Some of you may have seen my separate posts about my weight loss progress this year. Initially, all my focus was on creating a food deficit, but I’ve also realised that additional exercise, like walking, is beneficial. This is a more detailed post about my efforts to introduce walking into my lifestyle.
As I usually walk a fair bit at weekends naturally, I have set myself a realistic goal of walking 2 to 3 miles daily during weekdays. This is particularly important for someone like myself who works from home. This goal can then be adjusted depending on my time available and the amount of exercise I feel I need. The ideal time to walk is at 5 pm when I finish work. A job that leaves me sitting at my desk for 8 hours straight each day.
When walking, I prefer a bit of space without someone on my tail, so sometimes it’s better to walk a little later as though 5pm is a convenient time, it does tend to be busy. However, I’ve started walking around a local park that has some pathways to follow with decent surroundings. I’ve also discovered some quiet roads and footpaths off the beaten track.
When walking, I do like to record exercise stats. My Apple Watch has come into its own again, as it’s handy for tracking my activity and logging health and activity stats on my Apple iPhone. I spent some time tweaking the settings to ensure everything was set up correctly to support recording my walks and listening to music.
I had previously been advised to aim for 15,000 steps a day, but I usually manage around 5,000 to 6,000, which is more realistic. Apparently, a couple of miles is all you really need to stay active. Most of my walks are casual, but I occasionally plan them as missions, like going to a specific shop to pick up something. I tend to walk at 3mph which is a good pace and lifts my heart rate.
Walking can be a bit boring sometimes, but it’s always more pleasant when the sun is out and you are in the mood to stretch your legs.
One lesson I’ve learned to recognise is when not to walk. I damaged my thigh recently (bruised muscles from an impact) and realised I needed to rest from the walking for a couple of days. I needed to pass on the walks to effectively help speed up healing.
Overall, the walking is helping my fitness and I can see measured stats in my Apple Watch/iPhone all getting better which motivates me. Certainly I am feeling fitter while dropping some weight.
Another benefit has been that my wife and I have both received lots of compliments about our weight loss and how good we look. That always helps.
In the event that I know my diet is taking a hit, such as during Easter, I can always increase walking miles to help balance out any excess calories.
Each month I do post about my weight loss journey and the next post will be out in early May. I also have a post coming soon about my latest Apple Watch. I upgraded from a series 4 to a series 10 and will share my thoughts.
What do you do to stay fit and active? And does it work?
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