You know you need to start an exercise program, but you don’t know where to start.

Maybe this is your first time with the whole physical activity thing and the thought of joining a gym or intense exercise program sounds scary, difficult, and maybe even painful!

A simple solution?

Walking!

Walking for weight loss works for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, male or female, confident or not–walking is a workout that anyone can do.

It’s free and most importantly, it works for every fitness level!  You can do it anywhere. And you probably have all the supplies you need lying around your house. Bonus points if you have a dog! You'll both get exercise and have the benefit of bonding on your walks!

10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Walking Workouts

Don’t let the idea of starting a new workout routine intimidate you. Instead, use these ten tips to help make every step count! If you go into any workout without a concrete plan, you’re not going to see the kind of results you want. Walking is no exception. If this is your first venture into an exercise program, you need to know some basic things to do and watch for.

1. Pick up the pace:

 When it comes to walking for weight loss, pace matters. The faster you walk, the more calories you will burn. The more calories you burn, the more quickly you can lose weight.

2. Hit the hills:

 Adding intensity to your walk will boost your calorie burn. Research has shown that you burn 60% more calories when walking uphill.

3. Don’t forget the diet:

 Walking for weight loss will be more effective if you couple it with a healthy diet and focus on creating lifestyle changes instead of just focusing on exercise. Sports Nutrition Supply offers  meal replacement shakes that can help you stay on track when it comes to a healthy diet. Just replace one to two meals a day with an Oxy Lean Elite meal replacement shake to start seeing weight loss results.

4. Know your route:

 Knowing where you’re going before you hit the road is important for a couple of reasons. First, and maybe most important, is safety. You don’t want to get lost or end up in an unsafe location and it allows you to let others know where you’re going to be. Second, having a route planned out in advance makes you more likely to stick to your plan and finish your entire workout.

5. Partner up. Having a workout partner is almost always a good idea. It’s someone to keep you accountable. Someone to help motivate you. And if you’re lucky enough to have a workout partner that’s also a friend, the time spent talking during your workout is cheaper (and sometimes even better) than therapy. A partner can…

• Make working out more enjoyable.
• Help prevent injury.
• Combat stress.
• Make you push yourself harder.
• Keep you committed.
• Help you reach your goals more quickly.
• Keep you out of a rut.

6. Play that music

A walking workout is the perfect place to add a little music. And it’s a good thing, because adding music to your workouts has been shown to make them easier and to boost your weight loss. I love listening to my favorite playlists during a walking workout!

7. Use your arms: Why not kill two birds with one stone and tone up while you trim down? Using your arms while you walk will help you burn more calories and increase the intensity of your workout. The simple act of putting your hands into fists will remind your arm muscles to contract, which will add an extra calorie burn.

8. Skip the sports drink:

 Don’t undo all the good walking can do by filling your body with high-calorie, sugar-laden sports drinks. There’s really nothing good about them. Instead, try adding a low-calorie, hunger-blocking, energy boosting drink, like Keto-FX, to the mix and you’ll see weight loss results come even quicker.

9. Set a goal:

 Realistic and well thought out goals will lead to more weight loss success. When looking at your walking program, you should keep a specific and attainable goal in mind. Maybe you want to cut a minute off your pace or sign up for a local 5K. Both are great goals that are easily a will help keep you focused and committed to walking for weight loss.

10. Get Out There and Do It:

 It can be easy to fall into the “forever planning” but never doing trap. You don’t need the “perfect” playlist or special walking shoes to start today. And don’t let a lack of a walking partner be your excuse to skip your workout. If you start today you’ll reach your goals faster than if you wait.