Walking represents one of the easiest, most beneficial exercise activities you can start. You simply need a good pair of walking shoes to get a decent workout. You can lose a few pounds if you walk nearly every day for one month, but the amount of weight you ultimately lose will depend on how far you walk, how fast you walk and how much you weigh at the start of your program.
Weight Loss Basics
In order to shed excess weight, you need to make sure you burn more calories than you eat. According to the Hospital for Special Surgery, you need a "calorie deficit" of 3,500 calories to shed each pound of excess fat, which means you need to burn those calories and not replace them. Walking every day or just five days a week can help you do that, since it keeps you active and burns more calories than just sitting.
Calories Burned
If you only want to drop 1 or 2 lbs. in a month, you won't need to walk very fast or very long. According to Harvard Medical School, a 155 lb. person will about 150 calories each day by strolling for 30 minutes at a slow pace that covers a mile in 17 minutes. Picking up the pace or adding minutes to your routine will result in extra calories burned. For example, if you weigh 155 lbs. and race walk at a fast pace, you can burn about 240 calories in half-an-hour, or enough to lose nearly 2 lbs. in your month-long program.
Time vs. Intensity
Adding time or increasing the intensity of your workout will help you lose more weight, according to Columbia University. If you race walk for an hour instead of a half hour, five days a week for one month, you could lose 3 to 4 lbs. If you stroll for an hour, you'll still lose more than 2 lbs. in one month of near-daily workouts. If you push yourself some, you'll be able to speed up over time and potentially add minutes to your workout, which will help you lose more weight.
Considerations
You can't ignore your diet if you want to lose weight. You may find yourself hungrier as a result of your extra walking workouts, and you'll sabotage your weight-loss efforts if you eat extra calories to make up for your extra energy expenditure. Since you're starting a walking exercise program, you also should take a critical look at your diet. Try to increase the amount of fresh produce and whole grains you consume, and cut back on high-calorie, low-nutrition products such as fried snack products and sweets. In addition, make sure to talk to your physician to make sure your body can handle your planned walking exercise program.
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