As people become more conscious of their overall health, they become more inclined to losing weight. Being overweight, if not obese, is associated with a variety of health problems, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. As such, achieving proper weight cannot be overemphasised.

To lose weight, you need to decrease your calorie intake a bit and increase the amount of calories you burn off. And, that may mean changing your diet and becoming more active. In terms of burning off more calories, one choice you have is going to the gym. While it is a good idea, it does not work for everyone because you may find it a bit boring after a while. Also, you will have to pay for membership fees. Because you would like to make the most of your money, you force yourself to go to the gym, making it feel like a punishment. Understandably, this is not sustainable. As such, you would want to find an activity or exercise programme that you would enjoy and stick with. And, one excellent choice is walking.

An aerobic activity, walking causes the heart and lungs to work harder than they would in your day-to-day life. Practically speaking, walking does not require you to spend money on membership fees and purchase special equipment. It is also low impact, which means that your risk of getting an injury is reduced. Just because it is lower impact than other sports or activities does not mean that it is not as effective, though. With walking, you get to move your arms and legs at the same time, allowing you to burn off more calories than doing either in isolation.

Moreover, there are a few things you have to remember when you decide to take on walking as a part of your efforts to lose weight.

Walking Gait and Pronation

Gait refers to the way you walk. Although we think we all walk the same way, there are actually subtle but important differences. Knowing your gait is important in choosing the right footwear; this is essential to avoid putting a strain on the muscles and joints of the body over the course of your walking. Furthermore, pronation is one term associated with gait. Pronation is how your lower legs absorb shock and the amount of rolling your foot does towards the inside or instep of the foot.

Walking Technique

An important consideration in walking is the way your body moves. Although you have been walking all your life, it is important that you learn to walk correctly as you are now walking for a purpose, that is, to lose weight. If you adopt a good posture, then you will conserve energy and walk quicker without placing stress on the lower back, hips, knees, and ankles.

Stretching

As your walking activity increases, you become more prone to muscular imbalances. Your lower back, hamstrings, and calves can become tight and inflexible. Your shins, quadriceps, and stomach muscles, on the other hand, may get weaker. To prevent this from taking place, you will have to stretch properly. While stretching before exercise is not necessary, the importance of stretching off after exercise cannot be overstated. Remember to warm the muscles first before stretching by walking briskly for five minutes.

For more walking weight loss tips, watch this video:

Walking Gadgets

Recent developments in technology has paved the way for the availability of gadgets that can help you track and monitor how fast and how far you walk. These include a heart rate monitor, a stopwatch, and a mobile phone. A heart rate monitor can give you information on average heart rate over exercise period, breathing rate, and calories burned over the course of the walk. A stopwatch, on the other hand, measures the amount of time elapsed from one point to another. A mobile phone, more than anything else, is important for your safety.

Safety

So you are committed to following a walking plan for losing weight. That means you will be spending some of your time walking outdoors. With that, your safety is of utmost importance. Some safety precautions you can take include walking on pavements and using marked crossing points. Moreover, take your time and cross safely. Drivers also need to see you to be able to avoid you, so see to it that you stay out of the drivers blind spot. When you are walking in the dark, carry a flashlight.

Indeed, you can walk your way to weight loss and fitness. Walking has been found to improve your overall well-being, but you also have to make sure that you do it properly. And, you can start doing that with the help of the above tips.

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