A great cardio workout for women is vital for weight loss. This 10,000 steps a day plan is a perfect way to add some extra oomph to your current walking plan or even a beginner weight loss plan.
The first 30 days of new habits can be the hardest, most difficult time to learn new foods to love and find time in your already packed day to workout. This weight loss program walks you through the first 30 days with reminders and tips throughout so that at the end of the first month, you have some momentum to keep going.
Workout Tip for Losing Weight – 10,000 Steps a Day
10,000 steps. Have you seen that all over the place yet? Seems like once you begin to get serious about exercise and losing weight, there are a few terms that follow you around, so to speak.
10,000 steps a day is a fitness goal that seems to have started about the time the fitness trackers became popular. At least that’s when I started seeing it in the fitness news. For someone who isn’t an avid exerciser (yet), 10,000 steps a day could sound daunting.
You can do it!
Let’s break it down into manageable pieces throughout the day…
10,000 steps a day = 5 miles a day = 35 miles a week = losing 1 lb per week (with a great nutrition plan)
Sounds totally worth it, right?
An average person walks about 3.5 mph, which equals about 85 min for 5 miles. That’s 5, 15 min walks, or 2, 30 min walks plus a 15 min walk.
You can work in a few extra steps with errands and parking a little farther from the store you are going into.
How about walking your dog, taking your child or grandchild out for a walk?
How about getting together a walking group from work or your neighborhood?
A quick walk at lunch and one after dinner will quickly contribute to your 10,000 steps a day.
Need a little slower pace to work up to 10,000 steps a day? Try this 30 day walking program to help build to the 5 miles a day goal. Start where ever you need to, and build from there.
The point is, 10,000 steps a day isn’t as daunting as you may think. Pick up one of the fitness trackers and start tracking so you can start walking to lose weight!
Update: Andrew has a Fitbit Blaze and enjoys meeting his goals. The Fitbit has an hourly walking goal of 250 steps to help prevent the dangers of Prolonged Sitting. The really cool thing is that it only takes about 2-3 minutes to walk the 250 steps! Here are the health benefits of walking those steps every hour.
Be sure to check out my article on my favorite 5 things for every walk!
Nutrition for Weight Loss
10,000 steps a day won’t mean a thing unless you are working just as hard at the kitchen table.
Inevitably, we have to say goodbye to some of our favorite unhealthy foods. Some things I stay away from completely, others I eat in very limited amounts or very infrequently.
The most difficult for me to say goodbye to was sugary filled desserts. It took a long while to be at the point I am now, but looking back, I really wish I had made the break long before. Why? Because it was totally undoing the efforts I was putting into my workouts.
If you struggle with craving desserts, be sure to read, Sugar Addiction: How I Broke Free.. It outlines the steps I took to be able to stop the cravings.
Whatever cravings you are struggling with, hang in. Remember don’t try to cut out everything at once. Take baby steps, okay, maybe toddler steps, to change your eating habits.
If you are following the 21 Day Fix diet (I highly recommend it), you will be ahead of the game by staying full with vegetables rather than empty calories that leave you hungry within an hour.
Need some extra support to stay true to your goals? You aren’t alone.
Join the Facebook Group: Women Over 40 Losing Weight & Living Healthy!
Resources:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/331642-how-much-weight-can-you-lose-walking-five-miles-five-days-a-week/
https://blog.fitbit.com/should-you-really-take-10000-steps-a-day/
