How to Lose Weight by Walking Fast

Walking fast is aerobic exercise that burns fat and helps people to lose weight. However, many people go outside in good weather and never move faster than a leisurely stroll. All physical activity is good, but to really burn fat and lose weight a person needs to walk fast enough to be exercising aerobically.

Instructions

1

Lose Weight with a Sensible Diet and Regular Exercise

Most of us want to lose weight -- some a little, many more a lot. Diet and exercise are the two main tools at our disposal. Getting eating under control and obtaining proper nutrition from fewer calories are the key diet strategies. The key exercise strategies are mainly to burn a lot of fat through aerobic exercise and to maintain and build muscle through strength training.

2

Choose Walking as Your Main Aerobic Exercise

Walking is cheap and can be done by virtually everyone. It is also relatively injury-free. After obtaining approval from your doctor, start gradually walking 10 minutes at a time once or twice a day. Get your muscles and cardiorespiratory system accustomed to the effort first. Walk five or six days a week. Follow this gradual light walking exercise as you ready yourself for more effort to lose weight.

3

Choose a Safe Place for Your Walking

You can walk indoors at a mall, gym or your home. Or you can walk outside weather permitting. Do not walk outside in the dark. There are many videos available for walking in your home to help you lose weight. See the Resources section for a link to 10 top rated walking videos.

4

Follow a Progressive Walking Program

Gradually extend the duration of your walks until you are walking for 60 minutes a day, five or more days a week. Once you can comfortably walk for 60 minutes, gradually pick up the pace until you are walking aerobically, that is with an elevated heart rate and sighing respiration.

You should never be gasping for air or have your pulse racing. Back off the pace if you get out of breath, and stop if you feel any sort of pain or get lightheaded or dizzy. Walking for 60 minutes and picking up your pace will really help you lose weight.

5

Learn to Walk Fast

"Fitness walking" is walking fast enough to cover a mile every 15 minutes. That's walking at 4.0 MPH and you would cover 4 miles at that pace in one hour. Over time you may be able to cover a mile in 12 to 14 minutes -that's really fast walking. Walking fast involves your upper body, too as your arm swing naturally moves to nearly 90. As you achieve fitness you will see your efforts to lose weight become ever more successful because your body will be trained to efficiently burn fat and many calories.

6

Include Warm-up and Cool-Down Time

It is very important that you gradually warm up your cardiorespiratory system and muscles before you go aerobic. Spend at lease five to ten minutes walking slowly before you start on your 60-minute aerobic walk. Then spend about five minutes in slow walking to cool down your body after your aerobic walk.

7

See the Resources section for more articles on walking and weight loss. Good luck!