Walk OFF Weight

Grab your sneakers they're all you need to get fit! Here are the secrets to success.

- KAITLYN PIRIE

Let's get out there.

There's a very effective slim-down tool that's available to most of us for free: walking. And that's good news, because losing weight can be hard. It it weren't, we wouldn't be inundated with ads for fad diets and "magic" supplements. More good news: Walking provides loads of health benefits even if you're not trying to slim down. Follow these tips from top fitness pros and you may lower your blood pressure, improve your glucose control, sleep better, and boost your mood in the process.

1 WALK EVERY DAY

"Consistency is key," says Michele Stanten, a certified fitness instructor and the author of several books including Walk Off Weight. She recommends daily jaunts: Do a fast walk one day, a moderate walk the next, and once a week a leisurely longer stroll. "Our bodies work differently when we're doing shorter, higher-intensity workouts versus longer, slower-paced, lower-intensity ones, and we really want to train our bodies in all those ways," Stanten explains. On moderate days, try wearing a weighted vest or adding a hill.

2 SNEAK IN TINY WALKS

"Even sporadic 10-minute nuggets of walking throughout the day are going to add up and help with weight loss," says Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D.N., a fitness expert and the author of several books about lowering risk of heart disease. In one study she worked on, everyone ate the same number of calories, but people who walked for 30 minutes every day lost just as much weight as those who walked for an hour every day. And both groups of walkers lost belly fat (a risk factor for heart disease), while the non-exercisers didn't. That means it's time to be creative: Go for a stroll while your kid is at basketball practice; do a lap around the parking lot if you arrive somewhere early; plan to walk during your weekly call with your sister.

3 TRY INTERVALS