{"id":616,"date":"2010-08-12T21:59:51","date_gmt":"2010-08-13T04:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leanmeanvirilemachine.com\/?p=616"},"modified":"2010-08-12T21:59:51","modified_gmt":"2010-08-13T04:59:51","slug":"the-importance-of-walking-to-lose-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/12\/the-importance-of-walking-to-lose-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Walking to Lose Weight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"walking<\/a>Back when I was training for marathons, running for miles every day, blowing past everyone out for a walk, I thought of myself as a superhero compared to all those “weaklings” out for a stroll.<\/p>\n

I think we guys in particular think that walking is just not manly enough. Why walk when you can run? It burns more calories and is more difficult to do, so it MUST be healthier, right?<\/p>\n

As it turns out, you should never discount walking to lose weight – or even walking to maintain<\/em> weight – as it is an essential part of your exercise program.<\/p>\n

Just Put One Foot in Front of the Other…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here at LMVM, it’s all about giving men the most leverage on their health goals. Why spend all your free time, money, and energy on getting in shape when only 20% of that effort is giving you 80% of your results? Getting plenty of walking or other low-level activity is one of the most essential components of your fitness program, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran.<\/p>\n

Working out to burn calories is the right idea, but only a part of the whole picture. For example, when you exercise more, your body compensates by making you hungrier. You have two choices: chow down and undo the caloric deficit you have created, or use up all your willpower to force yourself to not eat. Talk about a catch-22!<\/p>\n

A much better mindset is using exercise as a tool to increase your metabolism, which means you turn your body into a 24\/7 fat-burning machine without all the uncomfortable hunger. Now THAT’S what we call leverage, baby!<\/p>\n

The Context of Walking<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most important things you can take into consideration when you are planning your fitness program is what the human body is best DESIGNED to do – how is it that our ancestors were in such great shape before office jobs, before advanced civilizations, before anyone started paying gym fees? If it worked for them, it’s gonna work for you!<\/p>\n

Before our species learned how to domesticate plants and animals, we spent our time out walking around in search of berries, roots, and whatever wild game we could find – a far cry from the current 40-hours-a-week cubicle sitter. So you could say there is quite the precedent for walking in a fitness program.<\/p>\n

Even Johnny Cash is a Fan of Walking…<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

The Benefits of Walking<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, it is important to note the energy expenditure required by walking. This low-level exercise will get your heart rate up into the 55% – 75% max heart rate zone. (aka the “fat-burning” zone) A nice walk is an easy way to include activity in your day without needing to hit the gym.<\/p>\n

But perhaps more important is the effects that walking have on your body composition. It builds muscle and strengthens your joints, which will help prepare you for more intense exercises such as plyometrics, weightlifting, and sprints. This increase in lean mass will give a nice boost your metabolism.<\/p>\n

Making Walking a Part of Your Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike more intense forms of exercise, walking is something you really can’t overdo. Shoot for a few hours per week, but don’t feel like you have to start a timer. Start out by going for a walk in the mornings or evenings. Bring along a friend or family member and you can hang out as well.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite things about walking is that it is so easy to incorporate it into my everyday life. I’ll go for a walk after dinner once or twice a week, but I’ll also set up circumstances so I am forced to add more walking into my life. Here are some ideas for you to try:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Instead of driving around looking for the closest spot, park at the FARTHEST spot from the entrance in the parking lot. It won’t take you that long to hoof it and you will be in a better position to get out if it is crowded.<\/li>\n
  2. Avoid elevators and escalators. Take the stairs as much as possible. (Okay, if you live at the top of a high-rise, you should probably take the elevator. But it wouldn’t hurt to hit the stairway for part of the way.)<\/li>\n
  3. Establish a “no drive zone” around where you park. Don’t drive to the store just down the street, walk there. Don’t drive from the grocery store to Target if it’s in the SAME STRIP MALL. Walk your ass over there!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Walking shouldn’t be neglected in favor of running and sprinting, but an advanced fitness program should have all three. (Check out my buddy Alykhan’s definitive post on cardio<\/a> over at his great blog, Fitness Breakout for more on this.)<\/p>\n

    Walking to lose weight is one of the most powerful fitness tools you possess, and you don’t even need a fancy gym membership to do it. Running and sprinting are important too, but walking is the “foundation” upon which all this is built. If you’re not walking, don’t bother running!<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Back when I was training for marathons, running for miles every day, blowing past everyone out for a walk, I thought of myself as a superhero compared to all those “weaklings” out for a stroll. I think we guys in particular think that walking is just not manly enough. Why walk when you can run? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[112,111],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","tag-liss","tag-walking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":696,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions\/696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}