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Hello loves!
I hope you all are doing wonderful today! We have been getting quite a bit of views on the blog and I just want to say thank you to all who keep coming back and welcome to those who are new!
Today I wanted to talk about fitness. We can call it fitness tip Tuesday. This is a HUGE fitness tip that I wish I would have known YEARS ago! If you hate cardio, this is for you. I used to hate it and feel like I would die every time I did a HIIT workout.
Every time I would do a hit workout I felt like sick to my stomach and like I barely burned any calories! *spoiler alert* YOU DON’T erg.
Yeahhh so I decided to stop with all the fad cardio and start walking instead. Yep walking! I wanted to make things as easy as possible for myself during quarantine since every gym was shut down, I had no choice but to start walking. Doing at-home workouts are great until you feel stuck inside and sedentary! So I made it a point to start walking behind my house for 30 minutes a day with my husband.
It was hard at first but after a while, it became a routine and something I LOVED. So I wanted to share it with you as well.
If you want to try and get on detox from the sugar program, I HIGHLY suggest the 7 Day Reset Cleanse by Christina Carlyle. It is my favorite program for getting back on track to eating healthy. (Affiliate link 😊)
Okay, soo…
Why walking works for weight loss…
I know that many people think it is crazy that only walking will work for weight loss but its not! And I will tell you why! First, you are doing a form of exercise that can get your heart rate up for an extended amount of time. The higher your heart rate is for a certain amount of time, the more ‘fat’ or calories you will burn!
Another form of cardio that has gotten a lot of attention is HIIT. In ‘HIIT’ workouts, you are only getting your heart rate up in bursts in a short 15 minutes of time. When you walk for an hour at a heart rate of 115- 120 bpm, you are burning far more calories in the hour than in 15 minutes.
So not only does walking burn more calories, it is a great beginner exercise for those who are just getting started with their fitness journey. It doesn’t put any pressure on you and it can be quite therapeutic and relaxing. Plus, all you must do is at least 15 to 30 minutes to reap the benefits of a beautiful morning walk (or evening!).
You may also like: 20 Weight Loss Tips You wish you knew sooner!
How does walking work for weight loss?
So, let’s say you walk about 10k steps a day and do light weight training, but then Sally only does her HIIT workout and lightweight training. Who do you think will burn more calories? You will burn more calories because you are moving more. If you get in at least 30 minutes to 1 hour a day in of cardio, light walking counts, then you will still burn more calories than those who don’t. It works because again, it’s great for beginners just getting started.
When you start with something as simple as walking 30 minutes a day for 3 months straight, your cardiovascular fitness will continue to increase and get better. It is not boring and you can increase the intensity very easily by walking faster, walking longer, or even going on hikes.
It can help you get started with fitness and slowly get you to a higher level of fitness. Not only this but, you go up the stairs easier, not get out of breath quickly, aid digestion, sleep, and walking can even turn into running or jogging when you are ready. Walking will build muscle and tone up your whole body.
Walking outdoors is best when you can because you will get plenty of vitamin D, fresh air, and alone time for your mental health when you need it.
You may also like: Amazon Fitness Favorites you Didn’t know you Needed!
You will need something to track your steps! This will help you stay on track so you know:
- how much you are burning in a day
- your heart rate so you can give your walk your maximum potential
- how many steps you are doing in a day! I love FitBit because it gives you reminders to get up and walk around and helps me be conscious of how much I NEED to move!
My recommendations are below!
How YOU can get started!
The best way to get started is to make it a goal to get 10k steps a day. That’s it! Its pretty easy and can be done with a few simple steps even if you go to work for most of the day. These are some simple tips.
- Park your car far away from work, grocery store, or another place
- Get a Fitbit. This will make it easier to track your steps
- Find a trail near your home that you love and is easily accessible
- Make it a ROUTINE. This is key to sticking with the walking consistently so you can see Try walking every morning while you drink your coffee or after lunch while at work. It will become an easy routine and you can see results after a few months or weeks of doing this.
- Get a walking buddy, neighbor, daughter/son, friend, husband/wife, or dog to go with you at first so you can feel comfortable going. You won’t even realize you are getting exercise in because you will be talking the whole time. 😉
- Walk around your house while you brush your teeth
- If you are watching a movie alone, watch it on your phone and walk around your house. I love this one because I would otherwise just be sitting! If you can get more exercise in while watching a movie or YouTube, you should
- Once you get used to walking every single day, switch it up by power walking, go for an even longer walk or go farther than last time, jog, or run! Once your cardio gets better, then you can do it faster and, in less time, while burning the same amount of calories as before! It is quite phenomenal. (progressive overload)
- Start slow and work your way up. If you can’t walk for 15-30 minutes, make it a goal to walk around the block instead every day. If that’s to much, start even smaller by walking around your house. There are no rules for walking! These are just to help you get started 😊
- Explore different areas and have fun with it! Try a different trail if you want from time to time to keep this from being boring or to easy. I love doing a more difficult trail every now and then or even bike occasionally instead of walk. You can also watch tv, movies, YouTube videos, listen to music, audiobooks, or even podcasts while you walk to make it even more enjoyable! A great time to go for a nice walk is early in the morning before it gets too hot or late in the afternoon to see the sunsetting.
You may also like: How to Create a 1500 Calorie Meal Plan!
When will I start seeing results?
With anything you first start, expect it to take time like everything else. Just like it took time for someone to gain all the weight, it is going to take time to lose it as well. Be patient with yourself. You will most likely start to see results when you notice it getting easier and you are able to go faster. Once this happens you will notice the muscles in your legs are getting stronger, your heart is getting stronger, and your breath is more regular. This is great!
You WILL lose weight a lot faster when you implement a good eating plan as well. If you drink a lot of soda, start by switching the regular soda out for diet soda and you will lose 1-2 pounds a week by doing that alone! All it takes is a little bit of effort at a time and you will get there!
Once you notice walking starting to get easier, try doing fast walking your typical route, a longer route, or… start jogging on your way back.
You might find these helpful in terms of diet and nutrition:
-
Excellent foods that will keep you full on a ‘diet’
-
20 Vegan High Protein Dinners you need to try
-
Top 5 Probiotics for weight loss
-
Heavenly Healthy Snacks to Help you Lose weight
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Skinny Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
-
How to lose belly fat with food
And that’s all folks! I really hope you found these tips helpful and it will encourage you to start walking more. Just getting in 1 walk a day can greatly improve your life and help you start making better choices, and create healthier habits.
To lose weight and start eating healthier, I highly recommend the 7 Day Reset cleanse (aff. Link!) by Christina Carlyle. It is amazing and will help you to detox from heavy foods that make you feel sluggish! It is what I personally use when I get sluggish and feel that I have had a little too much caffeine, sugar, fried foods, etc! Try it out today, take control of your health 😊
Thank you all!
Xoxo
Dacia
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” Psalm 28:7
