Can you lose fat and achieve a weight loss goal just by walking? In other words, putting your meals to the side, can walking help you lose weight without having to incorporate other exercises, such as strength training, HIIT or running? Today we're diving into the details of weight loss via walking.
Can You Lose Weight Just By Walking?
There have been studies that note just 30 minutes of walking per day can help with achieving a weight loss goal. If you're curious about the details of these studies, you can check out my short video below.
Walking, especially walking outside, is unique in that it can help to naturally lower our stress hormone cortisol.(1) This is important when looking to achieve a weight loss goal, because high levels of cortisol is associated with increased weight gain, specifically around the belly.(2). So in some circumstances, walking may even be a better exercise option than running. Running longer distances on a fairly frequent basis, such as when training for a long distance race, has been found in some studies to potentially increase the stress hormone cortisol.(3)
How Much Do You Need To Walk Everyday To Lose Weight?
Studies have found that adding as little as 30 minutes of walking per day to your routine can help achieve a weight loss goal. Especially if you're starting off from a relatively sedentary place, incorporating a daily walk is an excellent tool to work toward your fat loss goal. However, there are certainly increased weight loss perks when you include strength training or resistance training into your routine due to strength trainings effect on improved insulin sensitivity. This is why the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle includes 3 weeks of strength training workouts to help optimize fat burning.
What You Need To Eat If You're Walking For Weight Loss
If you are focusing on a daily walk but haven't yet started to incorporate strength training, it's particularly important to focus on eating foods that don't greatly stimulate the storing hormone insulin. When insulin levels are high, the fat burning process called lipolysis is turned off. Pairing walking with foods that don't greatly spike insulin helps to accelerate fat loss. The foods that spike insulin to the greatest degree are starches (such as potatoes, breads, grains and pastas) and sugars (such as honey, cane sugar and sugar sweetened drinks). Proteins and fats, on the other hand, do not greatly spike the storing hormone insulin. This is why the 100+ recipes in the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle prioritize protein, fat and high quality sources of veggies and low-sugar fruits while minimizing insulin spiking ingredients.
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Your Nutritionist,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition