Does a Walking Exercise Program Work?

A walking exercise program only works well as part of an overall weight loss program. You will struggle to lose weight if walking is all you do. Weight gain is usually the result of two things. Eating the wrong sort of food and not exercising enough. So you can exercise and not lose much weight. Or you can diet and not lose much weight. Which explains why people say they have tried to get slim and not succeeded. Just put exercise and a healthy diet together and in time you will become fit and slim.

So how should you do it? You will need to decrease your calorie intake and increase your exercise level.

Start Slowly: For exercise you can walk, run, swim, cycle or do static exercises in the gym or at home. I prefer a walking exercise program as it is easy and suitable for all ages. Exercise is good for you, but if you have not exercised for a long time, or have a medical condition, tell your doctor first. Then start slowly. The people who get into trouble are those who normally only walk to the Post Office each day, then suddenly decide to get fit by running five miles. Do enough exercise to get slightly breathless and then stop. If you are walking - when you may not get breathless at all - just begin with a short distance and work up to a mile or so a day. You will need to exercise at least 30 minutes each day for good results.

Reduce Calorie Intake: A crash diet is one that reduces your daily calorie intake to under 1500 calories. Only do it if you are desperate to reduce weight for a special event. A better answer is to reduce calories by 300-500 a week. That will make you lose 1-2 pounds. You can do this by cutting out your coffee and croissant in the local coffee shop. But it is best to look at what you have been eating and try to live a more healthy lifestyle.

Things to Avoid: Fats contain the most calories, so eat lean meat. Reduce your intake of butter, margarine and mayonnaise. Use skimmed or semi skimmed milk. Consider giving up cow's milk completely and drinking Soya milk - it tastes better than you might think. Do not have sugar in drinks and cut out sugary cookies and crisps. Reduce fizzy drinks and alcohol.

Do all this and you may well lose more than 1-2 pounds a week, but take it easy. Aim at 1-2 pounds and anything else is a bonus. Losing weight is not too difficult if you go about it the right way. Take your time, reduce calories, work on your walking exercise program and watch the pounds fall away.