2579: [Part 2] Walking For Weight Loss? How To Lose Weight With Walking (Seriously) by JC Deen of JCD Fitness

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[00:01:05] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2579, Walking for Weight Loss – How to Lose Weight

[00:01:11] with Walking, Seriously, Part 2 by JC Dean of jcdfitness.com. And I'm your narrator, Dr. Neal.

[00:01:20] Hey there, happy Thursday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I simply read to

[00:01:24] you from the best health and fitness blogs for free. I cover fitness, nutrition, stress management,

[00:01:31] weight management, and more, just like an audiobook, but from a bunch of different authors,

[00:01:36] and always with permission from the sites, and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:01:41] Now today's post is part two from yesterday, so if you're new here or skipping around,

[00:01:47] I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first. That was episode 2578. But if you're all

[00:01:54] caught up, let's jump right in here part two and continue optimizing your life.

[00:02:03] Walking for Weight Loss – How to Lose Weight with Walking, Seriously, Part 2 by JC Dean of

[00:02:09] jcdfitness.com. 5. How to Make Time for Regular Walks

[00:02:17] Use gaps in your work schedule. Instead of sitting around on your break,

[00:02:21] take a 5-10 minute walk around the block or the building if possible. When I used to answer phones

[00:02:26] at a call center during college, I would walk outside during my 15-minute breaks, instead

[00:02:31] of sitting in the snack room. Or walk for 10-15 minutes first thing upon waking. It doesn't have

[00:02:37] to be fancy. Just get out of bed 15 minutes earlier than normal, put on those walking shoes

[00:02:42] and head out the door. If you're not having to wake up before dusk, you'll get the benefit of

[00:02:47] morning sunlight which can help wake you up. This is especially true during the colder months.

[00:02:54] Nothing wakes you up faster in the morning than cold, crisp air. Grab a coffee and get it going.

[00:03:00] Another idea, walk on your lunch break. Instead of sitting for the entire hour to eat your lunch,

[00:03:06] use the remaining time after you've finished eating to get some walking in,

[00:03:10] even if it's just 10-20 minutes. You'll break the monotony, get some fresh air and possibly burn

[00:03:16] some extra fat that you wouldn't have normally. You can also walk before or after your workout.

[00:03:23] A great way to warm up for your training session is to do a 10-minute brisk walk

[00:03:27] to bring your core body temperature up which helps your muscles get loose and ready for hard training.

[00:03:33] You can also do some walking after a hard training session and take advantage of the

[00:03:37] heightened calorie burn from training. You could also go for long walks or go for hikes on weekends.

[00:03:44] This is one of my favorite activities of all time. I love being in the woods and smelling the trees,

[00:03:50] the grass and hearing the sounds of the wilderness. If you're near an ocean, walking on the beach is

[00:03:56] incredibly relaxing and if you're like me, you'll get your feet wet walking on the shore.

[00:04:01] Something I do somewhat frequently is a stroll after eating dinner. A lot of people claim this

[00:04:06] helps them with digestion and there's probably something to that. Also, it's been shown in one

[00:04:11] scientific study that walking after a meal improves glycemic control. What this means is

[00:04:18] walking after meals can help you manage blood sugar levels. This study shows that people who

[00:04:23] walk for 15 minutes after each meal do a better job controlling their blood sugar and improving

[00:04:29] insulin sensitivity. So for anyone who has diabetes or has pre-diabetes, taking regular walks throughout

[00:04:36] the day could be a huge positive for their health. You could also break up your work periods with 5

[00:04:41] to 10 minute walks. If you're like most working people, you probably spend the majority of your

[00:04:47] day sitting whether in a car, on a train or at a desk. So if you can, even if it's for only 5 to

[00:04:54] 10 minutes, try to break up your work periods by routinely standing up, stretching out and going for

[00:05:00] a quick walk. Even if you just have 5 minutes of movement every hour, it's a lot better than

[00:05:05] sitting for 3 to 4 hours with no activity. Walking for weight loss tips

[00:05:11] 1. Wear good shoes. Just because you're walking for 10 minutes on your lunch hour

[00:05:17] doesn't mean you shouldn't change your shoes. Most of the shoes we tend to work in are stiff,

[00:05:22] uncomfortable and not made for walking long distances. We take our feet for granted most

[00:05:28] of the time because we use them every single day. It's only after we've injured ourselves,

[00:05:33] gotten blisters, stubbed a toe or had something go wrong with our feet that we ever pay attention

[00:05:39] to how amazing it is we can just walk whenever we wish. So when you plan to walk for more than

[00:05:45] 10 to 15 minutes at a time, wearing shoes made for activity and walking are ideal.

[00:05:51] 2. Remember, walking doesn't have to feel like an intense workout. Going for a walk should be

[00:05:58] enjoyable. It can even serve as a form of relaxation. Not every activity you do for

[00:06:03] health and weight loss needs to be intense. Casual walking can help you burn fat, boost

[00:06:09] recovery from your weight training sessions and improve blood flow throughout your entire body.

[00:06:14] 3. You don't have to start logging tons of steps at the beginning.

[00:06:19] If you're not used to walking much, you don't need to start hitting 10,000 steps per day.

[00:06:23] While that's a good goal to have, just like everything, you need to start small.

[00:06:28] Set yourself a goal of walking an extra 1,000 steps per day and leave it at that for a week.

[00:06:34] Then see if you can find a way to get more steps in.

[00:06:37] 4. Utilize technology you already have. Most of us have a smartphone and many smartphones

[00:06:44] will track your steps automatically. So, if you want to get a baseline for how many steps

[00:06:49] you average daily, just check it out on your phone. And 5. If you have the time and the routes

[00:06:56] walkable, walk instead of driving. If you normally would drive to the post office,

[00:07:01] but it's just a mile down the road and you can walk it, do it. Need to meet a friend for a movie?

[00:07:07] Can you safely walk there? Walk if it makes sense to. When I was in college, I lived about a mile

[00:07:13] from campus, so unless it was just pouring rain or snow, I walked every day.

[00:07:19] Ways to make walking for weight loss interesting. If you're making walking a regular habit for

[00:07:25] weight loss, you want it to be a joy, not a chore. Any form of exercise that feels forced

[00:07:31] will eventually be put off. No plan, even the so-called perfect exercise plan, will work if

[00:07:37] you're not consistent and committed. Here's a quick list of ways to make your walking more

[00:07:43] enjoyable. 1. Listen to your favorite music or podcast. Make a Spotify playlist or pull out

[00:07:50] your old Sony Walkman and listen to throwback tunes, whatever gets your body out the door

[00:07:54] and walking regularly. Podcasts are great for walks as well. 2. Listen to an audiobook. This

[00:08:01] is one of my favorite ways to learn something while I spend my time walking. 3. Walk in nature.

[00:08:08] Get out to enjoy the space we came from with or without technology and enjoy the sights,

[00:08:14] sounds, and smells of the great outdoors. 4. Walk with friends. Pretty much every activity

[00:08:21] is enhanced when you have someone there to enjoy it with you. Plus, having a scheduled

[00:08:26] walk with a friend or loved one can be good for accountability. 5. Take your dogs out. Dogs need

[00:08:33] to be out in nature. They need the activity, just like you do. And 6. Take an alternate route.

[00:08:41] If you've been walking the same route for weeks on end, it can get pretty boring. So take an

[00:08:46] alternate route or do your walking in a different area for a change of scenery if possible.

[00:08:52] Walking for Weight Loss Action Plan Step 1. Think of 2-3 times during the day you can take a walk,

[00:09:00] even if you only have 10-15 minutes. It's easy to walk out the door and go around the block a time

[00:09:06] or two. Step 2. Commit to at least a dedicated hour of walking per week. Ideally, break it up

[00:09:13] into small, manageable chunks like 10 minutes per day. I find it best to do this first thing in the

[00:09:19] morning, but any time will work. And Step 3. Do it. No excuses. You'll likely find that carving out

[00:09:27] 10 extra minutes per day to walk is relatively easy and once you get started, you'll likely

[00:09:33] walk longer than this. But if you can only do 10 minutes, you're done for the day. You just

[00:09:41] listened to part 2 of the post titled, Walking for Weight Loss? How to Lose Weight with Walking,

[00:09:47] Seriously, by JC Dean of JCDFitness.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:11:06] Today's author, JC, happened to mention two of my favorite times to incorporate walking into my life.

[00:11:12] The first was when he talked about walking before or after a workout. I like to use walking as both

[00:11:18] a form of warming up and cooling down, even if it's just for five minutes. It helps to warm up

[00:11:24] the major muscles before the workout and helps get our blood pressure and heart rate back to normal

[00:11:30] after an intense workout. My other favorite time to walk is after a particularly big meal.

[00:11:36] In fact, I've made it a tradition to go for a walk after a Thanksgiving meal. It's not the easiest

[00:11:43] thing to do. I mean, after a ginormous meal like that, our bodies seem to be telling us to relax,

[00:11:49] put our feet up and watch the rest of the football game. But I like to recruit the family to go for

[00:11:54] a walk before we indulge in the coffee and pumpkin pie. We take our time walking around

[00:11:59] the neighborhood looking at holiday lights because I've found in my neighborhood, at least,

[00:12:03] most houses put up their holiday lights the weekend before Thanksgiving, if you can believe it.

[00:12:09] Then when we get back after the stroll, that coffee and dessert tastes even better. So

[00:12:16] think about which of JC's walking suggestions will fit into your lifestyle. Just pick one and

[00:12:21] see how it goes. The important thing is to just start. Alright, that'll do it for today. Thank

[00:12:28] you so much for being here and listening every day. I hope you're having a great week and I'll

[00:12:33] see you back here tomorrow for the Friday Q&A where optimal life awaits!