If you want to lose weight but you only have 20 minutes per day to spend doing it, a walking program can help. Walking burns calories--up to about 150 calories in 20 minutes, according to Harvard Medical School. However, to see your weight decline quickly, you may need to consider dieting as well as a walking program.
Weight-Loss Basics
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than the food you're eating provides--3,500 calories more per pound, according to Columbia University. You can use walking to burn calories and accelerate your weight loss, provided you don't eat more to make up for the extra calories you're burning while walking. See your physician first to make sure you're in shape to begin your 20-minute daily walking program.
Getting Started
If you haven't used walking for exercise previously, the University of Montana recommends investing in a pedometer, which counts how many steps you take. If you wear your pedometer daily for a few days, you can determine how many steps you normally take each day. Then, start building from there, using your pedometer to make sure you add about 500 steps each day. If you try to add steps in parking lots and by taking the stairs instead of the elevators, this shouldn't take more than 20 minutes each day.
Next Steps
Once you've built up to 10,000 steps in a day, you're ready for the next walking program to lose weight, according to the University of Montana. Find a walking route that will take you 20 minutes to complete, or plan to spend that long on the treadmill each day. Over time, push yourself to complete the route faster, timing your progress each time to see how you're doing. Once you've shaved a couple of minutes off your time, make your route longer so that you're still exercising for 20 minutes at a stretch.
Advanced Programs
Once you've reached a point where you're in good shape, you can try an interval training walking program, according to the University of Montana. Interval training alternates between high-intensity power walks and low-intensity workouts, each of which can take you just 20 minutes to complete. While performing the high-intensity workouts, you should push yourself to raise your heart rate to about 85 percent of its maximum, according to Columbia University.
References
- Columbia University: How Many Calories Does It Take To Lose One Pound?; Nov. 17, 2007
- Harvard Medical School: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes of Leisure and Routine Activities
- University of Montana: 10,000 Steps to a Healthier You
- University of Montana: For Improved Fitness
- University of Montana: Interval Training for Faster Results
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