Walk Your Fat Away Day 2
Benefits of Walking for Weight Loss
Today was day 2 for walking for Aldo. I started to do it for myself as well, why not, especially since I have been finding alot of surprising material about how effective walking is not only for weight loss, but for deep fat, visceral fat which is the most dangerous kind and surrounds the internal organs.
Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.
She compiled a list of studies which point this little known fact out. Here are several:
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that brisk walking is very effective for reducing deep abdominal fat, the most dangerous kind of fat. And a University of Colorado study found that if people could commit to walking 2,000 steps a day more than they do now — the equivalent of about one additional mile or about 15 minutes worth of movement — they may not necessarily lose weight but would probably stop gaining. The typical adult gains 1 to 3 pounds a year, which means they're eating, on average, an excess of 10 to 30 calories a day. The 100 calories per day burned off from walking 2,000 steps would more than compensate for this excess.
So, just a mile a day, will prevent you from gaining, that is only 15 minutes out of your day. And if you do 2 miles a day, that is going to enable you to start taking off weight, and as we see above, brisk walking is effective for reducing deep abdominal fat. You do not have to be a member of cirque de Soleil to shed fat. All you have to do is walk! All we have to do is walk. There is no excuse, this is a very encouraging study of how great just walking is.
Researchers have also found that walking an additional 6,000 steps a day (or about 3 miles) is the point at which the pounds really start coming off, as long as it is done in conjunction with sensible eating habits like fat, calories and portion control.
Today I had Aldo walk 2 miles, but after reading this research, I am going to encourage him to shoot for 3 miles a day considering the benefits.
A report from the former National Institutes of Medicine makes similar recommendations, advising one hour of daily walking or other moderate exercise for weight loss. What's more, the majority of participants in the National Weight Control Registry, an ongoing survey of more than 3,000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year, report walking as one of their major-weight loss strategies. You may notice that I reference the registry frequently. That's because it is the only “living laboratory” to examine weight loss in the real world.
The National Weight Control Registry participants cite walking as their top weight loss strategy. Had you ever heard of such a registry? Neither did I. But now that we know about it, it seems clear to me that brisk walking should be the foundation of our exercise activity. Add pushups, squats and dead lifts for more power, to get fitter, leaner, build muscle.
Please share of you have walked away your day or if you are planning to.
Ben Isaac is the author of 