The Benefits of Walking for Weight Loss

6 walking tips for weight loss:

1. Walk tall

Lift your torso up and out of your hips and sense your body ‘lengthening’. This will prevent you from lapsing into a slouch and ‘walking heavy’, which could hinder the way walking for weight loss works.

'Good posture allows you to take full breaths and fully engage your core muscles, as well as your legs and glutes to achieve a better, more powerful stride.' 

2. Look up

Your head weighs around 4.5kg, so don’t drag yourself down by staring at the ground on your walking for weight loss quest. Cast your gaze forward, so your head is balanced on your neck and spine.

3. Take smaller steps

By keeping your body upright, you will be able to land with your feet directly underneath your body rather – this will help you to walk lightly.

'Overstriding can be the cause of injuries so make sure the steps you take aren’t too big which can add additional pressure to your joints, and hinder your walking for weight loss progress,' Wiener explains.

4. Use your arms

Keep your elbows bent at 90 degrees, your wrists and hands neither floppy nor rigid and move your arms backwards and forwards slightly across your body. 'A strong-arm motion can burn 5-10% more calories and add speed, which will again increase calorie burn. It's a handy hack to walking for weight loss, and one that people often let slip.

5. Use control

Take time to practise walking slower than you would normally, so you can be conscious of whether your footfall is light or heavy, whether your head feels poised on your neck and spine, and whether you can sense unnecessary tension in your arms, shoulders and back. This will all help your walking for weight loss advancement.

6. Nail your foot-strike technique

‘Strike the ground heel first and roll through the step from the heel to the toe, pushing back off with your toe before striking the ground again heel first’. Again, this one will help prevent any injuries that could stop you from achieving your walking for weight loss goal.

4-week walking programme 

Attempt to go for the recommended walks at least two to three times per week!