Is Walking the Best Way to Lose Weight?

Hello Everybody,

If you have looked in the mirror, and decided to lose weight before you look again, you will have wondered what is the best way to lose weight. You will need to change your diet and get daily exercise. But what sort of exercise? There are many ways of doing it. I recommend walking but is walking really the best way to lose weight?

Let us look some of the options.

Going to the Gym. This is fine for some, and certainly can be an enjoyable social event. There are many types of exercise available in a gym that you cannot do at home. But be aware that high impact exercise can have a bad effect on the joints, bones and muscles of the over fifties. So choose what you do carefully. The cost might be high, but having paid to join there is an incentive to carry on and get your money’s worth.

Exercising at Home. I think of this as the hardest of all. Not only can it become boring and easy to give up, but you may even increase your weight by snacking afterwards. You are always close to the fridge. However if it is the only way you can exercise do it. Avoid the snacks and it will help you lose weight.

Cycling. This is excellent. If you can cycle on a regular basis you will get good aerobic exercise. It will combat heart disease, high blood pressure and type- 2 diabetes. An hour’s cycling will burn off 300 calories - the equivalent of a chocolate bar. It improves leg strength and in older people helps balance, which in turn makes them less likely to fall and sustain bone fractures. Of course, a fall from a bicycle may be more dramatic than a fall on an icy pavement. So I would not recommend cycling to people who are really elderly and unfit. Also a bicycle costs money, it may be a good investment and better for you in the long run than a coach trip to see the Lion King, but bicycles are not cheap. Some people just cannot afford them.

Swimming. This is another good way of exercising and can be enjoyed well into old age. The support water gives the body allows for safe, easy exercise with less stress on joints and muscles. It improves cardiovascular conditioning, increases muscle strength and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Also swimming can be a social form of exercise and most pools have a coffee shop where you can go to meet friends and make new ones. The cost of a daily swim is not high and I recommend it. The downside of course, is that you need easy access to a swimming pool. For some people this is not possible and so swimming may not be an option.

Walking. I think walking is the best and easiest option. I would say that wouldn’t I, but let us look more closely. Walking, so long as you do enough of it each day, is an aerobic exercise that gives all the benefits of improved fitness. It combats heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and some cancers like the other forms of exercise. But you do not need to pay for a gym, get bored at home, buy a bicycle or have a long journey to a swimming pool. If you want to socialise join a walking club, if you like stress get a dog, if you like your own company you can have it. I will not say walking costs nothing. You will need to buy a pair of boots and maybe some other clothes.. But once you have your kit you have it for a long time. So for me the best way of losing weight really is walking. Try it.