Get Ready: Walk-the-Fat-Off Plan

Starting today, you can burn burn extra calories, decrease body fat and get fit by walking on most days of the week. All you need to do is choose one of two routines that suit your fitness level.

Each routine is progressive. The easier routine is designed for new walkers. The more challenging routine is designed for regular walkers. But both routines add a little more walking minutes and exercise effort with each consecutive week.

To get started, you’ll start walking for short periods and practice moving at fluctuating intensities. If you use a pedometer, figure out how many steps you normally take on an average day.

Each day you’ll be given a routine that is broken into a series of slower and faster segments. These intervals will help keep it interesting and help to challenge your body in different ways.

Each week, the walking routines will get a little more difficult. Don’t worry, though, you can always backtrack and follow the routines from previous weeks if you feel like you’re not ready to up the ante.

By the way, if you’re not a walker and prefer cardio machines instead, you still can follow this plan. Simply stick to the number of designated minutes each day and work at the recommended intensities.

These walks will complement the diet that you will be following. Ideally, you’ll be aiming to burn around 500 calories per day from these workouts. In reality, if you are a new walker or out of shape, you may burn fewer because you’ll need to take it easier until you build up a solid foundation of fitness. But that’s OK, you’ll still get the benefits from walking. Every single step adds up to a little bit more fat being sucked out of fat cells from all over your body.

Get ready to walk your fat off!

Treadmill, Trail, Track or Sidewalk?

You may have a treadmill at home, or belong to a gym. Or you may have a walk-friendly neighborhood. Or you may have a local school with a great track that the public can use. Or you may have parks or rural hiking areas nearby. You can follow the Walk-Your-Fat-Off Plan using any or all of the above.

Each day, your walking prescription will be given in both minutes and steps. So no matter where you are walking, you can measure your workout and meet the requirements. As well as meeting the requisite amount of minutes or steps each day, you’ll be given intensities at which to walk. You can program a treadmill to speed up—from, say, 2.5 miles per hour up to 5.0 miles per hour— or slow down, or add an incline from, say, 1 percent to 10 percent, to manipulate your intensity. When you are walking anywhere else, you will have to use your own perception of your effort. Generally you should keep up a pace that feels like a brisk walk. You should move with strong steps and pump your arms to help propel your body forward. Your intensity should feel to you as if you are working “somewhat hard.” If it feels “easy,” then chances are you’ve slowed down too much. If it feels “hard,” you may be working at a higher intensity than you can sustain.

But some of the walking routines you will follow each week will include some harder intervals where you’ll speed up, do a few seconds of jogging, or stepping on a step. These should feel “hard.” They will generally be followed by an “easy” interval so that you can catch your breath.

Even if you are overweight and unfit, you can include these harder intervals. Just keep in mind that intensity is all relative. So, for you, a brisk walk may feel very hard indeed. A fit, regular walker may need to jog for 10 seconds to boost intensity. No matter where you are on the fitness spectrum, if you are moving, you are doing well. And if you huff and puff just a tiny bit on your walks, then you’re giving your body a stimulating challenge.

Which Routine Should You Follow?

Just Starting: Follow this routine if you are well enough to walk and have performed some occasional walking in shopping malls or walking your dog in the past six months. Remember, if at any time you find the walking workouts too fatiguing, do not progress to the next week’s routine, simply repeat the week you’re on or scale back to an earlier one. Progress once you get stronger.

If you are seriously overweight, have joint problems and find walking difficult or painful, you can still follow this routine on a stationary or recumbent cycle or by swimming. Simply follow the recommended minutes of movement for each day.

This routine is very basic. It will help you develop a foundation of fitness so that you are fit enough to push yourself on future walks. Each week you will progress to walking a little more and a little harder. Every workout will burn a sizeable chunk of calories and contribute to your fat loss. The aim is to walk at least 30 minutes per day and start working toward longer periods.

Regular Walker: Follow this routine each week if you already incorporate regular exercise walking into your week. Modify the length and intensity of the workouts to suit your personal needs.

This routine is more intense. Since you are a regular walker, these workouts will push you to walk harder and longer so that you can incinerate as many calories as possible. The aim is to meet the 60- to 90-minute per day physical activity recommended for weight control. But, as with the Just Starters, if any day or week is too vigorous for you, back up to an earlier week or routine and do not progress until you feel fit enough to do so.

Gauging Your Intensity

How many calories you burn during a walk and how much of a cardiovascular challenge you get depends upon your walking intensity. The harder you walk, the higher your intensity. There are several ways to rev up a walk: Walk faster, walk up hills, walk on rough terrain (sand instead of a sidewalk, for example), walk against the wind, or insert short jogging intervals. If you have a treadmill, you’ll find it easier to tweak your walks to elevate and lower your intensity. If you are just walking outside, you’ll have to get a little creative. Walking faster or slower is the first way to change modes. But you’ll need to find other ways to challenge yourself: Step up and down off a low bench; break into a short, easy jog; do a few jumping jacks; walk up and down a flight of steps; and so on.

During each walk you’ll be instructed to walk for a certain amount of time at a specific pace. Aim for the suggested pace by gauging your sensations of effort. See the chart below to become familiar with the five intensity levels you’ll use.

Your Walking Pace	How You Feel
Warm-Up	This will feel “easy,” a light stroll that starts slow and gets increasingly faster. May last five to 15 minutes.
Revved Pace	You’re pushing a little harder than normal and walking at a brisk pace, feels “somewhat hard.”
Race Pace	You’re pumping your arms and legs vigorously to pick up speed. You're feeling challenged now, you’re huffing and the intensity feels like it’s “getting harder.”
Roarin’ Pace	Whether you are speed walking, jogging or going uphill, your body is feeling the effort. You’re breathing faster and can’t maintain this intensity for long. It feels “very hard.” (Don’t worry, these intervals will be short!)
Recovery	Rather than slam the brakes on your fast-beating heart, this pace will help you come to a smooth, pleasant stop. This is a stroll that goes from quicker to slower gradually, until you feel like are no longer breathing quickly. May last five to 15 minutes.

Modify to Suit You

Each week’s workout routine is meant to be a general guideline. If you are too tired or not fit enough to do the recommended amount or intensity of walking, you must modify the routine to accommodate what you can do on that particular day. Slow down or cut shorten the workout if you need to. At any point, if you feel dizzy or have pain, slow down or stop. Get permission from a doctor if you are not used to walking or have any medical conditions that require special attention.

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