His signature walking with weights method helps you burn fat while keeping your joints completely safe. This plan incorporates interval training—varying bursts of fast-paced walking with moderately paced moves—to teach muscle cells to burn fat and sugar more efficiently. Just 15 mini walks over 7 days can improve sleep quality by 65 percent, curb incidence of nighttime leg cramps by 68 percent and lower daytime fatigue by 45 percent, according to a study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity. "Performing a set of 10 walking lunges every so often can help you build stronger legs, and gain muscle mass," says Wickham. It's also low-intensity and easy on your joints, Wickham says, which is helpful if you want to take it easy and avoid injury during your workout. “Walking is a great exercise because almost anyone can do it, at any time, without any equipment,” says Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault. This combination of cardio and strength training maximizes the fat-burning potential of each movement. Tips to Walk for Weight Loss "If you have pain during your walk, this is your body telling you that you really need to start dedicating time to your joint mobility. Everyone should be able to perform a basic life task such as walking without pain." Walking for weight loss is an underrated activity that’s low-impact, sustainable, enjoyable, and, for the most part, free (but full permission to splurge on those cute walking shoes and under-desk treadmill you’ve been eyeing). "For today's workout, I'm using a couple of 2kg dumbbells, but you can use whatever you want," Rick shares in his post, making the workout accessible for all fitness levels. Here's his proven 10-minute workout that combines walking with strength training for maximum results. These biochemical changes prime the body for weight loss, and the effects last for one to two hours after exercise. Eventually, she could walk the full 15 minutes without stopping and her plantar fasciitis improved. Good footwear helped alleviate her foot pain and allowed her to gradually increase her walking time as she progressed. "I set a goal to walk 10,000 steps every single day, but I'm an all or nothing person. So I set it in stone," Nicole shares in her post. If you start going for longer walks regularly, you may want to invest in a waterproof jacket and some specialist walking shoes for more challenging routes. For long walks, you may want to take some water, healthy snacks, a spare top, sunscreen and a sun hat in a small backpack. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. "Walking at a leisurely pace consistently not only helped us lose 130 pounds each but it's helped us keep the weight off for over nine years," Nicole says. "We went from 15 minutes to now doing 60 minutes. It took a long time, but we slowly built and that's because it's sustainable," she says. This slow-and-steady approach has helped them maintain their weight loss for nine years. This combination created the calorie deficit necessary for significant weight loss. "Whenever we would go overboard, because Kyle and I are all or nothing, black-or-white thinking kind of people, we'd pull way back and then we would go from like an hour to five minutes," Nicole admits. Combine 15 Minutes of Walking With Portion Control But if you want to see results even faster, Smith advises increasing the intensity. “Researchers are finding that short bursts of exercise trigger positive biochemical changes that boost your efforts,” explains Smith. When it comes to shedding stubborn pounds and boosting well-being, we all know exercise is the way to fast-track results. Hand weights help you burn more calories Here’s everything you need to know about walking for weight loss, how much you should walk to lose weight, and practical tips for getting your steps in regularly, according to trainers.Although you don't need to go into a full-on run, or even a jog, picking up your walking speed can burn more calories because it increases heart rate.If you’re like us, the idea of getting up at dawn to squeeze in a workout is unappealing —and the odds of fitting in even 30 minutes once the day is already in full swing are slim to none.Just 15 mini walks over 7 days can improve sleep quality by 65 percent, curb incidence of nighttime leg cramps by 68 percent and lower daytime fatigue by 45 percent, according to a study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity.The frequency and intensity at which you walk are determining factors, Bryant says, but everyone’s physiology is different.If you're walking to work, you could wear your usual work clothes with a comfy pair of shoes and change shoes when you get into work.Just a 15-minute walk can reduce cravings for sugary snacks, such as chocolate, and therefore decrease the amount of sugar that walkers eat overall, studies have found.“If you’re only getting 3,000 steps on a typical day, don’t try to get 10,000 steps the next day. Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude. However, the exact number is dependent on a person’s individual calculations that take weight, level of conditioning, and training capacity into consideration. You can even suggest coffee and a walk, Pata says, which will encourage you to get more movement in as opposed to sitting all day. To make sure you still exercise on bad weather days, have a rainy-day back-up plan, like keeping your gym bag packed and ready to go, or heading to the nearest mall to do some laps, Pata recommends. Struggling to find time for exercise between work and family commitments? Keep reading for more tips to maximize your walking routine! You can get all the benefits of a pricey gym workout for free at a park if you incorporate a bench or step to work in some extra muscle-sculpting moves, says Smith. “Most people don’t know you can walk a half-marathon,” Stanten says. Plenty of 5K and 10K races are walker-friendly. Listen to a fun audiobook or podcast on your phone, that you'll only listen to during workouts to get yourself excited to get moving. We all have those days when we don’t feel like working out, but a productivity hack called temptation bundling can help get you out the door,” says Yawitz. Depending on the incline, you can achieve similar benefits to running without adding stress on your joints, he explained to NBC News. "I had a flip-flop thing. And I thought it would be a great idea with plantar fasciitis at 275 pounds to try walking in flip-flops," Nicole recalls with amusement. By focusing on completing 15 minutes daily—regardless of distance covered—Nicole created a sustainable habit she could actually stick with. "I decided to start with 15 minutes because it wasn't too low, but it wasn't too high," she says. Her journey proves that sustainable weight loss doesn't require counting every step or spending hours exercising—just consistent, manageable action that anyone can follow. Starting an exercise routine when you're significantly overweight can feel impossible. “Rucking is a great way to burn more calories while walking and build muscle in your core, legs, and shoulders,” says Yawitz. This more “advanced” walking workout is great if you’re looking to get more fat-blasting potential out of your strolls. “Adding some fast intervals to your walk may help you burn more calories and can also make your workouts more exciting,” says Yawitz. But don't worry, there's no need to sprint—you can get a good workout in by walking at a moderately intense pace. "This is a perfect workout to add in between your other workouts," he adds, making it ideal for busy schedules. The workout integrates core engagement throughout each movement. "If you do want your step tracker to track your steps, it's important to keep movement in these arms," Rick explains. Maximizing calorie burn requires proper movement tracking. Cori Ritchey, C.S.C.S., is the fitness editor at Women's Health, as well as a certified strength and condition coach and group fitness instructor. Marty Munson, currently the health director of Men's Health, has been a health editor at properties including Marie Claire, Prevention, Shape and RealAge. If it's an in-person event, check time cutoffs carefully. To go faster, take longer steps “Walking burns around 100 calories per mile, on average, and this can help you create a calorie deficit when paired with a reduced-calorie diet,” says Yawitz. When paired with eating well, walking may very well assist you in reaching that threshold. By doing it in an interval method, you also increase your cardiovascular demands, which creates far more benefits when you combine it with a typical walk. Find a stretch of road that goes uphill, or just keep walking up and down a hill at your local park. It also promotes good walking mechanics and strengthens more muscles than walking on a flat path. Just a 15-minute walk can reduce cravings for sugary snacks, such as chocolate, and therefore decrease the amount of sugar that walkers eat overall, studies have found. The frequency and intensity at which you walk are determining factors, Bryant says, but everyone’s physiology is different. "Maybe you go for a 30-minute walk in the morning, and then maybe it's another 15- or 30-minute walk following dinner or during your lunch break," Bryant says. To train yourself to shorten your steps, count how many steps you take per minute (or 30 seconds, if your mind drifts quickly) during a speed interval. To go faster, you need to shorten your stride and take more steps per minute. What they really do is make you walk more slowly, which cancels out any benefit of carrying extra weight. If you're not the event type, consider moving the whole walking experience to nature and checking out trails in your area. Groundbreaking science is uncovering how a few quick strolls per day can help you burn more calories and fat for fuel than you would in one continuous workout. "Any benefit you can get from other forms of cardio exercise, like cycling, running, swimming, you can derive all those same benefits while walking," Bryant says. If you're looking for a full-body workout, it's possible to amp up your walking routine by changing the terrain. A study in the journal Appetite found that subjects who took a short walk before completing a series of tough tasks ate 54 percent fewer chocolates from an available bowl than those who rested before tackling the assignment. During tense times, a stroll can ward off stress-induced munching. The credit goes to exercise’s ability to increase the production of sleep-regulating brain chemicals. She explains, “By varying your speed and incorporating toning moves, you’ll build metabolism-revving lean muscle mass and send calorie burn through the roof.” "Prioritize your walks and plan around them to ensure you get them in every day." "The healthier and more hydrated you are, the better your weight loss journey will be." Not to mention, the H2O will keep your energy up and help you log more miles. "Walking backward works your quadricep muscles more than walking forward, which can help you maintain healthy and strong knees." Just make sure you're in a safe environment for this (and be aware of other pedestrians). A study by the American Council on Exercise found that moving the arms vigorously expends more calories. You can also add weights, though Bryant recommends avoiding hand weights and instead investing in a weighted vest, which can make you push yourself harder without putting stress on the joints. You might consider tracking your steps with your phone or a wearable device. That step count is enough for heart health that will help reduce the progression of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, TODAY.com previously reported. Walking is one of the easiest exercise routines to start — just pick a route and get moving! Along with supporting weight loss, walking can improve mental health, increase metabolism and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. For example, postmenopausal women who are overweight may lose more weight by walking at a slower pace than a rapid one, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Nutrients. Ramblers organises group walks for health, leisure and as a means of getting around for people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of fitness. They crank up the difficulty—without being too hard—so you can get a greater effect from your walks in less time. Just moving your feet throughout the day offers so many benefits for your body, your waistline, your mood, and more. “Besides rekindling or maintaining relationships, a phone call will make time go by more quickly and the walks may begin to become enjoyable,” says Pata. Asking someone to keep you company while you get some steps in is a great way to stay consistent with your walks and maintain your friendships, says Wickham. “For instance, brief walks have been shown to stimulate the pancreas and muscle cells to process blood sugar more efficiently—and that’s going to increase your calorie burn throughout the day.” “The great news is that if you can, you can get all the benefits of a longer workout.” Turbocharged metabolism, sky-high energy and fast weight loss? If you’re like us, the idea of getting up at dawn to squeeze in a workout is unappealing —and the odds of fitting in even 30 minutes once the day is already in full swing are slim to none. The easiest way to walk more is to make walking a habit. If you're not very active but are able to walk, increase your walking distance gradually. It tells you when you're walking fast enough and suggests ways to fit in some more brisk walking. You can tell you're walking briskly if you can still talk but cannot sing the words to a song. If you're walking to work, you could wear your usual work clothes with a comfy pair of shoes and change shoes when you get into work. To get creative (and work your leg muscles), you can also practice walking backward, says Wickham. Join Women's Health+ today for member-exclusive workout and meal plans. If vests and backpacks aren't your thing, you can also try wrist weights or another option to boost your workout. Ahead, how to make walking work for your weight loss goals, and two easy walking for weight loss plans. One of the best ways is to spend far more time pushing yourself during your walk than walking at a regular pace. Start with a very easy five-minute walk to get warmed up—don’t count this time as part of the workout—and then do your interval workout. March in place, lifting your knees to just above waist level and pulling your navel toward your spine. Step forward so your right leg is about 2 feet in front of your left leg, then raise your left heel and bend both knees to lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. According to research in the journal Psychological Science, changing the direction of your walk increases cognitive engagement to improve attention and speed problem solving. If you work in an office with a quiet hallway and low-traffic stairwell, this routine will be a welcome brain booster, thanks to backward and sideways steps. To maximize your results, aim to stay in the intensity range recommended by Smith. Are you looking for a simple, yet effective workout to help you achieve your weight loss goals? "We're doing each movement for 30 seconds," Rick notes, explaining why this workout is so effective in just 10 minutes. Taking a brief walk can increase your vitality and vigor within 5 minutes—and the effects can last up to 12 hours, say researchers at the University of Rochester in New York. The Complete Weight Loss PackageRELATED: How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat A lot has been said about getting a baseline of about 10,000 steps a day for health reasons."You may or may not lose weight with diet and exercise changes, though. Whether you lose weight can vary with personal genetics and metabolism, age, overall physical activity level, stress levels and even sleep."If vests and backpacks aren't your thing, you can also try wrist weights or another option to boost your workout.The shorter ones are great to do with your partner, your dog, a friend, or just head-clearing walks on your own.You'll get engaging, varied workouts that maximize your calorie-burning and muscle-building potential in just 28 days.The workout naturally progresses to challenge your muscles.When paired with eating well, walking may very well assist you in reaching that threshold.This combination created the calorie deficit necessary for significant weight loss. "Typically, anything that makes an exercise more challenging will lead to an increase in calories burned," he adds. You'll get engaging, varied workouts that maximize your calorie-burning and muscle-building potential in just 28 days. “Walking goals need to be tailored to an individual’s current fitness level, health status, and lifestyle,” she says. Whether you prefer a morning coffee and stroll with friends or cueing up a podcast and doing laps at the gym, there are many ways to reap the benefits of walking. You do not have to travel to the countryside to find a rewarding walk. Active 10 allows you to track how much and how fast you have walked. If you cannot leave the house, why not see if one of our free Fitness Studio exercise videos can help. If your joints are a problem, check whether your local swimming pool holds exercise classes. A brisk walk is about 3 miles an hour, which is faster than a stroll. If you can't be in-person, schedule a catch-up call with someone while you walk. This will help you stay prepared and less likely to miss a walk due to less-than-ideal conditions. Penciling in your workouts will make it that much more likely that you'll follow through with your goals. Even years into their fitness journey, they sometimes make this mistake. "When we first started, we tried to do way too much, way too intense, go way too far from the house, go longer than the 15 minutes, and we would end up just exhausted and sore," Nicole explains. Going overboard with exercise intensity was another pitfall Nicole and her husband Kyle experienced. "She would have to make some healthy tweaks to her diet, which result in a slight calorie deficit (around 100 calories a day)." "It doesn't have to be an all-in-one walking session; you can break it up through the course of that day," he says. Walking for weight loss is effective and has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. You'll be surprised at how fast the time goes when you're walking to your favourite tunes. That said, counting calories isn't the healthiest option for everyone, so be mindful of choosing a method that works best for you. This helps keep you aware of your actions and how it measures up against your weight loss goals, says Pata. Drinking water is an important part of weight loss, so don't forget to bring your favorite bottle along. To fully immerse yourself, Pata suggests creating a workout playlist of your favorite songs that lasts the length of the walk. Playing uplifting tunes while you're out and about can make your walking experience more enjoyable. "It may look a bit odd but but vigorously pumping the arm certainly adds to the intensity of the workout," Bryant says. If you're looking for an equipment-free way to burn more calories, you can try doing something as simple as waving your arms. "Walking uphill or inclining your treadmill increases the intensity and challenge of the walk," Bryant says. "I would tell people to pay attention and focus on how walking makes them feel, because I think that can serve as a great motivator," Bryant says. "Staying properly hydrated is key for optimal health," says Wickham. Sometimes, all it takes is the right song to pump you up. Try tracking your steps with a mobile app or smartwatch. Doing lunges before a walk can also help, he says. “One of the things that keeps people motivated about walking is signing up for an event,” says Stanten. “Investing in a waterproof outer layer and warm gloves will keep you cozy and dry during those late-fall and winter walks,” she says. “Walking will only help you lose weight if you do it regularly. Ahead, how to make walking work for your weight loss goals, and two easy walking for weight loss plans.The workout integrates core engagement throughout each movement.Read on for how you can get moving today in just 10 minutes!Just make it part of your daily routine—something you do without even thinking about it—even if you’re only walking for 10 or 15 minutes on some days of the week.“Adding some fast intervals to your walk may help you burn more calories and can also make your workouts more exciting,” says Yawitz.After trying numerous exercise options, Nicole and Kyle found walking most effective for long-term weight management."Prioritize your walks and plan around them to ensure you get them in every day." Feel free to do it on flat terrain, or, once you get more conditioned, you can do it uphill or even while wearing a lightweight vest. If you’re just starting out, try three times a week and gradually add another interval per week until you’re up to six times a week. It’s also a very gentle form of exercise, so it’s a great way to get cardio without pounding your feet, ankles, knees, hips, or back. Afterward, do an easy five-minute walk to cool down and stretch your muscles when you’re finished. Just get some comfortable walking shoes and head outside or to any basic gym. Walking can help you melt belly fat and boost your heart, mental, and even brain health. With a foundation in fitness, food, and nutrition, Ashley covers it all including sexual health and travel topics. After trying numerous exercise options, Nicole and Kyle found walking most effective for long-term weight management. Nicole's 15-minute walks gradually became easier as she lost weight. Nicole's 50-pound weight loss in three months didn't come from walking alone. He demonstrates how extending arms further from the body during movements increases core activation and calorie burn. Small adjustments make a significant difference in fat burning. This deliberate engagement helps activate more muscle groups during the walking movements. Yet by having little “breaks” where you walk at a regular pace, you still maintain your energy for the fast walks. These workouts are simple to do no matter your fitness level and don’t require fancy gym equipment. Read on for how you can get moving today in just 10 minutes! Ashley is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. With a lifelong passion for all things health and wellness, Ashley enjoys writing about topics to help people live happier and healthier lives. When she's not working she loves spending time in her kitchen and garden, taking barre classes and cuddling with the love of her life, her 90-pound bernedoodle, Gus. Lauryn Higgins is a freelance journalist whose work focuses primarily on public health. Emily Shiffer has worked as a writer for over 10 years, covering everything from health and wellness to entertainment and celebrities. Fitness Doesn't Have to Be Expensive. How 3 Real People Stay Fit for Free "I paired my walking of 15 minutes every day with portion control," she explains. Just make it part of your daily routine—something you do without even thinking about it—even if you’re only walking for 10 or 15 minutes on some days of the week. "Adding in short jogs or runs during your walk will help you increase the intensity of your workout, which can help you accelerate your weight loss," Wickham says. If you're looking for more intensity, a weighted vest or backpack will increase the demand on your body during your walks, says Wickham. Walking 'Saved' Al Roker’s Life. These 6 Mindset Shifts Keep Him Motivated to Move "Try to accumulate 45 minutes to an hour of walking, which tends to correlate best with reasonable weight loss or better weight control." "After everything we've tried, we have found walking to be the best for burning fat, helping us lose weight," Nicole explains. But unless you’re completely out of shape, a relaxing walk around town isn’t intense enough to burn lots of calories for weight loss or to transform your heart health. To reap the full benefits of walking for weight loss, you have to commit to walking at a regular schedule, whether that's once a day or a week. Footer menu: To reap the full benefits of walking for weight loss, you have to commit to walking at a regular schedule, whether that's once a day or a week.“For instance, brief walks have been shown to stimulate the pancreas and muscle cells to process blood sugar more efficiently—and that’s going to increase your calorie burn throughout the day.”Even years into their fitness journey, they sometimes make this mistake.With a foundation in fitness, food, and nutrition, Ashley covers it all including sexual health and travel topics.He demonstrates how extending arms further from the body during movements increases core activation and calorie burn.You can even suggest coffee and a walk, Pata says, which will encourage you to get more movement in as opposed to sitting all day.To fully immerse yourself, Pata suggests creating a workout playlist of your favorite songs that lasts the length of the walk. "We'd be like well I think we both need a large pizza each… or the opposite and we'd be like okay we ate too much yesterday so now let's only eat like egg whites and tuna," she says. Finding a moderate, sustainable pace prevents this self-sabotaging cycle. This uncomfortable experience left her feet so sore she didn't want to walk again. This approach allowed her to go at her own pace, taking breaks when needed, while still maintaining consistency. Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier. By focusing on consistency rather than perfection, anyone can achieve lasting weight loss results—starting with just 15 minutes of walking every day. For Nicole Collet, a weight loss coach who lost an impressive 130 pounds and kept it off for nine years, the answer wasn't complicated—it was walking for just 15 minutes every day. You don't necessarily have to run to lose weight, but to amp up your walking workouts, try jogging or running slowly for as little as 10 seconds and then walk for two minutes (and repeat). Just be aware of your surroundings, practice safety, and share your location with someone you trust just in case—especially if you're walking solo. You can even plan your walking route with Google Maps so you know exactly how far you'll walk. From walking shoes for flat feet to podiatrist-recommended options, there are plenty of pairs to choose from. "This creates a 'get-in-the-zone' attitude when you put them on and encourages an enjoyable walking experience," Pata says. Next, treat yourself to some nice sneakers that you only use for walking. Research reveals how 'mini walks' can supercharge fat burn, balance blood sugar and curb stress Like any other aerobic exercise, walking will help improve the function of your cardiovascular system, boost blood sugar control and lower blood pressure. According to research conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, those who tracked their steps reported taking 2,000 more steps per day. Recent research showed that logging 8,000 steps a few days a week lowered mortality risk, so even if you can't quite hit the 10,000 step benchmark, you'll still be making strides for your health. If you're looking for a metric to aim toward, Bryant recommends trying to work your way up to 10,000 steps, which will help you burn about 1,000 calories. Simple Walking Trick That Improves Mobility and Brain Health Yes, committing to your health and fitness takes work. The shorter ones are great to do with your partner, your dog, a friend, or just head-clearing walks on your own. “If you’re only getting 3,000 steps on a typical day, don’t try to get 10,000 steps the next day. If your goal is weight loss, you’ll likely want more than that once you get into a routine. To figure out how much walking you need to do to lose weight, it can help to identify your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which helps you calculate how many calories you need to burn for a calorie deficit. Here’s everything you need to know about walking for weight loss, how much you should walk to lose weight, and practical tips for getting your steps in regularly, according to trainers. “The beauty of mini walks is that you can reap the benefits just by strolling around the block a few times a day,” says Kathy Smith, star of the Ageless fitness DVD series. A good speed to start at is walking at a pace of about 3 miles an hour, or walking one mile in twenty minutes. This helps keep you aware of your actions and how it measures up against your weight loss goals, says Pata.You'll be surprised at how fast the time goes when you're walking to your favourite tunes.If 20 to 25 minutes seems like too much for you to try from the outset, try the above for 10 to 15 minutes and build up your endurance from there.Don’t just leave walking to your workout; do it wherever you can (the whole park the car farther away from the store thing).By doing it in an interval method, you also increase your cardiovascular demands, which creates far more benefits when you combine it with a typical walk.One of the best ways is to spend far more time pushing yourself during your walk than walking at a regular pace.According to research in the journal Psychological Science, changing the direction of your walk increases cognitive engagement to improve attention and speed problem solving. "When I was morbidly obese, there wasn't much I could do in the form of exercise because of my weight, but I could walk," Nicole explains. “You’ll get more bang for your buck by increasing your walking pace,” Stanten says. YOU BURN AS many calories if you walk at 5 MPH—“which is doable with training and practice,” Stanten says—than someone who’s jogging at that pace. "We went from 15 minutes to now doing 60 minutes. It took a long time, but we slowly built and that's because it's sustainable," she says.She’s reported on topics regarding health, nutrition, mental health, fitness, sex, and relationships for several years.For long walks, you may want to take some water, healthy snacks, a spare top, sunscreen and a sun hat in a small backpack.It also promotes good walking mechanics and strengthens more muscles than walking on a flat path.Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude.Susane Pata, CPT, is a certified group fitness instructor and content strategist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). To help you get started, we asked Kathy Smith to develop three exclusive 10-minute routines that can be done whenever you have a few minutes to spare—whether you’re at work, at home or playing with your kids at the park. Even a few minutes of strolling boosts the production of pathogen-killing antibodies and white blood cells. Scientists believe walking allows more blood to reach the prefrontal cortex—the brain region that regulates concentration, behavior and decision making. You can even count on extra perks for your mood if you walk outside in the sunshine. Bryant says that the exercise can help relieve and manage stress and anxiety. Don’t just leave walking to your workout; do it wherever you can (the whole park the car farther away from the store thing). Ideally, you’ll want two to three interval walks, or shorter, faster, higher-intensity walks a week, a couple hour-long ones, and the rest can be short, moderate-intensity ones. Also remember that healthy management of stress, sleep, and food all contribute to weight loss, too. The best way to take off extra weight is to challenge yourself with intervals—periods of faster walking interwoven with periods of slower walking. A lot has been said about getting a baseline of about 10,000 steps a day for health reasons. "You may or may not lose weight with diet and exercise changes, though. Whether you lose weight can vary with personal genetics and metabolism, age, overall physical activity level, stress levels and even sleep." And you can break up that time into smaller walking sessions if that helps you to fit in the steps. The simplicity and accessibility of walking makes it ideal for sustainable weight loss. She’s reported on topics regarding health, nutrition, mental health, fitness, sex, and relationships for several years. If 20 to 25 minutes seems like too much for you to try from the outset, try the above for 10 to 15 minutes and build up your endurance from there. Then try to take more steps than that for the next minute. You're more likely to lose weight if you're also in a calorie deficit, in which you burn more calories than you consume, Wickham says. An individual can typically burn up to 5,600 calories a month from walking alone, which is roughly 1.6 pounds, says Pata. "You know what they say...schedule it or you won’t do it. Choosing one time every day to perform your walks will help you stay consistent," says Wickham. If you're already taking stock of what you eat with a food diary app, it may be helpful to jot down how many calories you're burning by walking. "Gaining lean muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic expenditure, which means you will be burning more calories at rest. This all leads to increased weight loss." Although you don't need to go into a full-on run, or even a jog, picking up your walking speed can burn more calories because it increases heart rate. And taking the stairs is such familiar advice that it can fade to the background, but it burns more calories than walking on a flat surface and helps develop leg and glute muscles, too. You don’t have to walk for hours every day to start losing weight, but it’s important to get in the habit of walking every day. Research has found that interval walkers lose more weight than people who just go the same speed all the time. There’s no magic formula for how many steps, miles, or hours you have to walk to lose the amount of weight that you want. Of course, if you really want to change your body composition, you’ll want to add strength training to your life. “But if you have a sedentary desk job, a walk every evening after dinner may show real results.” “If you have a job where you’re on your feet all day, you have to do more than that,” says Michele Stanten, founder of MyWalkingCoach.com and author of The Walking Solution. “ I often recommend it for my new-to-exercise clients, simply because it’s beginner-friendly and easy on the joints.” We recommend trying the previous ones first and getting used to them before jumping right into this workout. “That’s why breaking up a daily workout into several mini walks is such an effective slimming solution,” explains Smith. “When I hear from women who are too busy to exercise, my first response is always, ‘Can you spare 10 minutes? "I would tell people ... to really pay attention and focus on how walking makes them feel, because I think that can serve as a great motivator to kind of keep them in the game in terms of continuing to walk," he says. "Remember friends that weight loss isn't just about the number on the scale. It's also about here and here—heart and mindset," Nicole encourages.Success comes from building sustainable habits that fit your life and preferences. Beyond physical changes, Nicole reminds us of the mental and emotional components of weight loss. "Making weight loss fun, not making it a punishment, is one of those things that I realized," she shares. Nicole emphasizes the importance of enjoying your weight loss journey. This low-impact exercise allows for consistent daily activity without burnout or injury. While 10,000 steps is often touted as the magical number to walk, that's not the case for everyone. Even a few thousand steps a day can help you shed pounds if you’re consistent. For details of many locally organised walks in towns and cities, as well as the countryside, visit the Ramblers website. Walking in a group is a great way to start walking, make new friends and stay motivated. "Stretching and activating specific muscles before your walk will help you decrease your chance of pain and injury during and after your walk," says Wickham. Get ready to grow muscle, improve your bone density, and thrive in your next month of exercise with this science-backed plan. Susane Pata, CPT, is a certified group fitness instructor and content strategist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). "You might feel your grip start to get a little bit weaker as this workout goes on… That's normal," Rick explains, adding that "The best way to build them up is to work through that grip strength." The workout naturally progresses to challenge your muscles.