Walk Your Way To Weight Loss…At Any Age
Walking to lose weight but don’t know where to start? Here’s what you need to know to stroll your way to weight loss, at any age.
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According to researchers from the University of Virginia, intensity is key. In fact, women who power walked three times weekly for a short period – in addition to two longer, moderate speed walks – lost 5 times more belly fat than those who simply strolled at a moderate pace 5 days a week. Both groups burned the exact same number of calories, about 400 per workout. However, those who picked up the pace also dropped more than 2 inches from around their waistlines, trimmed about 3 times more fat from their thighs, shed 4 times more total body fat, and lost almost 8 pounds over 16 weeks – all without dieting.
The best part? “Nearly everyone can do it. It takes only some shoes and you can do it anywhere and in any season,” Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FAND, Associate Clinical Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, tells BlackDoctor.org.
How Much Walking Do You Need to Do to Lose Weight?
In order to gauge how walking may impact your weight loss goals, Dr. Ayoob provides this example: “2000 steps is about a mile, and for a 150-lb person that burns up about 95-100 calories. If you burn about 3500 calories, it’s a pound of body fat.”
Keep in mind, that the amount you shed is based upon body weight. “Smaller people will burn less, larger people and those with a lower fitness level will burn more calories,” he said.
As for the age old question ‘can you walk off 10 pounds,’ Dr. Ayoob confirms “Sure! 35 miles would be about 10 pounds.” But, “be patient,” he adds. “Technology trains us to get everything instantly. Bodies are different and always have worked more slowly than technology. Accept that as normal.”
