This article is meant to provide people with a simple plan and motivation and see if they can see some positive results in one month, and if so hopefully continue to do so. I have tried and tested and seen what will work and also gotten many friends and family on this plan with positive results. Lets face it we are all not cut out for heavy cardio or weight training, but taking up a routine of walking most days of the week and making some small diet changes, (not even any thing major like eat only chicken and veggies). But we’ll get into that further later on, for now let’s begin our journey!
Before we start on the weeks and steps I want to say a few things about your walking routine. Let me get this point across loud and clear, there is no excuse for not taking the time out to walk everyday. Although I usually think that taking one day off a week will not hurt anything just make sure you get right back to it after your day off. If your very enthusiastic about this you may not want to take a day off at all in order to get the best results. Back to the subject of why there is no excuses not to walk, if you want to you will find a way! Many of us have treadmills, well that is the simplest way and great, if not do you live in a neighborhood where you can walk the blocks? Even with a baby stroller, and the babies love it too. I myself live in a rural country setting and I let my boys play out in the front yard while I walk up and down the road back and forth in front of our house where I can keep them in site at all times. OK now I hear you, what if it is too cold and you don’t have a treadmill? Walk in your house, back and forth, room to room, up and downstairs, let nothing stop you! Spring is just around the corner for most of us so I don’t think getting outside to walk should pose a problem much longer. OK I hope I have successfully shot down all excuses! Now lets get started. These weekly challenges and changes will be short easy and straight forward.
During week one unless you are TERRIBLY out of shape I want you to start walking 20 minutes everyday, not stroll, I want you to try to move at a pretty brisk pace, and we’ll try to get faster as the weeks go by. Now after you walk just do some basic leg stretches to cut down on any soreness you might experience from the walking, although I don’t expect much soreness from only 20 minutes, it is still good to stretch. Now onto the lifestyle/diet change that you need to make this week, I want you to start drinking alot of water, even if you dont like plain water you can get the powder mixes with no calories to add to bottles of water to make them taste good. Now I dont really think you have to drink 8 bottles a day or anything but I do think 4 is a good goal. Now I know lots of people like to drink something other that water with meals which is fine as long as you make it something like diet soda, or tea with artificial sweetener. The sugar we drink packs on more pounds than you know, just by cutting that out you will be making a huge step forward.
Week two you should have no problem moving your walking time up to 30 minutes and try to increase your pace a little also. Once again don’t forget those stretches after words, just a few leg stretches, only taking up a few more minutes of your time. Onto this week diet/lifestyle change. Think about what you have for breakfast, is it usually a fat filled biscuit from the drive through, or maybe some sugary cereal, I am asking you to adjust you breakfast menu this week, try eating a healthy cereal and an apple, you will be surprised how much more energy you have until lunch time! I think you’ll love it! And it will be cutting out alot of fat and sugar that makes you crash and hungry before lunch. Another set of great steps forward to weight loss for you and better well being. Don’t forget to keep drinking that water people!
Here we are now at week three, getting easier isn’t it? If you are like me you are starting to look forward to walking! Once again I want to ask you to increase your time to 45 minutes and also try to speed up your pace. I know that we all are pressed for time so I think that 45 minutes is as long as I can ask you to go but later we can add a little something else during those 45 minutes that will help out more. So 45 minutes, try to increase your pace if possible. I will remind you once again though you may be tired of hearing it, do those stretches afterword. Now for our lifestyle/diet change this week I want you to switch from white bread to whole grain bread (not just wheat, whole grain!) It is so much better for you and will have a very strong impact on your weight loss goal. And I will remind you once again don’t forget your water intake!
Week four now and you are getting closer to hopefully having made a very positive change in your life. I will not ask you to increase your time, as I have said we don’t really have alot of spare time these days, what I am going to do is ask you to do your walking with some small hand weights, just one or two pound weights in each hand. Maybe you might want to add ankle weights instead, that is up to you, but adding that extra resistance will give your workout a boost. Also keep up the swift pace that you are now at! Now finally for your fourth week lifestyle/diet change I am going to challenge you to try and switch to healthy snacks, my family have switched for chips and cookies to low fat pretzels, walnuts, grapes, chunked cantaloupe, raisins, etc…….Look around your grocery store and I’m sure you can find many more healthy snack ideas!
In closing I hope this has made a wonderful, easy, gradual, and rewarding challenge for you. I believe you can keep it up. I believe you can add more to it and your life will get better and better. I wish you all the success in the world and I hope you will pass this on to all you care about.
