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 Walking to Wellness.

 

Diet and Exercise. That’s the truth. The only way to ensure continuing weight control and long term health  is a coordinated program of Diet and Exercise. There are many possible exercise programs, and the only rule is do something every day! That having been said, it is helpful to have a program to follow and the Walking to Wellness program is a proven weight loss régime  that will, over a twelve week period, cause you to loose 25 to 30 pounds and set you on a course for long term health.

 

Because walking is less vigorous than other forms of exercise it is a very suitable program for those of us that have led a couch potato existence for too long, but the flip side is that it does require a somewhat larger commitment in time. The promise is that once you have made the investment in time and effort, you will look and feel so much better that you will be able to embark on a more vigorous program. Good luck and Just Do It!

 

Walking to Wellness – Week One

 

Believe it, you can get all your activity requirements through walking. Walking not strolling. At the same time you can and will enjoy it, and it will contribute to your weight loss objectives, but more importantly it will increase your wellness.

 

The program is a twelve week ramp, after which there is a plateau. On the plateau, you go on forever, or you graduate to other endeavors.

 

As I said, this program is guaranteed to make a difference to your life, and it is totally free.

 

So here is Week One. Getting Started.

 

You need to have a route mapped out which will get you home after about a mile (a mile is about 2000 steps, so go out 1000 steps, and you will need the same number to get home). Start off walking for about 15 minutes. Don’t push it, take it easy till you get a little warmed up, but try by the end of week one to have completed your one mile route within the 15 minutes. If you miss a day, OK you need the break anyway, do a little extra the next day, but don’t miss two!!

 

Keep walking, till next time.

 

Walking to Wellness – Week Two

 

Hopefully week one went well, you walked 15 minutes (one mile) each day, and you did not skip more than one of those days. If you did, don’t fret, week two is a repeat of week one with one small addition. On two of the outings, preferably not consecutively, walk an extra 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Also you need to make some preparations for week three and four. In these weeks you will be walking a little further, so map out a new target route which will give you an extra half mile. Try to make your routes a little different, one which is shaded for the hot days, one which is protected for the off days, perhaps one which is quiet and refreshing for those bad air days! Remember, the key is sticking with the program, so enjoying what you do is an important key.

 

 

So, week two, walk every day (at least six days of the week) 15 minutes a day, with an extra 10 to 15 minutes on two of the days.    

 

 

Walking to Wellness – Week Three

Hi there fellow walkers, beginning to feel better. I am sure you are!

Weeks one and two were our warm up weeks during which you have walked every day (well at least 6 out of seven) and have increased your distance to two miles every other day.

This is week three and we start to get serious! This week you will increase your walk to two miles every day. That’s just a half hour of brisk walking, and now that will definitely begin to work on your physical wellbeing. You should begin to see the weight begin to melt away, and a general body firmness to begin to develop.

While you are walking, it is a great idea to carry some water, and a trick we use is to get a couple of half gallon jugs with handles on, you know the kind that milk and juice comes in. Before you go, fill them with iced water, and carry one in each hand. Now as you walk you can use the jugs of water as dumbbells, flexing your arms every second step, them lifting them straight shoulder high. Before you know it, and without realizing it you are beginning strength training with all its benefits.

So there it is Week Three – walk two miles (30 minutes) a day and do some arm exercises with the water jugs you are carrying!! Don’t be surprised if you don’t lose too much weight this week, but you sure will be losing flab!

See you next week!

 

Walking to Wellness – Week Four

 

In week three we began to get serious. For a walking program to work as your primary source of activity, a minimum of two miles is required at a good 15 minutes per mile pace. Adding the beginning of some strength training includes the benefits of stronger bones, increased metabolism, and firmer upper body.

If you have been conscientious you will definitely be feeling better, looking better, and being healthier. Your weight has perhaps dropped a pound or two, but not anything dramatic.

In week four we want to crank it up a notch. Walk your two miles every day, carrying your jugs of water. Lift those jugs chest high every few steps, then, arms outstretched, lift them shoulder high. Don’t overdo it, if they feel too heavy, just let them swing, but you should try to get twenty or thirty of each exercise into your half hour. And here is the kicker. Two days this week you are going to do an extra mile! Do this say once on the weekend, and once midweek.

Follow this program and we guarantee that you will begin to lose weight regularly, and feel so much better about yourself. And need I mention, the flab is beginning to firm!

 

Walking to Wellness – Week Five

The Walking to Wellness program is a proven twelve week way to get fit and lose weight slowly but steadily. The first four weeks are the warm-up, getting your couch potato body back into working order, preparing for the real stuff about to start. During this time you probably did not lose much weight, but we are certain you firmed up a few of those muscles and also got rid of some flab.

We now move on to week five. During this week we want to settle down to a regular three mile walk, keeping the same pace as before (about a fifteen minute mile) for the first one and a half miles, then picking up the pace to a twelve minute mile for just one mile. In the last half mile, slow back down to your comfortable walking speed so your body has time to cool down before you end the walk. As before, carry those jugs of cold water, and do your arm exercises as you go. Flex your arm at the elbow every second or third step, alternating left and right, then every ten to fifteen steps, raise your arms out sideways till they are parallel with the ground, and lower them again. The walking takes care of firming up the legs and hips, and the arm exercise will help smooth the midriff and upper body.

 Walking To Wellness – Week Six

The Walking to Wellness program is a proven twelve week way to get fit and lose weight slowly but steadily. In week five you started to create a weight loss regimen. Already you have begun to feel better, less breathless, and more energetic. You also look better, firmer, and more athletic. Long may this prevail!

We now move on to week six. During this week we want to speed up the regular three mile walk. What we want now is the fifteen minute mile pace for only the first half mile, and the twelve minute mile for two miles. As before, slow down for the last half mile to your comfortable walking speed so your body has time to cool down before you end the walk. Also, as before, carry those jugs of cold water, and do your arm exercises as you go. Flex your arm at the elbow every second or third step, alternating left and right, then every ten to fifteen steps, raise your arms out sideways till they are parallel with the ground, and lower them again. Also every half mile add ten or so half squats, that is stop walking for a few seconds and while standing still, bend your knees till there is a right angle at the joint. (If this is too strenuous, only do a couple till you feel stronger).

At the end of week six you are definitely on the way to a healthier you. Even if you stick at this level you will loose 25lbs over the next twelve months, and you will look a whole heap better.

See you next week!!

The week six level is an excellent maintenance level. It will not result in as fast a weight loss as continuing for the full program, but if you follow it regularly and keep a reasonable caloric intake, it will allow you over time to achieve a good balanced healthy weight.

 

Walking To Wellness – Week Seven

The Walking to Wellness program is a proven twelve week way to get fit and lose weight slowly but steadily. In week six you extended a weight loss regimen that will continue for the next six weeks. Over that time we expect you to lose 18 to 25 lbs.

As in week six, we want to speed up the regular three mile walk. What we want is the fifteen minute mile pace for only the first half mile, and the twelve minute mile for two miles. As before, slow down In the last half mile to your comfortable walking speed so your body has time to cool down before you end the walk. Also, as before, carry those jugs of cold water, and do your arm exercises as you go. This "weight training" is an important part of the program, so don’t leave it out. Flex your arm at the elbow every second or third step, alternating left and right, then every ten to fifteen steps, raise your arms out sideways till they are parallel with the ground, and lower them again. Also add every half mile ten or so half squats, that is while standing still, bend your knees till there is a right angle at the joint. (If this is too strenuous, only do a couple till you feel stronger).

Yep it sounds almost exactly like week six, and it is. All we want to do to step up the heat a little is to do an extra half mile twice during the week, say Wednesday and over the weekend. If you can’t find the extra time and feel you are pretty healthy, fit in a couple of 100 yd jogs into the second mile of your walk.

See you next week!!

Walking to Wellness - Week 8

That’s right, week eight means you are two thirds of the way through the program. What we think, however, is that you have made a quantum paradigm shift in your life. By now you are fitter, trimmer, more energetic, and, if you have been just a little careful with your diet, quite a few pounds lighter. Keep up the good work.

In week eight, what we are looking for is much the same as week seven. Every day, or at least six of the seven days, do your three miles, starting the first mile at a 15 minute mile pace, speeding up after the first half mile to a 12 minute mile pace for the next one and a half miles. Now we start a new twist. For the next half mile we want you to jog for about twenty steps, walk twenty steps, jog again, walk again till you complete the half mile. If this becomes too strenuous, go back to walking and try again the next day. (If you don’t like the jogging idea at all, add another half mile to your walk)

As always, the last half mile is back to the slower 15min mile pace.

There is not going to be much further intensification of your program, so just do it! Watch the pounds begin to melt.

See you next week!

Walking to Wellness - Week 9 - 12

This is the last third of the program. The past weeks have really been preparing you for this period. Do this well and you will be loosing 2-3 pounds per week. You are fitter, trimmer, and more energetic. Keep up the good work.

In week eight, the program was: Every day, or at least six of the seven days, do your three miles, starting the first mile at a 15 minute mile pace, speeding up after the first half mile to a 12 minute mile pace for the next one and a half miles. Now we start a new twist. For the next half mile we want you to jog for about twenty steps, walk twenty steps, jog again, walk again till you complete the half mile. If this becomes too strenuous, go back to walking and try again the next day. (If you don’t like the jogging idea at all, add another half mile to your walk) For the last four weeks of the program we want that walk jog routine to be for a full mile, that is after the one and a half mile mark to the two and a half mile mark. (As we said before if you don’t like the jogging idea at all, just extend your walk by a half mile, or walk the mile like a race walker, you know, you have seen the style on TV)

As always, the last half mile is back to the slower 15min mile pace.

Once you have completed twelve weeks, you should have built up a nice level of fitness, and lost a reasonable amount of weight. Ongoing, you should level out at the six week program, then if your weight spikes, or you feel you need a bit of a fitness boost, insert a couple of week 9-12 days into your routine.

 

 

 

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