How To Lose The Most Fat With Walking

By David Grisaffi,
CHEKCorrective Exercise KinesiologistGolf Biomechanic CertifiedNutrition and Lifestyle Coach

Three universal goals nearly all of us share are: (1) to live longer,(2) to live free of illness and (3) to control our weight. Amazingly,walking lets us achieve all three. In fact, walking may be your bestmedicine for slowing the aging process, reducing your chances of illnessand slashing your body fat. For anyone out of shape or not athletically-inclined, walking is the no-stress, no-sweat answer to lifelongconditioning. All you need is a good pair of shoes, a little time, a fewguidelines from a fitness professional and you're ready to go.
Unfortunately, there's more misinformation floating around today aboutfitness walking and weight loss than ever before. Some experts even saywalking is not effective for weight loss at all and they insist thatonly higher intensity forms of cardio will do anything to improve yourbody composition. Others fitness experts believe that you should not docardiovascular exercise every day - even walking.
There may be a little truth in each of those statements, however,walking always was and still is one of the best exercises forstrengthening your bones, controlling your weight, toning the muscles inyour lower body, maintaining good posture and improving your self image.
Walking uses almost every muscle in the body, it improves circulation ofblood to the joints and massages the blood vessels, keeping them moreelastic. Walking also helps you maintain muscle and an efficientmetabolism as you get older (not to mention keeping you young "inspirit.")
Walking is incredibly convenient too. Since you don’t need a gym or anyspecial equipment, you can walk any place, at any time and that allowsyou to lose weight and get fit with little or no interruption to yourbusy schedule.
People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Althoughyour weight may initially drop while dieting, weight loss from lowcalorie and especially low carb diets consists mostly of water andmuscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoidgetting fatter over time, you must increase your metabolism byexercising daily.
To get the maximum benefits of a walking program, you need make it morechallenging than a leisurely "walk in the park." Walking at a steady andbrisk pace burns more fat simply because it burns more calories. Justremember to begin slowly to avoid muscle soreness, and increase yourpace over time as you become more fit.
To lose weight, it's ideal to alternate your walking sessions betweenhigh intensity and lower intensity days. For example, on one day walkfor 30- 45 minutes as a steady and moderate pace. On the next day, walkat a faster pace. You could even do "road work" like the boxers do,where you break up your walk along the route with some sets of squats,lunges, bench push ups or other body weight or calisthenic exercises tomake it a real cardiovascular and muscle blaster of a workout! Itdoesn’t have to be boring or the same thing every day. Make it fun andkeep it up consistently, leading an active life-style 365 days a year.
Slow and casual walking has benefits, but you will not get as much outof walking at a very slow pace because we all have a built-in mechanicaladvantage for walking long distances at normal speeds.
Our bodies, via the spinal column, muscle attachments and bonystructures, reserve energy in the musculoskeletal system and release itback to us without asking for additional energy output. In other words,as you walk, your spinal column keeps energy in reserve because of theway you straighten and extend your spine during normal walking.
As you step, your spine is stretched, and as you take another step, theenergy reserved in the spine is used in propulsion. The spine acts verymuch like rubber band as your walk, harnessing this reserve energy.
To get substantial cardiovascular, muscular and weight loss benefits,this is why you must walk briskly or create extra movement patternsbeyond casual, slow walking in order to optimize your walking programfor weight loss and cardiovascular fitness.
Walking the right way will also improve your posture and tends to helpkeep you upright (because you must see where you are going). Just holdyour chin up and shoulder slightly back.. Walk with your heels hittingthe ground first and your feet pointed forward. Swing your arms fullyand make lengthy strides.
To lose weight and achieve optimum health, exercise and diet are bothnecessary and interrelated. Exercising without maintaining a balanceddiet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining a couch potato.
Carbohydrates are high-octane fuel. They provide energy for movementand help raise internal body metabolism. They're also satisfying. Thekey is to avoid adding high-fat and high calorie toppings to yourcarbohydrates. Also be sure to focus on fruits and vegetables and do noteat the majority of your carbohydrates from the starch category such asbread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. These type of carbs can create aninsulin spike, which in turn feeds your fat storing system.
Fruits and vegetables are the ideal health, diet and fat loss foods formany reasons. They're relatively low in fat and calories, high in fiberand rich in essential vitamins and minerals. The National ResearchCouncil recommends eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetablesa day.
Your everyday habits will determine your long term body weight and bodycomposition. Make sure you get enough sleep, drink enough water toexpel toxins, avoid processed food as much as you can, eat your fruitsand veggies, eat organic when ever possible and work hard.
Just one last thought: taking a three-minute walk after each meal isworth a four pound reduction in body fat in a year’s time. Climbing twoflights of stairs a day burns off half a pound of body fat in a year.On the other hand, one candy bar eaten daily will cost you 20 pounds annually. FlattenYourAbs.net