Losing weight is a matter of taking in fewer calories than you burn.  Once a healthy diet is planned it’s time to get down to exercise.  This should include seven days a week, 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise.  It can be running on a treadmill, swimming, or simply walking to lose weight.  Walking is a low impact way to meet the exercise goal.  With a few tips in mind it can be even better.

Forget the idea of only three or five days a week, aerobic exercise is something you need to do every day forever.

Once the walking is established do some other activities to increase your physical output.  This can include simple things like raking leaves instead of blowing them, wacky things like playing tag with your children, as well as other every day habits such as parking in the furthest space from the store rather than the closest.

Intervals can be added once the walking has been established.  Intervals are short bursts of increased activity sprinkled into a normal routine.  Start out by running for 30 seconds every 10 minutes of the walk.  Gradually up this to a one minute run every five minutes, which goes like this.  You walk for the first four minutes, then run for the fifth, then walk the next four minutes, run the next minute, and so on for the whole 30 minutes.  Keep in mind that a run is not a jog, it’s faster, like a sprint.  So if you have to work up to run with jog at first. After a short period of walking run, then walk again, then go back to running.  Start out running once or twice in a 30 minute walk, then up it to more often until you’re walking 4 minutes then running 1 minute  It’s not that hard.

Make walking a whole family activity.  Walk the kids to school instead of driving them.  Walk to the store.  Get out and see the sights.  And no, don’t quit on a rainy day.  Wear a rain coat and some galoshes.