At my highest weight in my 20's I was 300 lbs. For years I hovered between 150 & 170 until I tore a disc in my spine & became almost completely sedentary. Last year, at age 44 and 210 lbs I underwent a spinal fusion. The doc advised sitting was the worst thing for my spine & to heal quickly, relieve pain, & prevent future problems, walk. It was as simple as that. 2 days after surgery I walked the hospital halls. Once home I began walking my dog 10 minute a day & worked up to 1/2 hour walks. They were fun, relaxing, and energizing. About a month after I began walking my husband commented on my butt and thighs, they were getting firmer and smaller. I jumped on the scale & was 195 lbs. Wow, here I'd been walking to heal & never realized how quickly I could firm up & loose fat just by walking. I was at 173 when I took a part-time job sitting 5 hours a day and stopped walking for a few months. Immediately my body complained and began to show signs of none use. I grabbed the leash and the neglected dog and off we went.

I share this with everyone because if there's nothing else you do for yourself, walk. It does miracles for so many parts of your body and it took major surgery for me to understand that.

Take care of your body and it will take care of you.

By the way, I now work out at a gym 3 days a week as well as walking 2-4 days a week & I'm beginning to find strength and stamina I thought I'd lost with youth. I figure I do so much for everyone else, I can fit in a 30-45 minute workout or walk for myself. Everyone's learned that's my time & they can't sabotage it.

So I say....get out there & move that body!

It's really encourageing to hear this from someone like yourself who's not only had a weight problem but medical issues to contend with too. For years I've hardly done any exercise ... never seem to have the motivation ... basically I'm just lazy! My husband, who's very fit, is constantly telling me to get out there and start walking. He frequently goes out walking ... just this morning he's gone on a 5-6 hour hike. I'd love to be able to join him but I'm so unfit that it's simply not possible ... walking the dog for 20-30mins at a slow pace is about all I can manage right now.

I remember saying the exact same thing this time last year, that I'd love to be able to join him. It was my intention to start walking regularly and build up my fitness ... but 12 months later I'm still in exactly the same position ... I guess that I never really believed that it was possible for me to get fit, tone up and lose weight by walking regularly (and dieting of course!).

Anyway, after reading your post, it's made me realise that walking regularly does help. I'm not going to waste any more years ... I'll be 44 this year and I feel like I've already wasted so many years being fat and unfit. 2006 is going to be the year that I turn my life around!

Thanks again!

Nichola

Amen! All along walking has been my main form of activity. It's highly under-rated. Thanks for bringing it to our attention again.

I love walking and hiking too. There's an exercise poll posted this morning which I did NOT take because.....walking wasn't listed as an option for which exercise helps you tone the most.

This sounds great, but I've heard that your body can get used to walking; i.e. you have to change up your routine in order to keep burning fat. Do any of you jog while walking? I get awful shin splints, no mattter how much I stretch.

Oh yes, once in a while I think it would be great to be a jogger. I run for a bit and then walk again.
As for shin splints. I get them too. Not so badly now as when I started. I tried new shoes, changing speeds, warm compresses and I occassionally use ibuprofen.

Thanks for that encouraging post. I'm getting the buggy out and taking my son for a walk to the shops

Pushing a buggy is even better! Uses more calories!

I have gone from a tight size 18 to a comfortable size 14 since November 19, 2005! So that's about six weeks - all I have done is cut out drinking soda, cut back on my eating some, and walk about 4 miles a day!

Gosh that's amazing....Well done!

I've had problems with shin splints on and off for 30 years. Almost without fail they show up when I increase my exercise time too fast. It can be SO frustrating when aerobically, and mentally (and shoot--physically too except for those shins) I feel like walking and doing more. But...veeeeery slow and gradual build-ups (which means holding back!) if you have a shin splint history will usually help prevent them.

Another thing to watch out for with shin splints is walking on pavement with a berm (where the pavement curves from the center high down to where it ends on each side). Runners and walkers should be aware that routinely using a bermed edge can lead to a variety of problems because you will be extending one leg (the outside one) more than the other.

So...my two cents for increasing the challenge with walking--get off the pavement when you can and HIKE! Even if it's just short dirt trails, you actually use more core muscles to balance your body when you're walking an uneven kind of dirt trail than on pavement. For me, it's just a huge mental difference too--whenever possible (which sometimes means WHEN IT STOPS RAINING here in the NW!) I'd much rather do a couple hours on a trail than 1 hour on a treadmill It's funny, but I NEVER see deer when I'm on the treadmill LOL

icmethinner, that really is amazing! Such great results in such a short space of time, well done!! Hearing things like this really does help to motivate me, keep up the good work. I hope the same happens to me!!