The best exercise? Walking. February 27, 2014

While meeting with a client yesterday, we started talking about weight loss. She hadn’t seen me since just before Xmas, so she could tell I have been losing weight. Every woman seems to have this frustration! She mentioned losing 7 pounds and wanting to start exercising more. When I asked what she did, she mentioned walking, but wanted to add something else.

Guess what? Walking is one of the BEST exercises out there! And when you think about it, that’s pretty easy. Have a dog? Take it for a walk. Live near the grocery store? Grab a canvas bag and pick up a few things. I walk to a couple in my neighborhood, even if I buy only 2 things. It gives me an excuse to get off my butt!

I also downloaded apps for keeping track of my exercise. My favorite is MapMyWalk. (I also use MapMyHike.) It logs how far, inclines, calories, speed, and much more. It’s good to see that I’ve actually DONE something that day, even if I feel like I haven’t. Another great app, though I haven’t explored it much, is Noom Coach.

I HIGHLY recommend getting your body composition tested, too. (Also called BMI test for “body mass index.”) For starters, it tells you your muscle mass, water mass, fat mass, etc. It also tells you how many calories you burn just sitting there. I am at about 1600 calories burned during resting, so I am eating less than that amount a day, plus exercising. My walks usually burn about 100 calories, and my hikes from 600-800, depending on length of time & speed. Once you have this test done, you will see ON PAPER, where you need to improve.