Walking the Weight Off For Dummies
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If you have tried time and time again to lose weight, but have not been successful, maybe the reason is that you are trying too hard. That's right — weight loss doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, it can be as easy as just putting one foot in front of the other and walking those pounds and inches away. No matter your age, your fitness level, or your medical history, almost anyone can walk off the weight if they know how to do it.

Most likely, walking is something you do every day already. You know how to do it, you already have locations you do it in, so all you need to do now is walk a little bit more or adjust your walking techniques and you will start to see the weight loss results almost instantly.

If you have never exercised before, or you have a condition that prevents you from safely taking part in structured exercise, you can still walk off the weight. To get started, just invest in a basic pedometer, a tool that counts your steps. Wear it for three days to see, on average, how many steps you walk each day. Call this your baseline number of steps.

Once you know your daily step baseline, all you have to do is take a few extra steps each day. Aim to walk just an extra 500 steps each day for seven days. Once you can do this easily, add on an extra 500 steps. Slowly build your step count over time, with your long-term goal to walk 10,000 steps or more each day. Every 2,000 steps you walk is equal to about one mile of walking, or about 100 calories burned. Walk an extra 2,000 steps per day over your baseline, and you're on target to lose almost one pound per month. Those little steps can add up to big results!

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Erin Palinski-Wade is a nationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert, speaker and spokesperson. She has contributed her expertise to many national media outlets including the CBS Early Show, The Doctors, and NBC News. She is the author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, 2 Day Diabetes Diet, and owns a private nutrition counseling practice in NJ. Her website, www.erinpalinski.com, offers a free nutrition newsletter including tips and recipes.

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