Thomas Jefferson once said, “Walking is the best possible exercise.”
Is this true? Can walking help us lose weight? If yes, how to lose weight with walking? Let’s find out how walking for weight loss works:

• Walking is the purest, cheapest, safest, most eco-friendly and equipment-free form of exercise for losing weight. Walking has least risk of injury involved and is suitable for any age group.
• The most basic rule in walking is that the faster and longer you tread, the more fat you burn. But if you are new to this physical activity, then first begin with slow and light walks for a few weeks. Gradually increase your speed and duration. In this way, you can avoid sore muscles and fatigue in body.
• The walking pace may vary from person to person depending upon personal factors like age, medical fitness etc. The hack to lose weight by walking is keeping your pace such that you are a little out of breath. This would mean more consumption of oxygen and hence, more calories burnt. But, you must stop as soon as you experience pain, nausea, and dizziness.
• For faster results, if your body permits, indulge in power walking, i.e., walking briskly while swinging your arms in an exaggerated manner or walking while carrying weights. The idea is to mix the goodness of swift walking with the beauty of aerobics. Power walking is said to have the same effect on the body as jogging.
• Since walking flexes your abdominal muscles, it works well on belly fat, thus reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
• Brisk walking also improves your digestion by increasing the secretion of digestive enzymes and promoting bowel movement – one of the natural and effective ways of losing weight.
• As per a study, you tend to lose 3-4 calories per 60 seconds if you walk at the rate of 5 km/hr.
• Another study also points out that a swift walk for 5 kilometres within 60 minutes can lead to a loss of around 288 calories.
• Having a mixed paced routine – 3 days of shorter yet faster walks and two days of long walks but at moderate speed – is reported to help you lose five times more abdominal fat as compared to walking at a moderate pace for all five days.
• Walking three times a day for 15 minutes each day can prove to be more convenient and beneficial in your weight loss regime.
• Having a cup of green tea just before a walk increases your metabolism, which means more calories burnt effectively.
• Going for walks with an entertaining friend can help you lose more weight as compared to going alone because the mere act of laughing for 10-15 minutes can shed 40-70 calories.

Losing weight is vital to avoid or reduce the ill-effects of life-threatening diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol etc. If you are prone to obesity or already have any of the ailments listed above, get insured today. With ManipalCigna’s comprehensive health insurance plans, managing your health and medical expenses is easy.