I have decided to start walking as a form of exercise because it is the easiest way for me to get any exercise done and I don't have a lot of time on my hands. I started this week, and so far I have been walking (briskly) for 30 minutes a day. I have never been a very active person, and I can already feel it in my legs. My goal is to lose 30-40 lbs, as I am 5' 4" and I currently weigh about 155 lbs. My question is: Is JUST walking (combined with a good diet, of course) realistically going to do me any good in reaching my goal? I ask because I am new to all of this, but I honestly want to try to lose some weight because I am sick and tired of feeling so weighed down by it (I'm sure you know the feeling...). I'm not looking to build muscle or get toned or anything like that, at this point all I want is to lose the weight and slim down. Sorry if this question has been asked before, but I did a search on the forum and didn't see anything.
Thanks!
Interesting article. I personally, don't like it. However it makes sense, diet is really the key for weight loss AND self-control. No "rewards" for excercising.
Good luck!
I think walking is a great starting point! If you're coming from a sedentary lifestyle, adding walking will definitely help with your weight loss goals. You can even lose weight without exercise at all. I know I did, of course, that was when I had an ED so severe calorie restriction is not the answer. But, as long as there is a defecit of calories, you will lose weight, no matter if that comes from eating less, exercise, or both! Good luck!
Reasons I walk
1. I walk at least 45 mins. a day and if I have more time I walk more.
2. I can speed it up or slow it down. Part of the way I jog at a slow pace.
3. If the weather is bad I can do it indoors. I also have stairs in my home.
4. As I lose the weight I can do things I couldn't before I started walking.
5. I like the way I feel after I do it. I walk first thing in the morning so I have it out of the way.
6. It doesn't cost me anything! But I did buy a good pair of shoes just to walk in.
Rassuvin and Church were livid after reading how they were misquoted and taken out of context to support exactly the wrong conclusion about their study in that article.
After reading the original study that larsa000 dug up in that thread my conclusion is that what that article actually shows is that the journalist needs remedial reading classes and a couple lessons in basic science and how to interpret fact findings in context.
In particular, this was NOT a weight loss study, and participants were asked to not alter their calorie intake or diet composition. Only the high-volume exercise group somewhat compensated for the increased calorie expenditure so they lost less weight than predicted.
The whole frickin' point of the study is that the groups who didn't go into overkill mode but just walked half an hour a day extra lost weight. And note that even the high-volume exercise group only compensated for about half of their increased calorie expenditure and still lost inches from the waistline.
The journalist needs remedial reading classes, and his editors need to be sent back to school to learn how to read and interpret scientific papers in context so they won't approve of and publish such utter gibberish in the future.
'course, without accurate calorie counting you'll eventually plateau, but there's no question that a reasonable increase in calorie expenditure will result in positive changes in body composition.
There's other, more effective methods for faster and better changes in body composition, but honestly, efficiency of the exercise you're doing is secondary to your consistency in doing them.
Walking can definitely lead to great results, as long as you are continually pushing yourself to walk further and faster. When my mom wanted to lose weight she began with short walks and worked her way up to power-walking 4 miles almost every day. Along with a healthy diet, she lost TONS of weight and felt great. Keep up the walking!
I have been walking for a few years now as the primary source of my exercising. I would strongly suggest that you do what I did, when you can find the time: Namely, Google phrases like
- health benefits of walking
- is walking good exercise
- can walking help you lose weight
- will walking 30 minutes a day benefit me
I found hundreds of sites which support overwhelmingly that walking is excellent exercise. Many of the sites are those run or initiated by experts in the health-wellness field.
For what your stated goal is, you are absolutely correct in believing that walking, combined with a good diet, will help you reach your goal.
Yes you will loss weight as long as you don't just" treat" your self after.
I walk for many reasons. #1 right now is as a SAHM It's my me time. No kids allowed. It helps mood and sleeping. It's free (i'm cheap) and I can even do it inside if it rains (check ondemand for fitTV) I walk 2.6 miles with a group of girls (neighbors/friends/family) in 35-45 min. After dark.
I suggest you get a GOOD step counter. DH was so nice and got me one that tracks your steps per walk / per minute/ MPH / Time /calories burnt / for a week. You put in your weight (to the nearest 10lbs) and stride. It's pretty close to distance (I do mapmyrun.com)
If you don't have the time or cash for the stepcounter (BTW it's $14 @walmart) Try mapmyrun.com after you click on your route you can hit the tool button at the top put in your stats and it gives you a close calorie burn. it's free.
As you get faster you can add weights. the kind that you strap on or a vest are nice but some cheap hand ones work too. Before I bought some I filled milk jugs with water ( I could dump it if it was too heavy near the end)
Good luck If you need support you can message me. Nicci
Original Post by ilovejohnritter:
started this week, and so far I have been walking (briskly) for 30 minutes a day. I have never been a very active person, and I can already feel it in my legs.
I'd say that 30 minutes a day starting out is a bit too much. You should start out 5 and then increment by 5 once a week or so. You need to keep working at it and prevent your body from getting bored.
It used to be walking a half hour (round trip) was hard for me. But this summer, I wanted to see the new Star Trek movie, my bicycle was broken, and my parents were out of town (and I doubt they would have taken me anyway), so I walked it. It was about two hours to the theater and about three hours back. It wasn't a big deal for me, though I hadn't seriously walked in quite a while. I think that when you get into it, you not only build up endurance but your body learns ways to do it the best, so even if you haven't done it in a while, you can still do it better than the very first time you tried.
"even if you haven't done it in a while, you can still do it better than the very first time you tried."
That's for sure. When I first tried, it was weeks (or even months) before I stopped falling over ... 
Hi Just read your post and had to reply. I started my dieting in Feb this year (2009) - I was 208 pounds when I started and at risk of getting Osteoporosis. the doc told me that the best way to build bone was walking so I decided to give it a try. I have now built up to doing an hour every morning before breakfast - apparantly it helps with your metabolic rate if you walk before eating. I have now lost 45 pounds and my shape has completely changed. I have done many diets and different sorts of exercise in the past but none have been as effective and as quickly as walking along with calorie counting. It just seemed to kick start my weight loss like never before and I am well on the way to my target weight now - just got 13 more pounds to go and I feel fantastic. My arthritis in my knees has completely gone and my doc tells me my bones are totally in the normal range now - when I started walking I could only manage 15 mins before turning back but keep doing a bit more each day and soon you will wonder what the problem was and the benefits are amazing. Good luck!
I lost 55 lbs in 5 months just by using walking as exercise and eating right. So yes its perfectly fine if that is all you can do at the time.
Just be sure to invest in good quality walking shoes. Also as the lbs start to come off its a good idea to change up your routine - change routes -- add jogging find hillier routes etc to continue to challenge the body.
Original Post by zooplah:
I'd say that 30 minutes a day starting out is a bit too much. You should start out 5 and then increment by 5 once a week or so. You need to keep working at it and prevent your body from getting bored.
I have to disagree. The original poster doesn't sound like she is having trouble doing 30 minutes a day, so I don't see that there is a need to do less. At least, I don't equate her saying she is "feeling it" with excessive pain. I took that to mean that her muscles are letting her know that they are being used. Sort of how I "feel it" after doing 30 minutes of stationary bike and 1 hour of elliptical at the gym.
As for starting out at 5 minutes, I don't know about her, but I think that wouldn't do me any good at all, since it normally takes me at least that long to get my heart rate up. And at least for me, a 5 minute walk wouldn't even get me to my mailbox and back. Even at my heaviest, when walking was often painful, I could do 30 minutes. The thing that really improved over time was the distance I could cover in 30 minutes. When I started out, my walking speed was pretty slow (3 mph or so). Now my normal walking pace is over 4.5 mph and if I'm in a hurry, I can walk at 5.5 - 6 mph. Naturally, it doesn't hurt to have long legs (I'm 6'5"). :)
To the original poster, I would repeat the suggestion to make sure you have a good pair of shoes for walking and if doing 30 minutes a day at your current pace IS causing you undue pain, then instead of walking less, just slow down a bit until you get used to it, then gradually pick up the pace.
Besides, 30 minutes of walking is a good amount of time to unwind from a hectic day (I like to walk in the evenings).
Original Post by techdog:
Original Post by zooplah:
I'd say that 30 minutes a day starting out is a bit too much. You should start out 5 and then increment by 5 once a week or so. You need to keep working at it and prevent your body from getting bored.I have to disagree. The original poster doesn't sound like she is having trouble doing 30 minutes a day, so I don't see that there is a need to do less. At least, I don't equate her saying she is "feeling it" with excessive pain. I took that to mean that her muscles are letting her know that they are being used. Sort of how I "feel it" after doing 30 minutes of stationary bike and 1 hour of elliptical at the gym.
As for starting out at 5 minutes, I don't know about her, but I think that wouldn't do me any good at all, since it normally takes me at least that long to get my heart rate up. And at least for me, a 5 minute walk wouldn't even get me to my mailbox and back. Even at my heaviest, when walking was often painful, I could do 30 minutes. The thing that really improved over time was the distance I could cover in 30 minutes. When I started out, my walking speed was pretty slow (3 mph or so). Now my normal walking pace is over 4.5 mph and if I'm in a hurry, I can walk at 5.5 - 6 mph. Naturally, it doesn't hurt to have long legs (I'm 6'5"). :)
To the original poster, I would repeat the suggestion to make sure you have a good pair of shoes for walking and if doing 30 minutes a day at your current pace IS causing you undue pain, then instead of walking less, just slow down a bit until you get used to it, then gradually pick up the pace.
Besides, 30 minutes of walking is a good amount of time to unwind from a hectic day (I like to walk in the evenings).
Yes, that is exactly what I meant. I can "feel it" as in my muscles are sore because I am using them more than usual by walking to exercise because like I stated in my original post, I am not very active at all. 30 minutes doesn't feel like too much for me. When I first started last week, I felt very tired afterwards but I noticed that today I don't feel as tired. I am going to take the advice given to me here and keep adding more time to my walking as I see it is becoming easier for me. BTW, I mapped my route on mapmyrun.com and the calculation told me that I am walking at 3.9 mph.
Thank you all for the insightful posts and advice!!
"I am walking at 3.9 mph."
Very well done! Great job!
