Can Walking Slower Help You Lose Weight Faster?
There’s been lots of buzz in the fitness world lately about extreme workouts — but if you’re not keen on crawling through mud or scaling up walls, here’s good news: You can forget it all. Super-intense exercise “is more likely to lead to injury or burnout than lasting weight loss,” says Jamé Heskett, MD, author of The Well Path: Lose 20 Pounds, Reverse the Aging Process, Change Your Life ($16.99, Amazon).
If getting slim without going on an insane diet is your goal, just take a short walk. “It feels good, and it’s the most natural way to lose fat,” says Dr. Heskett. Proof: Harvard research has revealed that walking improves our overall health and flips genetic switches that make it easier for us to get lean. Plus, Heskett adds, “Walking lowers stress hormones and stimulates circulation; factors that prime the metabolism for weight loss.”
Pair a few short walks with healthy eating, and the payoff is amazing. Seattle-area textbook author Lorraine Papazian-Boyce began with a goal of walking a mile a day, and now she’s down 145 pounds. “At 63, I’m in the best shape of my life,” she says.
Excerpted from Woman’s World
