Many people in the western world are overweight or obese and the numbers are increasing. To combat this problem there is an everyday activity which can help shed body fat quickly without burning out.
Obesity as a major problem
During August 2021–August 2023, the prevalence of
obesity in adults in the US was 40.3%, with no significant differences between
men and women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm
A big part of this problem is certainly caused by a diet
that does not support health and longevity. Too many refined products, too much
simple sugar and way too much saturated fat can be found in the meals that are
eaten every day in America.
If a person is overweight and wants to lose excess body fat,
they have to look at their diet first. There is truth to the saying that you
can’t outwork a bad diet. If you only eat junk food, you can workout as much as
you want, you will not be able to change the way your body looks and feels.
Body recomposition has two components: diet and exercise.
In this article I don’t want to go into the details of
eating right for a healthy and slim body. Rather, I want to write about an easy
physical activity to burn calories, create a calorie deficit and lose body fat.
(Not so secret) activity
And the secret exercise is WALKING! Most everybody is
capable of walking. It is something that doesn’t require a gym membership or
any special workout equipment. If done in a natural setting, it can even be
very beneficial for the mind by reducing stress and breathing in fresh air.
Much has been written about the magical number of 10,000
steps a day. But benefits for a person’s health can accumulate even with fewer
steps. Of course, since the goal for people interested in this article is
losing body fat, it is better to walk more in order to burn more calories.
It is true that you burn more calories per minute if you run
compared to just walking. But here is the problem: many people think they have
to run hard for long periods of time in order to torch as many calories as
possible. Most of them are successful for a while and then they give up because
it is simply too demanding to workout that way. Who hasn’t seen the red faces
of people on treadmills, huffing and puffing and sweating profusely?
A much more sustainable way to lose body fat gradually is by
walking without burning out. The advantage of walking is that you are not
exhausted after your workout and you can do it every single day of the week.
Also, you can walk for much longer periods of time than running, which in many
cases ends up burning just as many calories at the end of the session, even if
it took longer.
Depending on where your starting point is, you may have to
do “exercise snacks” at first. That means you could start with just five
minutes of walking several times a day to build up some stamina. After a while
you will find that walking becomes easier and easier. The ultimate goal is to
be able to take 15,000 steps per day. I know it sounds like a lot, but at that
point excess body fat will melt away for many trainees. I remember when I first
started to increase my step count and it wasn’t exactly pleasant during the
first week. After the first few days I got used to walking more and it became
natural to me to the point that I feel like I am lazy if I don’t reach my daily
goal.
Always keep in mind that exercise is only half the equation
and you have to dial in your diet.
Japanese walking method
If you want to accelerate fat loss, it might be worth looking at a study from Japan that was conducted in 2007:
(https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/interval-walking-health-benefits-japanese-walking-method).
Participants in the high-intensity interval walking training
group in the study, who were monitored by accelerometry, were instructed to
repeat 5 or more sets of 3-minute low-intensity walking at 40% of peak aerobic
capacity for walking followed by a 3-minute high-intensity walking above 70% of
peak aerobic capacity for walking per day for 4 or more days per week.
Basically, you have to alternate between high and low
intensity walking every three minutes and the whole session lasts about 30
minutes total. Calculators for peak aerobic capacity according to your age can
be found online.
The study found that high-intensity interval walking may
protect against age-associated increases in blood pressure and decreases in
thigh muscle strength and peak aerobic capacity.
Furthermore, you can burn a lot of calories walking in this
manner compared to just walking at a regular slower speed. Interval walkers
lost more body fat than steady walkers, despite both groups walking for the
same total duration. The intensity variation appears to trigger a greater
metabolic response, similar to what’s seen with higher-intensity interval
training, see the article here:
Treadmill variations
If you have access to a treadmill, you can increase your
energy expenditure by setting the incline higher. At an incline of 5% the
energy expenditure is about 52% higher and at an incline of 10% the increase is
about 113% higher. Depending on your weight, you can actually find online
calculators that can tell you how many more calories you can burn that way.
Additionally, walking on an empty stomach in the morning can
further help you reach your goal. Your body may use a slightly higher
percentage of fat for energy during the workout because easily accessible carbs
aren't available. So, if you have even just 15 minutes in the morning after
getting up, you can start the day with a nice caloric deficit.
Walking after eating
Every time you eat a meal during the day, you may want to
walk right after. According to newer research a 10-minute walk immediately
after eating can control blood sugar spikes better than a longer walk that
starts just 30 minutes later:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40594496/
So, by walking immediately after a meal, you can
significantly reduce the peak glucose spike. And controlling this spike can
help to avoid the storage of energy as fat in the body.
Walking just after a meal seems to be more effective for
weight loss than waiting for one hour to walk after a meal, see the article in
the National Library of Medicine here:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3119587/
Final thought
Before you embark on a walking journey to get fit, you
should consult with your physician and get checked out to see if you can
workout without any adverse effects.
The information presented in this article is for educational
purposes only. I don’t diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All
health-related improvements mentioned are based on individual experiences and must
not be interpreted as typical or guaranteed outcomes.
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