Calories burned walking when you walk 100 kms adds up to a significant calorie deficit and weight loss! This video is indicative of a fun attitude from these women doing the Oxfam Trail Walking Sydney for 2010. This fundraising program operates in several Oxfam countries around the world and exemplifies an opportunity for serious walking to lose weight people to combine fun, team work and philanthropy.
Pedals and Pedometer Steps recommends including activities to enhance your pedometer steps counting and to keep your interest alive for your pedometer steps program. This example of a special event walk demonstrates the opportunity to build pedometer steps and a walking to lose weight lifestyle.
Why is this such a good idea?
Pedometer steps counting is a great example of the tried and true method to not only losing weight but keeping the weight off once the activity level developed through walking for weight loss is continued as a lifestyle.
To develop your exercise or activity into a lifestyle choice requires building interest and variety, and friendships or family relationships into it. The charity or fun walk is a perfect opportunity to do this. What is appealing to me in this video is the fun attitude the girls have taken when recording the promotion. This Sydney event is in August.
The event began in 1981 as a military exercise for the elite Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment in Hong Kong, and has since grown into one of the world’s leading sporting challenges. Oxfam TRAILWALKER is a global event, taking place annually in New Zealand, UK, Hong Kong and Japan.
Intensifying your workout with pedometer steps is easy.
The benefit of doing high intensity exercises is that it increases the calorie burn and this is the attraction of the more extreme exercise sessions that dominate weight loss exercise since TV’s The Biggest Loser has become so popular. Calories burned must be greater than calories consumed for the weight loss to begin. The higher the calories burned the more weight lost.
In light of my last post where I point out that for weight loss to be effective over the long term i.e. the results last, the every day for a lifetime approach is more likely successful than a cramming effort reminiscent of school exams.
Having said that I do not mean that pedometer steps is limited to low intensity calorie burn spread out daily. There is a lot of positive effect in the strategic use of high intensity exercise.
For most people continued active living results in effective ongoing weight management after weight loss, therefore this needs to be established as a normal routine in your life. For this to happen it requires a consistent process done often enough to become a pleasure and desirable activity.
When enthusiasm for the desired results (quick weight loss) over rides ignorance about the level of activity then failure can often result. If you are not normally active then taking on exercise without finding your limits first can cause overload and giving up.
Measured use, and enjoyment of high intensity exercise, is a great way to stay in shape and increase the variety and options in addition to pedometer steps counting.
If you do want to try some fancy high energy program then:
1. prepare for it-find out what physical stressors are likely, and build up stamina, particular muscles to be used, and prepare by training in these areas.
2. alternatively take the class or do the event at a slow pace, gradually increasing until your fitness reaches the desired level i.e. over several sessions.
3. add high intensity to your pedometer steps by- walking hills; carrying weights (groceries in either hands are good); walking faster in sections by taking smaller steps more quickly (do not lengthen your stride); walk longer; add stairs; carry a child!
Many more options exist to make pedometer steps and other exercise a delightful, varied, favorite activity in a healthy lifestyle.
Counting pedometer steps means making sure the typical life changes we all experience don’t interfere with our intention to make this our best weight loss routine. Every life has ups and downs and pedometer steps can be part of that life no matter what!
A successful strategy for integrating life’s changes such as moving house or job, extra responsibility at work or home, is to prepare for the change in advance. I liken this option to a child attending pre-school, to learn the skills he will need at big school but which aren’t taught at school. It is better to allow a gradual understanding of what works best to come through experience of similar conditions. Adaptation is one of the better human skills. Overwhelm doesn’t help if it results in giving up or struggling but putting a toe into the water to get a feel for what is coming helps a lot.
Using a pedometer is easy. Walking is easy. Making the time to do it is generally most people’s challenge. So plan it into your day as much as possible. When moving make sure that walking paths and beautiful environments are in your new area. It is really good to have shops and cafes within walking distance of work or home. When traveling these are also options to consider-stay within a reasonable walking distance of your venue if attending a conference, or include walking opportunities if it is a holiday; dance if at a wedding.
These are changes that can be made over time but will pay off as weight loss and well being become an accepted part of your daily life. Eventually once a routine of pedometer steps is fully integrated the pedometer itself becomes less important. Activity has become a habit.
Walking for weight loss and other activity burns calories. Be sensible about eating and your body will look after the rest.
Today I want to go over the importance of pedometer steps in my life. It could be important for you too.
This is what happens for me by using the 10,000+ pedometer steps a day exercise strategy:
1. First thing in the morning upon waking I see the pedometer on the bedside table and as soon as I am dressed I put it on. This ensures I am aware that during today I want to achieve at least 10,000 steps.
2. I quickly review my options for adding walking into the day’s program.
3.I know that if I keep an eye on my pedometer steps tally at regular intervals I can make decisions easily which are better than I might otherwise make.
4. I do have options during most days which I sometimes don’t see. I always do such and such at lunch or a friend likes to do X and I do it with her. Today though that friend might have an errand to run, say pick up the dry cleaning and I say I’ll meet her there, and I will walk.
5. Dead time becomes your friend- waiting drives most of us crazy but many times I can substitute waiting with walking time. Say I’m at the doctors and he’s running late-I tell the nurse that I’ll be outside walking (within earshot) and to give me a holler when it’s time.
Pedometer walking has some advantages over adding distinct walking periods say 30 minutes once a day. Doing 10,000 steps is probably about 5 miles walking on average. Your 30 minute walk is say 2.5 miles. What are you doing for the rest of the day? For many of us adding the 30 minutes initially is a great boost for weight loss and fitness but if you compensate by less activity at other times or, as is normal, your body adjusts to the exercise, then before long you’re not doing enough for weight loss or fitness.
Once your body adjusts to 10,000+ steps daily (on average) this activity level burns enough calories to balance normal eating and therefore maintain weight. Prior to this modified eating levels i.e. removing obvious high calorie foods or drinks and limiting calories consumed in a day, means less calories consumed (eaten) than expended (exercise) and weight is lost.
I’ve been talking and reviewing the progress of some pedometer step counter users-lucky newbies who received pedometers as gifts for Christmas. If your friends and loved ones have given up waiting for you to make the decision to walk for your well being (in some way-there are so many benefits from regular walking it could be for health, weight loss, fun, stress relief, etc) and given you a pedometer then this post may have some relevance for your pedometer steps progress.
Firstly, which pedometer steps category do you come into?
It does often seem to be gender related so this is not intended to disparage one approach over the other- both work brilliantly so choose the attitude which is most likely to benefit you:
1. You want it to be simple and effective, not a certificate course in fitness by pedometer.
2. You love gizmos and technical jargon. The challenge in assessing and achieving goals is a highlight of your walking experience. You could be male!
Look at which category most resembles your attitude over the last few days. Obviously it can be a combination and over time a category 1 can move into category 2 for instance but to start it is best to get to know yourself and how you like to walk, or work, as there are going to be a lot of similarities.
Keep It Simple
Pedometer steps is a very simple approach to walking for weight loss. It is generally based on the 10,000 step concept which alleges that the average person will lose weight if they consistently walk for 10,000 steps a day.
Setting up your step counter usually requires putting in your stride length if a distance estimate is wanted, but otherwise it is plug and play.
The important early tasks are:
remembering to put it on at the same time every day e.g. after your shower and dressing in the morning or when you get up if you are immediately active.
recording your daily steps over a few days, preferably a week, and average them.
set a new pedometer steps target for next week of, say, 500 more steps. E.g. This week you averaged 5600 steps in a week which combined very active days with very slow activity periods. For next week you set a target of 6,100 average pedometer steps. Next week you may find that this is easy to achieve and can reset the target by another 500 steps; if the target seems a struggle it may be the first week was unusual for you, or this week is unusual. Calculate this week’s average results and reset the target by adding 500 pedometer steps.
The Pedometer Challenge
Your pedometer probably has more choices for information retrieval, and requires a bit of setting up, such as calculating your stride and then you may want to assess the accuracy of the distances recorded etc. Stride length does change depending upon the ground, route etc.
The pedometer steps format may be applied successfully here as well. You can use the technology to find distance and calories burned, best routes etc. Recording the information in a personal journal, online forum or between competitors/friends adds a desirable element or incentive for many people.
Either way you are at the beginning and there is much more to enjoying the pedometer steps process whatever your goals. Make using a pedometer, and walking for weight loss, a highlight of 2010!
One of the easiest ways to add weights to your aerobic walking program is to carry light hand weights while doing dedicated walks. This means that when counting pedometer steps to achieve your daily target, say it is 10,000, you may use specific walks to achieve that goal or, as with many of us, wear your pedometer all day and count all the steps or movement during the day towards that target.
If you wish to add weights which increases your heart rate and conditions the arm muscles, obviously carrying them around all day is impractical and unnecessary as the benefits of weight training can be achieved over a shorter time than that. Wearing weighted clothing or bands which fit to the body simulate the effect of being overweight and your body has to work harder (burn more calories) to move your body around.
The disadvantages of carrying weights while out walking specifically to achieve your pedometer steps can be anticipated. The main one is that if you are just starting to carry weights and for some reason don’t like them in the middle of a walk, what do you do? If you are uncertain of technique it may take you a while to adjust and if you are finding it uncomfortable or painful you will have to dispose of them into a bag or with a friend etc. Using small free weights is unlikely to cause most people any worry but there will always be occasions when someone takes weights which are too heavy or too big to fit into their hands etc.
This is why I am a big fan of counting pedometer steps using exercise or walking DVDs such as Walk Away the Pounds. These are effectively walks which rack up the miles (or mile) and include using weights at specific guided points. You can be sure that your body is warmed up, that you use them correctly, and of course you can start gradually until your fitness level matches that required for what is a very strenuous 3 miles, for instance.
The other obvious solution is to use hand weights while walking for weight loss on a treadmill although if you are already in a gym rather than at home why not use the weight equipment or do a class?
For those who do their pedometer steps while watching TV adding hand weights is also quite easy.
Bend the arms at the elbows and use a controlled swing, alternate arm to leg. Carry a weight which is comfortably held in your hand and start with a smallish weight, say 1 to 2 kilos for men and women maybe 0.5 kilos to start.
A lot of gyms offer circuit classes or other ways to increase the variety of exercises you do as well as getting the numbers of pedometer steps up. Anything which includes bursts of jogging, or running, high repetition weights combined with leg movements, moving the whole body quickly, is likely to count as pedometer steps and be effective high calorie burning activity.
Pacing yourself effectively means keeping exercise an asset in your daily life. Too much, whether overdoing a specific exercise style or throwing yourself into everything going at a rate which can’t be sustained, is the easiest way to come unstuck in your overall weight loss plan.
Starting with walking for weight loss by counting pedometer steps is the best introduction to exercise as a life enhancing weight loss activity. Over time add in interval training and aerobic weights. Exercise every day but allow for exercise fatigue- if you have done too much or have run out of enthusiasm stop the activity and work on feeling good about what you’re doing for your body and life.
This sort of interval can also enhance your workout as long as it is short. I have found a new appreciation for my achievements when I have a little break either by resting or by doing a different exercise and then coming back to my normal one. Walking and counting pedometer steps enables a gradual, natural, increase in aptitude. Over time what used to take me one hour to walk I was doing in 50 minutes. Just recently the same route is now taking me 40 minutes. Sometimes we don’t notice as these changes can be subtle and build up over time.
Sometimes Pedometer Steps can be made more interesting and increase the payoff by adding in extra steps!
Are you hesitating about getting a pedometer? I’ve talked to lots of people who do. In a busy schedule it’s just one more thing to organise and although it sounds attractive to burn calories walking and come away with everything in the wardrobe looking better, just by strapping on a little machine and counting pedometer steps, you’re sure it would take “more” for weight loss. And it does. Strapping it on is the start, and a great one, but the overall process, for the big payoffs, is long term.
Maybe you are mixed up about the weight loss requirements-how much is it about what I eat and how much about movement?
In all liklihood you are lying to yourself (if you are overweight) about both!
From personal experience and from watching others, I know how easy it is to over estimate the amount of walking we do in an average day, and how much high calorie food we eat. The only way to know is to count pedometer steps and keep a food journal.
The 10,000 pedometer steps daily idea is the perfect process for couch potatoes. Come to grips with how little you move normally by measuring steps through wearing a pedometer and then increase the number and burn calories walking.
One thing is certain -it is amazing how quickly those pedometer steps mount up when you start consciously walking for weight loss.
The biggest surprise for most sedentary people is how little activity is part of their normal life. Guessing tends to create a false impression of your activity level. It’s usually just plain wrong. Once you’ve got a real feel for how many pedometer steps you do daily, you’ll understand why you are overweight.
Then there is the issue of eating as if you are an active person!
It’s simple-don’t!
Unless you are.
Here’s one tip which helps in this area: take advantage of the salad dressing sprays to control the amount of dressing you use. One spray of Praise French Spritz equals less than one calorie.
As with using a pedometer, there are many ways to reduce calories without losing the enjoyment of eating. Another tip: food tastes the absolute best when you are hungry!
Is it worth taking out gym membership when using the pedometer step counting method?
At the end of the article on how to choose a gym, I make the point that wearing my pedometer is helpful even when exercising at the gym. Learning to lose weight takes many items or tools which keep you targeted and moving towards your goals. Initially if you are using the lifestyle change approach the effects are gradual and more related to well being. As you progress and understand, and more importantly integrate the process into your lifestyle, the results take place with increasing frequency.
Pedometers are a steady and reliable monitoring device which works when applied as a tool consistently. After a short learning curve the efffectiveness of recording pedometer steps for weight loss becomes obvious. It becomes a path to consistent and reliable weight loss through exercise and food control.
Now for the gym.
The gym is a great asset when walking for weight loss or using other methods to lose weight. Many people use it as the full library of exercise options and this is obviously vital part of its success. Generally it requires more than one option to ensure every day is a weight loss opportunity. Starting out counting pedometer steps or walking for weight loss can be full on for a beginner. At this stage joining a gym may see it under utilised or walking for weight loss and counting pedometer steps, neglected. Multiple strategies as a beginner can just be confusing, lead to lack of focus, energy expended without results, and a level of frustration which could tip the newbie off the process of counting pedometer steps, or more importantly pursuing a weight goal.
By counting pedometer steps, wearing that pedometer daily, and monitoring throughout the day to ensure pedometer steps are consistent with reaching the daily goal, all activity can be considered as part of the exercise program.
Some exercise though does not record accurately on most pedometers. if your weight loss program is dominated by these-running, dancing, weight training, pilates,yoga- then counting pedometer steps is not going to help but when walking to lose weight and supplementing with other activites, recording pedometer steps is essentially correct.
As you progress with the pedometer program, changes are made to facilitate continued or increases in weight loss. At this point it is a benefit to utilise both pedometer steps and other weight loss strategies to fine tune the process. The best way of course is to slowly introduce other exercises on top of the existing walking and counting pedometer steps.
When first using counting pedometer steps or using a pedometer as a weight loss tool, there are a few rookie mistakes which can discourage continuing if you don’t get on top of them directly.
The main requirement for success in weight loss by counting pedometer steps is Setting Intensity.
Most pedometers will allow you to set the degree of movement which will register as a step. This is important! Without doing this you will find that the pedometer seems to show far too many steps, depending upon the factory default setting. Each move you make from bending over to breathing hard may show as steps. Accurate pedometer steps are important as a guide to the amount of activity which counts towards weight loss and calorie burning.
Where your pedometer offers several settings go for a mid position iinitially while you get a feel for the way steps are registered.
It is easy to do this. Simply walk for 10 paces and check what shows as pedometer steps. Adjust the intensity setting up or down straight away if this is incorrect.
Now bend over or sit down slowly and note whether this has been treated as a pedometer step. Many pedometers will show a step but correct it again if there is no continued movement so you may see it flash to the next number and then revert. The pedometer is probably too lenient in its counting if slow body movements are counted as steps. The intention is to record activity which is considered to have an impact on the body’s physical condition, in particular, burn calories.
This also has an effect on the calorie counter funtion when there are several levels of intensity able to be recorded. Obviously the more intense the activity the higher the calorie burn.
Generally the calorie counting function on a pedometer isn’t taken too seriously, simply used as an indication of the direction which will burn more calories. The minutes of higher level calorie burn, if reported on your pedometer, can also be used to fine tune your exercise program.
The other effect of setting the intensity so pedometer steps are recorded accurately is that slower movements are not always registered.
So some of your favorite activies such as cycling, jogging (unless you have a running pedometer), weights class or other gym activites such as the rowing machine do not record accurately.
When starting out a walking for weight loss program particularly if you have been inactive for a long time it is better to start with an easier program such as counting pedometer seps and add the heavier workload as you make progress.
This is the best way to attune your body to the change in its lifestyle and makes it able to accomodate the new direction more easily i.e. without becoming a major disruption to your life, possibly to the point of causing you to call it off.
First off, play with the pedometer and check the pedometer steps as you go so you become familiar with how it works and what is recorded when. Soon (within a couple of days) you will have a feel for the typical number of daily pedometer steps you are performing and will be able to add to this once this is established. Averages are used a lot when determining targets.
Once you have a starting number of pedometer steps, add twenty percent to set the next target then walk towards this.
Say you have found that typically you walk about 5,000 steps. Your new target is 6,000 steps in a day. It may take you several days to get to this point. Or you may do it straight away, finding recording your activity is incentive enough to make this target easily. If so up the target goes up again.
Weight loss will start as long as you are followiing the calorie burning formula: the number of calories burned through exercise plus your daily life, must be greater than the number of calories taken in through consumption of food.
Calories Taken In Must Always Be Less Than Calories Burned for Weight Loss.
