Many people do not realize that walking can offer an incredible workout that helps you tone up, lose weight and get into great shape. It is an exercise that offers benefits for all levels of exercisers, from novices to serious athletes. If you are just beginning to exercise you will have to build up to these goals, but before long you will see the benefits.

If you are walking for weight loss, you will want to walk 5-6 days per week. To lose weight you will need to expend 3500calories more than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating. Best option is a combination of both. As a simple rule of thumb, a 150 lb. person will burn approximately 100 calories per mile. If you speed up to walking a mile in less than 13 minutes, you will burn up to 120-150 calories per mile. This is called Speed-Walking. But for most beginning walkers, it is best to increase the distance before working on speed.

In order to determine calories burned the best bet is to know your distance walked. This is easy on treadmills or marked walking paths. If walking in your neighborhood, you can drive the distance to measure or try using a Pedometer. There are several varieties of Pedometers, from simple ones that measure only steps and/or distance to ones that estimate speed and calories burned. Some people also base goals on steps per day. For weight loss, professionals recommend an uninterrupted walk each day of 4000-6000 steps. This should bring a daily total of approximately 10,000 steps with exercise and daily activites of life.

For beginners, you want to focus on building the amount of time and/or distance you spend walking. Start with a goal of 20 minutes per day, 5-6 days per week. Increase this by 5 minutes per week up to a goal of 45-60 minutes per day. Listen to your body, you may have to increase your time/distance more slowly. Remember to walk at an easy pace for the first 3-5 minutes to warm up, then increase to your target pace. A good pace for a beginner is 17-19 minutes per mile. Your goal is to work toward a 14-16 minute mile. Once you have accomplished this goal, then you can begin to challenge yourself with higher speeds, hills or even run/walking.

To keep your interest and dedication to walking, find a walking partner or walking group. Also participate in the many walk/run events that occur in your city. To find a listing of these walks, check out some of these websites:

www.coolrunning.com
www.ava.org
www.racewalk.com
www.runnersworld.com

Author: Kelli Hairston, RD, LD

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