Has anyone had success with walking for exercise?

Day 80, walking 2.5 miles every morning. Lost 15 lbs, 6 inches and down nearly 1 size. Started at 18/20 and now into 16. I disagree about the knees. My knees were buckling under my weight and popping out of joint and I was struggling with stairs. Take ostobiflex every day and my knees and weak ankles are in great shape. I can run down the stairs now no problem. We are meant to walk a lot. World health organization recommends 10,000 steps A Day for optimum health. When I first started this felt like a huge hurdle but now, 2 months later no problem. Also when you walk every day your body knows how to trim the inches in the hips, thighs and waist because you are using those muscles for better balance as you walk. I am 100% a walker, with balance ball and yoga. That's all I do. Watch me lose this next 100 lbs.

Happy Stepping everyone!!!

blkandwhite77 wrote: »

Where do you all find the time to walk so many miles??? I can barely squeeze out an hour 3-4 a week to go to the gym! Once it's no longer 110 degrees outside I want to start walking at home but I'm going to be lucky to get in a half hour a day to walk.

I am not an outdoorsy/nature person, near 100% of my miles take place indoors. I do park far away in parking lots to get more steps but that's about the extant of my outdoorsy adventures.

I'd say 3-5k is what I get from just my every day living steps. The rest is deliberate stepping, typically pacing around in my living space for an hour or two while watching tv or playing on my phone or tablet (and I am fortunate that my space is quite large and has a layout/flow that makes walking/running around not too dissimilar from a small walking/running track at a gym).

I just don't do a lot of sitting during my screen time much at all anymore, and I never sit when talking on the phone.

I personally would find walking (and running too) whether inside or outside to be super boring if my screen time wasn't practically married to the activity. I don't think I'd be able to sustain setting aside some special time to just go on a walk, like in my neighborhood or in nature or whatever. Not more often than once in a very great while, anyway. That's just not me, I'm not big on nature or being outdoors for its own sake so I'm not motivated in the least to make time for it. That may change but I really seriously doubt it.

And that's really what matters, I think, knowing yourself well enough to know what you will and will not adhere to.

I walk around 25-35k steps per day, I started with c25k program but would get tired easily so I shifted to a mix of walking + cycling + elleptical almost every day. I went from 3-4 k steps per day to around 30k . Walking really helps but the duration needs to be around 1 hour or more as the heart rate will not be that high. I lost 47 pounds but the last 20 I have achieved with walking a lot and I was losing faster than before. I spend around 3-4 hours walking.

I'll add my two cents. I have psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis in my lower spine - walking is my God-send and saving grace. I would rather run, but that's not in the cards for me at this point. My Ortho, Rheumy and GP ALL recommend walking vs being on an elliptical or bike. That's in large part due to my circumstances. However they recommend I walk on a treadmill or an actual walking track for the shock absorption as it is easier on my joints and spine.

Generally speaking, yes you burn more calories being on an elliptical or bike vs FLAT walking. However once you start adding in incline percentages, that changes the game. I can burn more calories walking at an incline (and not killing my joints or spine) than I can being on a bike or elliptical.

You look great!

shizmcnally wrote: »

Yes! I started my diet March 1, went on the elliptical everyday until it got warm enough to walk and now I walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Usually more like 13k (stopped using the elliptical altogether, unless it's too hot out). I'm down 115 lbs as of today-eating 1200 calories. I'm 5'8 and 28 years old. Here's my before and after.
SW: 299
CW: 185
GW: 160

DeeDiddyGee wrote: »

shizmcnally wrote: »

Yes! I started my diet March 1, went on the elliptical everyday until it got warm enough to walk and now I walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Usually more like 13k (stopped using the elliptical altogether, unless it's too hot out). I'm down 115 lbs as of today-eating 1200 calories. I'm 5'8 and 28 years old. Here's my before and after.
SW: 299
CW: 185
GW: 160

You started your diet on March 1 and are down 115 lbs?!? Wow! Is that March 1, 2015? Regardless, you look GREATTTTTT!!!

Thanks so much! And yes, March 2015! I was extremely determined and never went over 1200 calories for 6 months. Now I'm at 1500 calories with about 23 lbs left I want to lose.

<--- Walks 5 miles a day, and not much else. I LOVE walking.

blkandwhite77 wrote: »

Where do you all find the time to walk so many miles??? I can barely squeeze out an hour 3-4 a week to go to the gym! Once it's no longer 110 degrees outside I want to start walking at home but I'm going to be lucky to get in a half hour a day to walk.

With a pedometer, it's quite surprising how much one can actually walk in a day.

jamesha100 wrote: »

I bought a step counter about six months ago and it was an eye opener. On days when I was working from home and not walking my daughter to school I would average less than 3,000 steps! Even on more active days I would rarely break 5,000 so pretty sedentary.

I worked up to 10,000 a day and now do this every day (apart from days that I do significant other fitness activities like cycling). I feel being more active has helped me with my weight loss. The great thing about walking with a tracker is that I can do it at any time without putting on special kit or getting so sweaty that I have to shower.

Another benefit is I find walking elevates my mood. I normally walk for 40 minutes before breakfast and it sets me up for the day. I am thinking about starting running and feel that my walking has given me a good base for this.

Love this! WTG. I am 68 years old and most of my activity is walking. Have lost 40 lbs and now I walk so fast that I even break out into a "jog" occasionally. I jogged 10 mins in a row a day or so ago.