[Architekt]

ALASDAIR Wilkins lost 45kg in a year without having to nibble on kale salads or battle through spin classes in expensive Lycra. He reckons his weight loss “secret” is actually “pretty dumb”.

Quote:

“Basically, I just went to the gym and I walked. On a treadmill, uphill, at a brisk pace, for about an hour every day — and I do mean every day,” he wrote in a piece for Vox, which has been shared almost 10,000 times and attracted hundreds of comments.

What a hero

Quote:

The 27-year-old masters student weighed 129kg just 12 months ago. Alasdair was freelancing, he’d just moved out of his parents’ house (and away from their well-stocked fridge) and had lots of free time on his hands. It was the perfect time to lose weight.

Like a lot of people who struggle with their weight, I was intimidated by the gym, but there was one machine I could use without the help of a personal trainer and that was the treadmill. So I just started there because it’s the easiest.

He exercised solo everyday while watching Netflix on his iPad and the weight gradually started to come off.

He literally didn't even have to change a single part of his day, except he walked on a treadmill while watching movies instead of larding around with a tub of popcorn

This is literally how easy it is to stay in shape

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Alasdair said his self esteem started to improve after losing 9kg.

“If you’re overweight or trying to lose weight, I think it’s really important to realise you don’t need to lose all of it immediately to feel better about yourself.

“Around the 27kg mark, that was when a lot of the very tightly held self loathing just started to unravel. When you’ve had low self esteem for such a long time, you don’t necessarily feel like you’re getting a lot of traction in your life.

“I didn’t lose 100 pounds because I have amazing willpower. There’s 26 years of evidence to show that I have very mediocre willpower. I just found a routine that I actually enjoyed and stuck with it.”

There is no reason to be a landwhale

[Beyond Borders]

I love riding motorbikes everywhere.

But it has been a lot harder to keep myself looking trim since I got a bike here again in Cambo.

Need to start walking more places or get serious about cardio again.

[Lucky]

Once in awhile I'll read books on my kindle on the treadmill. The mild physical stimulation can make the experience better and helps me retain what I've read.

[vinman]

My ex got me a Fitbit for Christmas. I was really interested in using it to log sleep (I'm a horrible sleeper). I make it a point to hit my 10,000 step goal, even in the dead of winter. That's roughly 5 miles, in conjunction with my workouts. Staying active and getting adequate sleep are the fountain of youth.

[Hades]

Walking while watching a movie or reading a kindle sounds like a good way to multitask. I might have to start working that in.

[Guitarman]

I have read many times ( sorry but no link) that the human body evolved to be a "walking machine". No need for vigorous cardio just walk to work ( or part of the way). Walking is the most natural excercise a human can do so do it!

[Kieran]

I love walking and it's definitely underrated for weight management. I often go for long walks in the evening when the weather is nice and I find it clears my mind and that I get a lot of good ideas come to me while walking. Unlike going running (which I also do), it doesn't take much motivation to get up and do it either.

[Guitarman]

When I was a kid nobody was fat and nearly everybody walked part or all the way to school. I'm convinced it is the "school run" , taking kids to school by car, and every where else they want to go that is behind the modern obesity epidemic.

[StrikeBack]

After noticing that I'd lose weight on holidays despite eating and drinking a lot, due to walking everywhere, I've been incorporating that in my daily routines. I walk to work, walk to the gym, walk to boxing, walk to the market for groceries, walk to the social venues etc.

Other than weight management, it's good for relaxation, stretching out your hips and low back, and convenient to listen to a podcast or language lesson.

[Ingocnito]

I walked from 10am-10pm on/off around a huge amusement park Wednesday.

I've had meniscus problems in both knees for 9 years, and arthritis in both (mid grade viewable clearly on an X-ray).

So extensive walking or running I usually avoid due to the repetitive joint impact.

The doctor projected by now I'd need total knee replacements due to the severity of the cartilage tears.

I went to the same park, 3 years ago, and 20 lbs heavier and by 5pm I had to stop walking due to inflammation in both knees.

This year, I ground through the pain and discomfort, took 3 Aleve throughout the day, took fish oil, glucosamine and condroitin, cissus for inflamation, and I felt exhausted but fantastic today.

A friend of mine who was obese, cut about half his protruding belly down last year by walking 4-5 days a week, 1-2 miles, for about 4-5 months. 290 down to 255 or so. At 5'9", it was a noticeable difference.

Unfortunately, he gained most of it back eating like shit and stopping the walking and replaced it with a mild opiate addiction. People underestimate walking's overall value.

I'm going to try more walking, despite usually using an eliptical to avoid the impact. I think I may be onto something here with walking.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Well, duh!

[zatara]

One of the less talked about reasons why Europe has a way less severe problem with obesity than America is walking, I think. People here actually walk to their local grocery store, walk to public transport to commute to work etc. 30min of walking a day can make a decent difference in keeping off the pounds and is barely noticeable as exertion.

[Hades]

(07-10-2015 07:22 AM)zatara Wrote:  

One of the less talked about reasons why Europe has a way less severe problem with obesity than America is walking, I think. People here actually walk to their local grocery store, walk to public transport to commute to work etc. 30min of walking a day can make a decent difference in keeping off the pounds and is barely noticeable as exertion.

Yeah when I lived in Dresden I had to walk about a half a mile to the local grocery store to buy groceries and beers. I ended up having to go just about every day to get fairly cheap food (usually a dozen eggs, eight ounces of cheese, a few rolls for kase brot, a liter of whole milk, and a small amount of butter). I practically ate dirty paleo.

Man, it was hell walking back carrying a crate of beer. I probably sweated off an entire case's worth by the time I went up all those stairs to my hovel.

[DjembaDjemba]

Walking is must and it has proven health benefits. When I worked near my job, I would walk 30 minutes to and from the office to my apartment at the time. Without hitting the gym too hard I went from 225lbs to a svelte 190lbs. I've been at 190-200 range for the past several years at 6'4".

My current job requires lots of walking and I feel much better than sitting all day.

[Dalaran1991]

Same reason women in France, Spain and Italy are much slimmer. They walk everywhere or take the metro.

[Nascimento]

I've been doing this for a few weeks now.

Casual afternoon walks, after the daily heat has passed, with earbuds in listening to a podcast.

It's relaxing. It's therapeutic. And it helps you lose some fat, as long as your diet is in check.

[MikeinMKE]

Walking is incredible - I buy an audiobook or download a great podcast and walk 3 miles with my dog every night. It's really helped keep my appetite down, I learn a lot of things from the the podcasts, and I've really bonded with my dog like never before.

I think that my body fat is lower than it's been since college - have really been killing it with my new health regimen.

[WalterBlack]

(07-10-2015 07:22 AM)zatara Wrote:  

One of the less talked about reasons why Europe has a way less severe problem with obesity than America is walking, I think. People here actually walk to their local grocery store, walk to public transport to commute to work etc. 30min of walking a day can make a decent difference in keeping off the pounds and is barely noticeable as exertion.

A lot of the cities in the US are not even walkable. Some streets have no sidewalks. I have obese American cousins who are so lazy that they’ll get into a car to drive to the other side of a large parking lot.

A couple of years ago in UK I used to walk 20 mins to the train station to commute to work. My job changed and I had to drive an hour to work. I put on about 10lbs in weight with no changes in diet.

[birthday cat]

(07-09-2015 07:17 AM)Guitarman Wrote:  

I have read many times ( sorry but no link) that the human body evolved to be a "walking machine". No need for vigorous cardio just walk to work ( or part of the way). Walking is the most natural excercise a human can do so do it!

I've read the same thing. If your fit you can add weight. I've found that I can keep my endurance up and my weight down without killing strength gains by walking with some weight instead of jogging/running which hurts my strength gains.

From Dan John:
I have made my career based on three concepts:
1. Put heavy things overhead.
2. Pick heavy things off the ground
3. Carry things for time or distance

[MajorStyles]

I bought a pedometer in November of last year for cheap; they recommend that you walk 10,000 steps a day, so I thought I would give it a try (FYI...10,000 steps equates to around two hours of walking a day).

I was very impressed by the results. I dropped five pounds pretty quickly. I was about ten pounds overweight at the time, so that five made a noticable difference. Plus, my blood pressure went from 150 down to 130. So that was another nice benefit.

Two thumbs up on the pedometer.

[Biz]

The most ripped I've ever been was when I sold my car and walked everywhere, I actually looked forward to the long walks at times. Doing cardio at the gym is something that I could never get into.

[birthday cat]

Walking saved me $2.00 last weekend!!! I took a 20 minute walk home from the bar instead of taking a cab.

It also reminded me of this summary at Mark's Daily Apple which is basically the top 10 rules for primal living. The 3 physical activities in the 10 are
1 Move around a lot at a slow pace
2 Lift heavy things
3 Run really fast every once in a while

I really like carrying weight while walking. I learned this from some military guys. Start off light, maybe 15 or 20 pounds in a strong backpack, but you can increase the weight each time as your legs and back get used to it. This comes in handy when a Latin girl's poor feet are hurting from wearing heels all night. In those situations you got to man up and carry that girl to a quiet place where she can lay down, such as your apartment.

[Giovonny]

"Sitting is the new smoking"

Many people sit in a chair for hours at a time.

This can be damaging to the low back area.

Getting up and walking is the answer to any potential back problems caused by too much sitting.

If I sit at my desk for more than 30 minutes, I will get up and walk around for 10 minutes, religiously. If I don't do this my back starts to hurt.

Any time my body feels weird, the first thing I do is go outside and walk.

Fresh air + walking cures many minor aches and pains.

[birthday cat]

(07-20-2015 06:09 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

"Sitting is the new smoking"

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/08/05...f-sitting/

Some of the article is below but click the link to see "7 Simple Exercises That Undo the Damage of Sitting" because it is mostly pictures.

Quote:

If you’re like most men living and working in a techno-service economy, you probably spend a good deal of your day sitting down. You go from the kitchen table to your desk at work to your chair in front of the TV. But as we’ve discussed before, spending most of your waking hours planted on your keister is terrible for your health.

You’ve probably experienced those moments when you get up from a sitting position and your butt feels numb and your hips feel so tight that you have to lean forward at the waist just to walk. Excessive sitting leaves your hips and legs tight and your glutes inactive. Even after you stand up, the ill effects of sitting stay with you and may prevent your butt muscles from firing at an optimal level when you really need them – like when you suddenly need to chase down a purse snatcher!

Some fitness experts argue that sitting causes muscles in the hip area to physically shorten (and stay shorter), even after you stand up. While there are no scientific studies to back that claim, from my own personal experience, sitting for lengthy periods of time definitely makes everything feel tight in the groin/butt area.

If you’re an athlete (or fancy yourself one), tight hips and inactive glutes can hamper physical performance in a variety of activities, such as sprinting, squatting, and — my favorite — deadlifting. If you want to perform at your best, you need to make sure that your hips stay limber and that your butt muscles are firing on all cylinders. Even if you’re not interested in deadlifting 600 lbs. (though I hope to change your mind on that someday), keeping your hip flexors loose and glutes active can improve your life on other fronts.

First, having limber hips just feels good, plain and simple. Second, having a healthy range of motion in your hips can help prevent injury when you pursue more recreational physical activities and do household chores. For example, loose hips keep your IT band loose as well, which can ward off knee pain. Finally, taking care of your hips may help improve your posture, which can in turn alleviate back or neck pain. (Not to mention the role of limber hips in doing a mean mambo.)

Below, we provide some simple stretches and exercises that will undo the damage to your hips and butt caused by sitting.
Prevention Is the Best Remedy: Sit Less and Move More

As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The best thing you can do for your hip mobility and glute activation is to simply sit less and move more during the day.

If your employer will allow it, try using a standing desk, which keeps your muscles activated at the office. Keep in mind that, just as with sitting, standing should be done in moderation (doing it for an extended period of time isn’t that great for you, either).

If a standing desk isn’t an option, take five-minute breaks from sitting every 30 to 45 minutes. Stand up and walk around a bit. Maybe even perform a few of the exercises below. Even if you have a standing desk, you should still take breaks every now and then for some movement.

[Praetor Lupus]

After just a week of walking for an hour every day, I began to notice a difference. I didn't listen to anything on my iPod as I have to walk alongside a busy main road to work and don't want to get distracted when I'm crossing side roads.

The advice to walk for an hour every day is legit.