Walking is an underrated weight loss exercise. While many think intensive workouts are the only way to lose pounds, walking is also very effective. Walking every day for 30 minutes burns excess calories and fat, increases metabolism, and regulates hunger and satiety hormones. Casual walking burns around 105 calories, brisk walking burns around 140, and power walking can burn up to 220.
Even though you may already be walking consistently for weight loss, finding the motivation to do so is a different story. After all, you might find walking to be repetitive. To avoid this, here are some ways to keep yourself motivated to walk for weight loss:
Get creative with your walking plan
Walking at the same pace on a treadmill, in circles on a running track, or in a straight line through the neighborhood can get boring. Since you’re doing the same thing, you might not feel any weight loss progress or even enjoy walking anymore. To combat this, introduce creativity into your walking plan. For example, incorporate different walking speeds into your routine, try going over hills and inclines, and frequent other neighborhoods or parks. Changing your routine will make it easier to notice your weight loss and walking progress, such as finding it easier to walk up a hill. By making unique walking plans, you’ll be more motivated to continue the activity.
Don’t make weight loss your only goal
Limiting the purpose of walking to weight loss alone can make it dull. Besides, weight loss journeys rarely follow a straight trajectory. There will be instances when you’ll hit a plateau, which is why you should set other health goals for walking as a motivation for weight loss. This will help you get through the ups and downs of your fitness journey. For instance, you can aim to reap the activity’s health benefits, like lower blood pressure. You can use walking as a way to explore the new town you just moved to. More simply, you can just stroll to spend more time outdoors every day. As time passes, you’ll find walking more enjoyable for what it is. You won’t be discouraged, stop walking, and lose all your progress because of a weight loss-related setback.
Join a walking event or challenge
Walking can get boring if you do it alone or without a reward. So, look for walking events to join. Many marathons for walkers are held in various cities at different times of the year, including the Disney Marathon Weekend. Both runners and walkers are welcome here: since the event is 7 hours long, you can move at your own pace. Such marathons are great opportunities to take inspiration from fellow participants or be motivated by the prizes you’ll get at the finish line. You can also try The Conqueror Virtual Challenge, an app that encourages you to walk by virtually traversing a landmark, such as Mount Everest, and receiving a medal at the end. By joining such events, you’ll be motivated to walk and lose weight by fellow walkers and prizes at the finish line.
Invest in new shoes
There’s no better feeling than using new shoes. The need to test them out for a few laps can motivate you to do some extra walking. For example, you can increase your step count while breaking in your new running shoes so they’re less painful to wear if you use for long walks. If you need some tips on breaking in a new shoe, one way you can do this is by wearing thick socks to loosen them up. If that’s not enough, try placing plastic bags filled with water in your shoes, then stick them in the cooler until the bags are frozen. This will stretch the tight and painful areas within the shoe, making it more comfortable and motivating you to go on your next walk.
Walking is a great way to lose weight. Keep up your motivation to walk by making unique walking plans, setting different goals, joining events, and getting new gear.
