A nutritious diet and aerobic exercise form the perfect recipe for weight loss. Walking is a safe aerobic method for beginners and allows you to burn calories in large amounts while lowering your risk for heart attack and depression. Skipping meals weakens your body, although eating too close to a walking workout can also minimize the benefits of your hard work if you suffer stomach cramps and have to quit early. Recognize how soon to walk after you eat to achieve a healthy body size.
Walking and Your Weight
Doctors often prescribe an exercise regimen with walking for patients seeking weight loss, as the convenient aerobic method requires only a good pair of athletic shoes and a safe path. Walking keeps your body moving at a quick pace for an extended duration. The pace --- and rapid movement of your largest body parts --- helps you burn calories. Calorie burning is essential to maintaining a healthy waistline, since your body only loses weight when you use more calories daily than you take in during eating and drinking.
When to Eat
Walking will help you trim away unwanted weight, although MayoClinic.com recommends scheduling any regular meals at least two to three hours before your workout. Athletes who consume too much food prior to exercise often feel tired and have a higher risk for side effects like diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Consider a small snack an hour before your walk, which may provide your body with an energy boost. Carbohydrates represent your healthiest pre-workout snack and include fresh fruit like bananas or an apple, as well as yogurt or granola bars with whole grains. Drinking about 3 cups, or 0.7 liters, of water in the two to three hours before exercise also prevents dehydration.
Maximizing Your Benefits
While a walk to the mailbox counts as physical activity, you'll need to increase your intensity and the length of your foot exercise in order to notice a difference on the scale. With your doctor's approval, aim to walk at a brisk pace on five days weekly for at least half an hour. Start each walk slowly for at least a few minutes and elevate your speed once your body feels ready. MayoClinic.com estimates that a 200-lb. person typically burns about 346 calories per hour when walking at a speed of 3.5 miles per hour, although adding bouncing, skipping or jumping to walks will burn more calories. Plan to gradually decrease your pace in the final portion of a walk.
Additional Rewards
Walking rewards your body with a smaller waistline, although you'll gain a variety of additional wellness benefits. Regular walks reduce fatigue, lower your cholesterol and make your arteries less likely to suffer plaque buildup. Walking also increases heart strength and gives you a greater chance to bypass the risks of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and even cancer.
References
- Harvard Medical School; Walking Your Steps to Health; August 2009
- Cleveland Clinic: Walk for Good
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Exercise and Weight Control
- MayoClinic.com; Eating and Exercise: 5 Tips To Maximize Your Workouts; December 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Aerobic Exercise; Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical; February 2011
- CNN.com; How To Walk Off The Belly Fat; Tracy Teare; August 2008
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