Discover the Truth About Walking for Weight Loss: Expert Insights and Mistakes to Avoid
Walking is often underrated in the world of fitness, with many questioning its effectiveness as a form of exercise for achieving weight loss goals. In this comprehensive exploration, Abbey Sharp, a revered dietitian and the voice behind Abbey’s Kitchen, dives into the heart of this debate, offering a fresh perspective backed by scientific research and expert opinions. Whether you’re considering incorporating walking into your fitness regime or questioning its benefits, this analysis is tailored to enlighten and guide you towards making informed decisions about walking as an exercise.
What Makes Walking a Legitimate Form of Exercise?
Walking, characterized by its simplicity and accessibility to people of varying fitness levels, stands as a testament to the idea that not all exercise needs to be high intensity to be beneficial. Contrary to the dismissive views that sometimes emerge in fitness discourse, walking is not only a legitimate form of exercise but also brings forth an array of health benefits that cannot be overlooked. From improving cardiovascular health to enhancing mental well-being, the act of walking encapsulates a holistic approach to maintaining physical activity.
Tackling the Weight Loss Debate: How Effective Is Walking?
With insights from fitness influencer Chalene Johnson and a wealth of academic research, Abbey navigates the complexities surrounding walking and weight loss. The discussion highlights common pitfalls that can hinder progress and underscores the importance of strategy in utilizing walking as a tool for weight loss. From understanding the necessity of a calorie deficit to the nuances of walking pace and intensity, this analysis sheds light on how to optimize your walking routine for maximal benefit.
Debunking Myths and Setting the Record Straight
Breaking down misconceptions about walking and calorie burning, Abbey offers an authoritative viewpoint on the role of walking in a balanced fitness regimen. Walking’s impact on metabolism, its significance in the wider context of exercise science, and its contribution to a sustainable fitness lifestyle are thoroughly examined. This segment not only dispels myths but also reaffirms walking’s value beyond just calorie burning, highlighting its contribution to overall health and well-being.
Enhancing Your Walking Routine: Expert Recommendations
For those looking to refine their walking workout, practical tips and expert advice pave the way for a more effective approach to walking for fitness. Understanding the scientific benefits of walking, incorporating variety in your walking routine, and balancing walking with other forms of exercise such as strength training are discussed in depth. These insights aim to empower you to embrace walking not just as a solitary weight loss strategy but as part of a comprehensive, health-oriented lifestyle.
The Holistic Health Benefits of Walking
Abbey ventures beyond the calorie-burning aspect of walking to explore its myriad of health advantages. From boosting immune system function to combating depression, the health benefits of walking are vast and varied. This segment offers a compelling argument for why walking deserves recognition as a cornerstone of preventive health care and wellness.
In conclusion, Abbey Sharp’s exploration into walking as an exercise for weight loss and beyond serves as an invaluable resource for anyone looking to incorporate this accessible, effective form of physical activity into their life. With a focus on evidence-based information, practical advice, and an unwavering commitment to health and wellness, Abbey’s Kitchen provides the tools necessary for embracing walking not only as a pathway to achieving fitness goals but as a lifelong journey towards better health.
Follow Abbey for more insightful content on embracing a balanced, healthy lifestyle through informed decisions about nutrition, exercise, and overall wellness. Join the conversation and become part of a community dedicated to living well, one step at a time.
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Walking away from the kitchen is a great way to lose weight
the fat on your ass tracks your steps more effectively than a fitbit.
I always wonder about the statistics you mention at the end: Walking reduces Depression? Are we sure? Couldn't it be a correlation vs. causality fallacy? Aka, if you're so depressed, you can't leave your bed, then you're probably doing a lot less walking? Same thing for the breast cancer, maybe you're not getting your breast cancer risk lower by walking, but there are factors that make it less likely you'll walk a lot in the first place and those are also affecting your breast cancer risk? Don't get me wrong, I do believe there are benefits to exercising, I just kinda doubt those examples belong on that list 🤔
Omg 😆 walking is great!
I basically compare my work to walking: it's a long, 5-7 hour period of low to medium intensity activity that I do every day. I eat steak, ice cream, ramen (along with avocados, kale, bananas, blueberries and whole grains lmao I don't just pig out all the time) and my weight stays completely even, I don't have to worry about it. if you can get out for a long walk or two shorter walks it absolutely counts as exercise!
So good, per usual! All movement is good movement!! 🙂
The daily walk is often my favourite part of the day. But now my dog is old (14) we go much slower and less far, and I can feel a negative impact on my mental health as a result. I think I have to get out of the mindset that walks always have to include my fur bestie 😥
The humanity walk. Historically, groups of people walked great distances and were responsible for humanity's occupation in all places of the world. It's healthy and essential for our species.
Never let people demonize walking, it's part of our genes. If you like walking and want to lose weight, focus on your diet and keep walking.
I'm sorry but I just hate gym people, no matter how nicely they put things I just find their messages upsetting, it's all just like "if you're not in the gym wearing Spandex and looking like you love it then what are you doing?" It just loads on the shame.
Walking is mostly all I do as exercise. I have lost weight this way before now, it depends. I'm not prepared to join a gym and do a lot of painful things and walking is something I can do easily, so you know . . .
Walking too slowly- better than not moving at all!
My average walking speed is 4.9km/hr, or 3mi/hr. That's my combined pace- my standard hike/exercise walk pace tends to be around 6km/hr, or 3.75mi/hr. Of course, you add incline to that it decreases but…
I also refuse to believe that 15% is the highest on the days where I'm walking almost 40km. (Not that I'm worried, but I tend to eat double what I usually would on those days.)
Walking is one of the easiest, most accessible exercises you can do if you're obese. You don't need any special equipment, you can do it any time of the year or day (even inside in circles if you're a psycho like me!) and adding even 500 steps a day to your routine can help you not only lose weight and build muscle/endurance but also the HABIT of exercise. Is it going to make a huge difference for someone who's already very fit and has a good, intensive workout routine? Probably not. But I cannot overemphasize its benefit for people going from 0 exercise/obesity.
Walking = Exercise
Just FYI, if you have your mortgage through Rocket Mortgage, premium Rocket Money is free. Sorry, Abbey. I love Rocket Money. Great service.
She is talking about menopausal women, it is tough for some of us ( menopausal women ) to lose weight and walking alone doesnt work !!
All movement is good movement!! 🎶 Totally agree.
Please chill on the lip fillers 🫢❤
I don’t understand why internet exercise gurus say slow walking isn’t basically seen as NEAT by the body. It’s not like it knows what the brain is thinking. So if someone just walks 1 mph all day at work which is not at moderate intensity it still contributes towards their activity level thus resulting in a deficit just like anything else would. You only get more bang for your “time bucks” by going faster or lifting heavier when doing any activity. Expenditure isn’t all created equally but expending is still what matters. So, “Get it how you live!”.
I appreciate this video. It is so hard to get healthy these days, start walking and they saying walking has no benifits, start eating one healthy diet and they say that it is no longer good eat either and you should switch to something else. Every time i turn around, the healthy thing we are doing is being criticized by some experts.
For me its not about weight loss but about feeling better. To achieve that ive been trying to add different things to reduce my lower back and hip pain. Ive tried weight lifting in an attempt to strength muscles to help my pain. It sorta worked but i never stuck to it cause it felt like a chore. Ive tried indoor cycling but all that did was aggravate my sciatica. Finally i tried simply walking. I bought a small walking pad to start walking. I even taped up a paper monthly calendar to the wall in front of me so i could check off my completed days. After one month of walking 4 days a week (20min/day) i found i had less back and hip pain. It still flares up every now and again but on average its sooo much less before i started walking. The reduced pain is all the motivation i need to keep going
I hate exercise. Walking a swimming are the only ones I can do with any regularity. So that’s what I do. I’d rather live a happy life fairly fit than miserable trying to keep up with exercise routines I just won’t do and then beating my self up with self hatred for not being able to do it (thanks ADHD and trauma!).
fast walking like she says is amazing, love it! I can burn up to 400 calories just fast walking 40 minutes. Walking fast helped finally gain the confidence to jog again bc I was afraid of doing it from zero. Love love walking, low impact, not that exhausting yet it makes you sweat and works your arms and glutes as well! Totally recommend it for anybody who wants to start cardio. In case you don't have time to do it just for "exercise", try doing it to get places, make it a functional part of your day! Last time I fast walked and jogged 8km just to get cookies from a bakery (mother's day present). It was amazing, I felt so good after doing it. the longer I fast walked the easier it felt to just start jogging to get to my destination fasting! Of course, diet is key to lose weight BUT, adding exercise will help you too!
Actually it can be. I actually lost 35 pounds with just walking and not making and dietary changes. So yes walking will trigger weight loss as long as you walk more than 10,000 steps. My average was about 15,000 steps daily with the exercise of 1 day of the week which would be 5,000-8,000 steps.
I walk 10 miles a day and strength train. At the end of the day it is what you put in your mouth. Can't walk yourself skinny.
First time I agree 100 with your video. Great research.
I think you should do a musical episode next 😀
But also thank you for your measured advice, as usual! Walking and just getting outside is such an important part of of my day. Any weight loss is a bonus, mostly I just want to keep moving!
Lost 30 kg in 4 years just walking one hour per day.
I’m glad the sass was only a 3/10 on this one 😅. While I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Chalene (although our moms did meet once! Hers told mine it’s Chay- lene not Chuh-lene lol) I believe she’s a good person trying to do good things. Her video on why she quit creating commercial fitness is interesting.
I'm blessed to live near a beautiful walking trail – and I can say that lots of people believe in the benefits of walking in my neighborhood. 🙂 Also, I have some injuries that prohibit most types of exercise, so walking is best for me. Just do what you can!
Most people have offices jobs and they sit all day so walking is a way to good way of getting some "normal" movement in. Plus, many people don't have the energy after a full day of work to go do some intense workout routine.
People make everything so complicated … of course walking is good for us… duhhh…
yeah, lately everything free is branded like useless or mistake or worthless
Influencers knock walking/hiking because it's free. Hiking on trails in the right footwear is so good for you mentally AND physically. I hate cardio and love lifting so hiking is the only way you'll get me to move my ass😅
During the pandemic, I did walking exercises with Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone and they really helped me lose weight
I unfollowed this lady and somehow the algorithm keeps showing me her stuff. It drives me MAD that her content is based on tearing apart people’s content.
An annoying “know it all” who puts down people’s work. 😢
My friend walks 7 miles a day and he lost 45 pounds in under a year. I’m disabled and can’t walk so that’s fun lol 😫
Omg I learned so much from this video – thank you Abbey! ❤️
I'm 63 was formally a couch pillow and one year ago I started keto and walking 2 miles daily.
I lost 100 lbs and my legs & butt are looking toned, even muscular ( I walk 50% up hill )
It's therapeutic and now I crave walking!
My dogs like it too!
c. 04:50, how on earth is golf that much more more demanding than a walk? (Not sure I buy this METS system.)
I can absolutely attest to walking dramatically reducing depression, and in my case anxiety. I just got out of another surgery. I now have titanium or had titanium in every major limb, neck, and back. Both my arms look like horror shows, with one currently sporting a direct port to my heart and the other to my kidneys. And a scar next to my esophagus that looks badass. So, at least for tge time being, strength training really aint in the cards.
However.
I can control my diet and also walk miles. It hurts, but whats new? 🙃 Even with this cyborg frame of mine, i can maintain a reasonable weight, physique, blood test markers, and overall health.
I am forbidden, until October, to lift more than ten pounds with my left arm and thirty with my right. But by being reasonable and concentrating on what i can do as opposed to popping oxy in bed eating ben and jerrys and watching TV, i am: 46 yrs old, 6'1", 173 lbs, 126/78, and as sassy as ive ever been.
(Ti pins in both arms, Ti screws and rods in both legs, Ti cages around three vertebrae, and ports. I also look extremely good in a tailored suit, and 11 days after my latest spinal surgery am wearing down my shoes soles 😎)
I run marathons and even if I run more then 50km per weeks I still like walking because it still make a difference in the end in my marathon training even ultramarathoners will make sure to keep moving when they training because you can only run so much without hurting yourself so that is when cross training is a major factor and walking is the most basic way to achieve that
Walking releases all the stress in my shoulders, couldn’t do without it. Shocked to think people would be fooled to not use walking as exercise….its free! Love your work in debunking this stuff. Would love more info on increasing protein into my diet. Thanks heaps ❤