Walking is the key to fat loss. Most people are shocked when I tell them that walking is the #1 thing they can do to keep their fat burning high!
It just seems too good to be true…
“So you’re telling me I don’t need a fancy new cardio machine in my house? Or that I don’t need to do these crazy high intense workouts? And that I’m wasting my time & money on expensive diet & exercise programs?”
Yes, that is exactly what I am telling you!
A huge issue in todays world is our lack of activity.
I barely ever see kids out playing anymore, or adults outside engaging in physical activity. Yes, the foods we eat are a giant contributor to everyones weight problem (being too fat, which is way more common now than it ever was).
But what is just as important to losing fat and being healthy… as a healthy diet… is being physically active.
Most people, maybe you as well… Do not participate in physical activity nearly as must as they should.
The recommended amount of aerobic activity per week (by the American Heart Association) is 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity (cardio) … FOR JUST HEALTH. Not for weight loss… Just to be a NORMAL & HEALTHY human being.
Re-read that statistic again and let it sink in. Now ask yourself and be honest… Are you even getting half of that recommendation per week? Most likely… You’re not. And honestly, thats ok. Because you can start today!
If you break that 150 minutes down you get:
50 minutes / 3 days per week
40 minutes / 4 days per week
30 minutes / 5 days per week
25 minutes / 6 days per week
20 minutes / 7 days per week
These are various break downs on getting in about 150 minutes of aerobic activity in eat week!
I would start even simpler though…
3 Days a week / Monday, Wednesday, Friday / 30 minutes per day.
Start there and then progress up to 5 days per week.
But why should you choose to walk over everything else? Because it packs the biggest punch with the least amount of wear & tear on your mind, body & life.
You can walk anywhere, all you need is a pair of shoes. The skill required is virtually zero and the stress on the body is very low. This means you can walk often without getting super sore, demotivated or burnt out.
I encourage all of my clients and you as well to get a step tracking watch. Wear it for a week and see what your daily average is for steps. This is a very powerful tool we can use to gauge activity levels and hold us accountable.
I want to share with you some basic guidelines I have been using with clients for a decade now:
5,000 steps per day & lower = LOW ACTIVITY
10,000 steps per day = Moderate activity
15,000+ steps per day = High activity
If you are in the 5,000 steps & lower per day.. You have to schedule a walking session first thing in the morning or when you get done with work, in order to get your activity (calorie burn) up to par. Incline treadmill walking & outdoor walking are both phenomenal and you should do either or.
Let’s do some simple math to really drive this point home for you:
The average person walks 1 mile in about 15 minutes. The average person burns between 100-150 (depending on weight & intensity) calories per mile walked. Let’s say you walked for 30 minutes and it was 2 miles total.
30 minutes walking = 200 calories burned.
If you walked 30 minutes every day of the week that comes out to:
200×7= 1,400 calories burned walking per week.
Now compare that to these numbers:
The average person burns about 200-400 calories during an intense weight training workout. (depending on weight & intensity)
If you weight trained 3 days per week it would look like this:
3×250 (avg. calories burned in weight training workout) = 750 calories burned.
Walking 30 minutes every day is basically DOUBLE the calorie burn as 3 weight training sessions per week.
Yes, really, the math is that simple.
You see, high intensity workouts are great and so is weight training… But they are very demanding forms of training and leave you sore, burnt out and do not burn as many calories as you think. Walking does not leave you sore or burnt out which means you can always do it no matter what.
Most people just approach each form of training with one intent “Burn as many calories in this workout no matter what.” But this is not the best approach, it can take away from the actual purpose of each form of training.
For example, when weight training… The goal is not to burn as many calories as possible. The goal is to build as much muscle as possible. Which happen to be two totally different things.
Now what is the best approach to fat loss?
The best approach to fat loss, especially for men is pairing 3 things together:
- A high protein, nutrient dense diet plan, set for your weight loss goals.
- A weight training routine to build muscle mass & strength.
- A walking routine to burn extra calories all week long without burning out.
If you do these 3 things you will be well on your way to losing body fat, building muscle and becoming your best self.
If you have any questions or would like some guidance with your health, just schedule a call below and I will help you get from where you are now to where you want to be, no cost to you.
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