Walking is a great form of exercise for those trying to lose weight. It’s low impact and can be done anywhere, anytime. Other than a good pair of walking shoes or boots, no equipment is required.

Any sensible weight loss program is a combination of a healthy diet and healthy exercise. In this article I am concentrating on the exercise aspect of the weight loss equation.

As I’m sure you are aware, before embarking on a vigorous exercise regimen, you should see your doctor to make sure you don’t have any serious underlying health problems.

Okay, so why walk instead of run? Surely running is a “better” form of exercise for weight loss and would burn more calories in less time.

Well yes and no! It’s true that brisk running burns more calories than light walking, but if you’re heavily overweight, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to run long without injuring yourself, while walking is a fairly safe form of exercise. , as long as you watch where your feet are landing.

As you start to get in shape, you can increase the speed of your walking. A very brisk walk burns almost as many calories as running per mile covered. It just takes a little longer to go those miles.

Perhaps you find it difficult to make time to exercise? One piece of advice I would give is to incorporate some walking into your daily routine. Let’s say you take a train into the city every day. Could you get off one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way? Park at the other end of the lot and walk those extra feet. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Too many floors for that? Just get off a couple floors early and walk 2 flights of stairs. When you’re okay with that, start doing 3 flights. It all adds up.

Buy yourself a dog, a breed that likes exercise a lot. Don’t choose a lapdog! A border collie can be a fantastic exercise partner because he’s crazy about getting outdoors and running, but show the dog some commitment. If you can’t get it out for at least 30 minutes, twice a day, scrap that idea.

Walking is a great stress buster. If you’re having a hard time at the office, then take your sandwich and walk to a nice park, graveyard, or some other quiet place and eat it there.

The point of all this is that it’s easy to integrate walking into your life, making it a form of exercise you’re more likely to stick with.