It can be difficult to lose weight. Everybody wants to know the secret and what the best weight loss exercise is. However, shedding pounds can be as simple as walking.
People want the easy way. A secret potion, powder, or pill to help them lose weight. But, this isn’t reality.
Although losing weight by walking might sound too good to be true, it actually can be done pretty easy. By taking a few extra steps (pun intended), you can be on your way to losing weight!
Fat Loss Explained
When it comes to losing weight, the equation for success is simple.
“Calories In” needs to be less than “Calories Out”
This is the formula we will be working with today. If you want to lose weight you must either decrease your “calories in” or increase your “calories out”. With a good base of eating healthy foods, you have taken the first step towards losing weight.
Most people start off in the second boat, trying to increase the calories out by searching for the perfect weight loss exercise. However, many people fail at this because they try to burn as many calories as possible during a work out.
The issue is, most of your calories are burned while you aren’t doing anything. Yes, you heard that right!
The 4 Ways We Burn Calories
You see, there are four components that make up how we burn calories. The largest of all of these is something called your Basal Metabolic Rate (aka your metabolism).
This is just a fancy term that is used to describe how your body uses energy just to keep you alive. You need calories for your brain to work, for your heart to pump, and for you to continue living.
This makes up around 60% of our total calories burned.
Second, we have something called TEF. This is the thermic effect of food. Yes – eating food burns calories. Who would have thought that eating could be a weight loss exercise?
It takes energy in order to create energy. When you are eating foods that are high in protein and high in fiber, your TEF will increase.
However, it only makes up around 5-10% of all calories burned.
So where do people turn next? Typically something called EAT! This is your formal exercise. In most cases, people trying to lose weight increase how hard their workouts are.
By adding in cardio or massive circuits people think they are going to lose way more weight. However, this also only makes up about 5-10% of all calories burned.
So, if you are looking to find the best weight loss exercise you need to increase NEAT!
“NEAT” Weight Loss Exercise
If you want to lose weight, you need to increase your NEAT. Your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (wow that is a mouthful!).
NEAT consist of all the small activities you do throughout the day. Think about walking up steps, fidgeting, or even something as silly as singing in the shower.
All of these movements help you lose weight.
In fact, they make up approximately 30% of all the calories you burn in a day. If you want to lose weight, you need to increase your NEAT!
Now, that doesn’t mean to spend all day bouncing around or fidgeting. It doesn’t mean singing an opera in your shower every night. However, there are many things you can do to help this out. But one of them, is basic, but superior.
So, what is this weight loss exercise? What is the easiest way to increase your movement throughout the day? Walking!
Walking – The Simple Wight Loss Exercise
Yes, walking is something we have done since the beginning of our lives. It is something we do every day, but all of us could use more of.
Have you ever thought about how many steps you take in a day? Have you ever tracked it?
If you are somebody who works an active job you definitely know what it feels like to be on your feet all day. Nurses, construction workers, landscapers, and teachers. All of you are moving constantly.
Unfortunately, that is not the case for many of us. Most employees are bound to a desk all day. We spend time staring at a screen, only occasionally getting up to refill our coffee.
However, through this simple weight loss exercise, you can be more active. You see, walking is for everybody. Everybody can get up and move more.
We don’t typically think of walking as a weight loss exercise. But, this is the simple secret to losing more weight.
Benefits of Walking
If you were looking for the best weight loss exercise there you have it. Walking has a whole host of benefits that everybody can reap.
First, it is simple to add in to your life. For those of us working a desk job, it can be a simple as taking a few meetings on a phone call. While you are on the phone call, take a walk.
Many times we do not need to be at our computers or sitting in a conference room in order to take a meeting. So, take the meeting walking!
Second, you can increase your “calories out” by over 300 calories if you can increase your steps! Yes – that’s is almost enough calories to lose an extra pound a week.
Track Your Steps
However, you need to monitor how many steps you take. You can do this through your Health App on your cell phone, on an Apple Watch, Fitbit or Amazon Halo device. If you can increase your daily steps by a couple thousand, you will be well on your way to losing weight.
Finally, this simple weight loss exercise builds up your cardio capacity. When you are moving more often your body is built to keep going.
Your blood flow will improve, you will have more energy, and feel better about yourself. By making this a habit you can truly change your life!
Take a few calls walking, take three 10 minute walks per day, or take the dog out more often. Anything to get more steps!
Make it a challenge to yourself to reach 10,000 steps per day. If you hit this mark, you will be sure to shed off those last few pounds!
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