You need good arch support, and lots of cushioning for your feet. In fact, the heavier you are, the more foot support you'll need. Don't skimp on the sneakers! |
