Nguyen Phuong
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How much should you walk each day to lose weight?
How much should you walk each day to lose weight? Many of us engage in sports, visit the gym, and try various diets, yet we often overlook the effectiveness of daily long walks in combating excess weight, as supported by numerous studies. Here are key guidelines to follow for walking to serve as a substitute for a complete workout routine. First, how to transform a walk into a workout. The primary factors that influence calorie burn during walking include the distance traveled, your walking speed, and your body weight. For optimal results, maintain a consistent schedule and consider using a pedometer. This device will track your daily steps. If you cover a significant distance without seeing weight loss, the pedometer can indicate how many additional steps you should take. However, avoid overexertion; begin at a slow pace and gradually increase it each day. Second, how many steps should you aim for daily to promote weight loss? Remember that results vary based on individual characteristics, lifestyle, dietary habits, and health status. It’s essential to monitor your calorie intake closely. Avoid following a friend's routine, even if you exercise together; each person is unique and requires a personalized plan. A rough estimate for your own schedule is as follows: 100 calories equals 2,000 steps or 1 mile; losing 2 pounds requires about 140,000 steps, which equals 7,000 calories or 70 miles. Here are some straightforward ways to extend your walking time: reduce driving or bus usage, listen to your favorite music or radio during walks to combat boredom, and walk your children to and from school. You can also explore parks on your way home or vary your usual routes. Try to avoid elevators and escalators for at least a month, and take longer walks with your dog, benefiting both your health and theirs. By adhering to these simple rules daily, you can expect to see results within a month. To enhance your walking experience, consider walking with a friend, listening to music or audiobooks, and exploring new areas. In winter, maintain your routine indoors using a treadmill while watching movies or TV shows. Third, how to walk correctly. Your stride length may vary; to determine it, measure a distance of 30 to 65 feet while counting your steps at your usual pace. A pace of fewer than 70 steps per minute offers minimal training benefit and is suitable for those recovering from heart issues. A pace of 71 to 90 steps per minute (2 to 2.5 miles per hour) is recommended for individuals with cardiovascular conditions. Walking at 91 to 100 steps per minute (2.5 to 3 miles per hour) provides a good workout for healthy individuals, while 111 to 130 steps per minute is an excellent exercise but challenging to sustain for long durations. Now, let’s review essential walking rules. First, begin with a light load, gradually increasing both duration and pace. Extend the length of your walks before increasing speed, ensuring the intensity is appropriate for your health. Second, walk regularly; a single walk each week won’t yield benefits. Aim for at least two to three walks weekly, at a convenient time, but not less than one to one and a half hours after eating. Third, consult your doctor for regular medical check-ups, ideally once or twice a year. Fourth, maintain good posture while walking. Keep your torso and shoulders straight and your stomach engaged. A slow walk over a short distance is ineffective, while walking too quickly for prolonged periods without preparation can be harmful. Monitor your pace and breathing to ensure comfort during your walks. If you walk regularly, does it improve your well-being? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Remember to like and subscribe for more insights.
By Nguyen Phuongabout a year ago in BookClub
The relationship between exercise and weight loss
The common belief is that to lose weight, one should join a gym on January 1st, exercise regularly, and eventually see results. However, research indicates otherwise. After reviewing over sixty studies, it appears that exercise is not very effective for weight loss. Dr. Kevin Hall from the National Institutes of Health has conducted significant research on the relationship between exercise and weight loss. It’s essential to redefine our understanding of exercise; while it is not primarily a weight loss method, it is incredibly beneficial for overall health—arguably the best thing to do for your well-being after quitting smoking. Exercise can certainly enhance the quality of life and longevity, but it should not be viewed as the primary means of shedding pounds. The fundamental issue relates to our bodies' energy usage. Many may be surprised to learn that physical activity represents a small portion of daily energy expenditure. There are three primary components to how our bodies burn calories: resting metabolism, the thermic effect of food, and physical activity. Resting metabolism accounts for the energy required for basic bodily functions, while the thermic effect of food refers to the energy needed to digest and process what we eat. Physical activity, which encompasses any movement, typically contributes only 10 to 30 percent of total energy expenditure. Thus, the majority of calories burned each day come from resting metabolism, which is largely beyond our control. In contrast, while we manage 100% of our caloric intake, we can only influence about 30% of our energy expenditure. One study indicated that a 200-pound man running for an hour four times a week for a month would lose around five pounds, assuming all other factors remained constant—which they rarely do. Research shows that as we increase our exercise levels, we often engage in various behavioral and physiological changes. For instance, exercise can increase appetite. Many people experience heightened hunger after workouts, leading them to consume larger portions than usual. Additionally, some individuals may become less active in other areas of their lives after exercising, opting for less strenuous choices like taking the elevator instead of the stairs. These are known as “compensatory behaviors,” which can unintentionally undermine the benefits of exercise. Moreover, a phenomenon known as metabolic compensation has been observed, where resting metabolism may decrease as individuals lose weight, resulting in lower energy expenditure while at rest. This means that the calorie-burning capacity of the body may diminish with weight loss. A notable 2012 study explored the energy expenditure of the Hadza, a group of active hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. Despite their physically demanding lifestyle, the Hadza did not burn significantly more calories daily than adults in the U.S. and Europe. This suggests that their energy expenditure from physical activity is compensated for elsewhere. Their secret to maintaining a slim figure lies in their dietary habits; they do not overeat. The calories burned through exercise can be quickly offset by food consumption. For example, it might require an hour of running to burn off a Big Mac and fries, or an hour of vigorous dancing to negate the calories from three glasses of wine. This illustrates why exercise should be considered a supportive element in a weight loss strategy that prioritizes dietary choices. Despite high obesity rates in the U.S., government bodies and companies promoting exercise continue to promote it as a primary solution, often to the detriment of addressing dietary issues. Since the 1920s, brands like Coca-Cola have linked themselves to exercise messaging, implying that consuming their products is acceptable as long as exercise accompanies it. However, the reality is that burning off the calories from sugary drinks is quite challenging. The obesity crisis in this country should not be attributed equally to low physical activity and high caloric intake. Public health initiatives should focus more on improving the food environment to facilitate better dietary choices. While it is possible to lose weight through exercise, it requires considerably more effort. If individuals engage in vigorous workouts and then consume high-calorie foods, it can negate the results of their hard work in just a few minutes. The disparity in effort versus outcome is significant, and many people do not fully grasp its implications.
By Nguyen Phuongabout a year ago in BookClub
If weight loss is the goal, the concept is simple: consume fewer calories and increase physical activity.
I am Dr. Mike Evans, and today I will discuss healthy eating. While eating may appear straightforward, it is a complex subject. If we were to sit down together in a clinic, I would start by asking what our goals are—weight loss, reducing overeating, healthy eating, or enhancing longevity. Keeping the big picture in mind, I'd emphasize that eating is just one part of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise supports better stress management and sleep, which in turn leads to healthier food choices, increased energy, and reduced chronic diseases. If weight loss is the goal, the concept is simple: consume fewer calories and increase physical activity. However, maintaining this energy balance in today’s world is challenging. In industrialized nations, we face an overwhelming availability of tempting, high-calorie foods at low prices. The other aspect of energy balance, physical activity, has also diminished, as our society deals with a significant amount of sedentary behavior due to television, long commutes, and video games. Many of us are now office workers, often opting for convenience over effort. It is essential to remember that eating is more than just nutrition; it strengthens family bonds, fosters community, and promotes health. A common question I receive is about the best diet for weight loss. This confusion is understandable, especially with constant advertisements for various diets, detoxes, and superfoods, along with celebrity endorsements. Research has not definitively shown that any single commercial diet outperforms others. The critical factor for success in weight loss trials is adherence to the chosen diet. Society tends to jump from one diet to the next in search of a quick fix, but it's the overall eating pattern that matters most. Rather than fixating on the specific makeup of a diet, scientific evidence suggests that you should select one that you enjoy and can sustain. A 2015 Cochrane meta-analysis found that successful weight loss diets were not determined by lower carbohydrate or fat intake, but rather by having a structured plan and receiving social support. Commercial diets often promote specific macronutrient ratios, such as low carb, high protein, or low fat, with various narratives to support them. My two main points regarding macronutrients are that we may overemphasize them and that food quality matters more than quantity. Carbohydrates can be nutritious in their complex forms—like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains—but less healthy in simple forms, such as added sugars and refined starches. Carbohydrates are generally enjoyable, leading to overeating, but studies have shown that people who restrict carbs tend to lose weight. A 2014 systematic review by Dr. Celeste Naud and colleagues found no significant difference in weight loss or cardiovascular markers between low-carb diets and balanced diets over two years. Now, regarding sugar, it can be characterized as sneaky, as it has infiltrated many foods, with the average American consuming about 20 teaspoons daily. While obvious sweets contribute to excess calories, healthy-sounding foods like cereals, granola bars, and fruit juices also contain high levels of sugar. When I diagnose patients with pre-diabetes, they often reduce sugar intake. However, diabetes prevention trials indicate that successful outcomes depend more on active lifestyles, weight loss, reduced saturated fat intake, and increased fiber consumption, leading to a 58% lower risk of diabetes progression. The narrative around fat has evolved from viewing all fats as unhealthy to understanding it as a spectrum. Trans fats found in fried foods and packaged goods are harmful and should be minimized. Saturated fats, present in dairy and red meat, are acceptable in moderation. Monounsaturated fats, common in the Mediterranean diet, include avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, which provide health benefits. Polyunsaturated fats, found in oily fish, have shown mixed results in trials but are still recommended for at least two servings per week. Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats appears beneficial. Finally, regarding high-protein diets, quality matters more than quantity. Protein can vary significantly in health impact, whether it comes from high-salt ham steaks, salmon, lentils, or nuts. Data suggest that healthier protein sources—such as white meat, nuts, beans, and fish—yield better health outcomes.
By Nguyen Phuongabout a year ago in BookClub
