What Is The Best Exercise To Lose Weight? It’s Simpler Than You Think

Time and time again I come across some mad program online that guarantees weightloss if you follow their crazy routine for x amount of weeks.

We have all seen it:

Lose 37lbs in just 6 weeks

etc. etc.

yeah right!

And when you stop? You know, after you have totally exhausted yourself, maybe done some damage to your joints, and eaten a crazy number of carbs as your energy levels hit rock bottom. After going crazy for an hour 6 days a week doing something you know in your heart you have absolutely no intention of ever doing again.

It sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Exercise Is The Worst Way To Try To Lose Weight

There is simply no doubt that the best way to lose weight is to clean up your diet, and eat less calories then you burn during a day.

We go into this in detail in the Lean Ape Living book, and although exercise should be a very important part of any weightloss plan, it is the diet that is the best way to lose weight sensibly.

Exercise is there to ensure that when you strip away the excess weight you actually look good.

And what this means is muscle.

Muscle needs to be built to have a body that is functional, looks good, and doesn’t result in you just looking unhealthy and probably “skinny fat” once you have lowered your bodyweight.

It means that resistance training should be done 2-3 times a week, and forever.

Myself and Alexis firmly believe that the only real way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply change your life permanently.

It means:

• Eat fewer carb based foods
• Focus on proteins, fats and vegetables for the most part
• Factoring in cheat days for our sanity
• Upping carbs after intense resistance training to build muscle
• and …………

GOING FOR A WALK 5 DAYS A WEEK

Walking To Lose Weight

So many people begin jogging, running, using a stepper, a rowing machine and a million different insane programs to lose weight. And the bottom line is that nearly everyone that gets involved in such activities, when the goal for doing them is weightloss (not fun), gets disheartened and gives up relatively quickly.

Jogging a good few miles will burn calories for sure, but eat one extra biscuit during the day and all the hard work is undone. Such activities are simply not worth the effort if they are done for weightloss. If they are done for the cardiovascular benefit or enjoyment of the activity that is a different matter entirely.

But many people perform these types of programs to lose weight.

The results are usually less than optimal.

And most people hate it too!

Not to mention the wear and tear on the joints, the dread of the the next days routine, and the knowledge deep down inside that this is simply not sustainable long term. Those lines of people on running machines at the local Gym seem to change quite a lot don’t they? You don’t see the same people there year after year. Why? Because they don’t enjoy it, it is boring, and they don’t get the weightloss they wanted.

But Walking Is Different

Waking is not such an effort. Yet it is still going to burn near enough the same calories as if you jogged the distance. All you are doing is covering the distance more slowly and in a more sensible (and sustainable) fashion if you walk it.

And maybe, just maybe,  it is a lot less fun pounding your feet into the asphalt than it would be going for a walk somewhere nice?

The Lean Ape Walking Video

Here is our morning walk sped up 10 times. About half of it is up a steep incline, and it is relatively tiring. We do it Mon to Fri every week, and the difference in heart rate now, to when we first began, is very noticeable.

Calories Burned When Walking

The number of calories you burn when walking differs depending on how fast you go, and how rough the terrain is. But as a rough example you can burn about 400 calories if you go hiking for an hour. So our morning walk burns about 300 or so because of the hills. That would equate to losing a couple of pounds in excess weight every month.

And personally I think that as we walk fasted it actually equates to a little more than that.

So, do it for a year and you have lost 24 lbs, got healthier and fitter, and actually done something that is enjoyable as well. Can’t be bad can it?

Maximizing Fat Loss Through Walking

Things To Consider

What we have found, after trying a number of different ways to lose weight and look good naked, is that you simply have to change your life permanently. Short term fixes are just that, a short term solution to a problem that will return before you know it.

What we have found is that a lifestyle change that is permanent, and one that you do not mind doing, is the only solution.

It means:

a) cutting out the crap for the most part. i.e minimal processed foods

b) No more snacking. We eat filling meals that mean snacking is not considered

c) Allowing yourself to go off the rails once a week so you can eat mostly clean for the rest of the week

d) Eating less carbohydrate based foods such as rice, potatoes and pasta, apart from on training days

e) Participating in exercise that we actually enjoy

How To Implement This

Resistance training either through bodyweight movements or training with weights is absolutely crucial to transforming your body.

Not only does building muscle allow you to burn extra calories just by being alive: the training is a great way in itself of burning calories. Both during and after the exercise as your metabolism is boosted.

Building muscle is a very slow process, we are by no means very muscular, but we are very different to how we used to be, and are a lot stronger. We also feel a million times better too.

But we also want strong and healthy hearts, and we want a way to do daily exercise that keeps us slim and fit too.

And this means going for a walk.

Everyone can do this, it is not hard.

Everyone can set their own pace, and begin to make their walks harder as they get fitter and leaner. We can walk faster, decide to walk up more hills, and extend the time we walk for.

Here are my top tips for making the most out of going for a walk to get healthier and lose weight through walking too.

1. Make it a part of your daily routine. Make it just as much a part of your life as brushing your teeth. Make sure that at least every other day, or preferably 5 days a week you go for a walk.
2. Make it fun. Don’t struggle and strain on difficult terrain if it half  kills you. Make your walk enjoyable. Go at a steady pace that is right for you at the moment. The leaner you are, and the more you practice your walking, the faster you will go and the more hills you can walk up without it half killing you.
3. Walk somewhere nice. Try to get out and about somewhere where the scenery is enjoyable. It will make you much more inclined to pursue this kind of exercise on a daily basis.
4. Get a Dog. There are no excuses if you get a Dog. They need exercise at least twice a day so you don’t really have a choice in the matter.
5. Gradually increase the time you walk for. We now walk for 45 minutes every morning. And we walk faster than we used too as well. Half of it is up a fairly steep incline, and it makes all the difference in the world. The more intense the exercise the more calories you burn, both during and after you finish too.
6. Get a walking partner. Goals are always easier to achieve if someone has your back. So try to find someone that is as motivated as you, and join up with them every morning to go for your daily constitutional.
7. Skip breakfast. Known as Intermittent Fasting, this is the number one way you can maximize exercise as a way of losing weight. By not eating in the a.m. your body is primed in terms of the opportunity to burn fat for fuel. No food means that your body has to find fuel from somewhere, and it will turn to fat deposits to do this (especially if you are also doing resistance training to maintain or build muscle mass). If you go for a nice walk in the fasted state then you give your metabolism a boost and make your body work even harder. And the result is amazing fat loss in a very short period of time. Combine this with an overall calorie deficit and you have the magic weightloss pill so many dream of.
8. If you eat in the moring then eat protein only, and only after your walk. Get the benefit of walking for fat loss by doing it before any calories get into your body. But by far the best option is to wait at least a few hours after walking before you eat anything at all.
9. Embrace the weather. If it is raining or sunny learn to embrace it. What is the worst that can happen? You get wet or you get a little cold? It is all good for the soul. We are meant to spend our time out of doors, not locked up in artificial environments. Learn to love all kinds of weather.
10. Be grateful. Learn to love the weather and the chance to be outside doing something fun and healthy at the same time. Smile at the joggers, wave at the Cats, and feel happy that you are able to participate in such activities. Feel proud that you are doing something positive, and are improving your health and losing weight on a daily basis. And be thankful that you are able to actually do something about it; many people are much worse off and the last thing they have to worry about is losing weight, they are more concerned about finding a job or enough to stop them starving.

Wrapping It Up

We should all perform exercise that we enjoy. If you love jogging and cycling then do it. If you really don’t want to perform such activities then remember that exercise is absolutely not the best way to lose weight.

Diet will allow you to lose as much weight as you want. As long as you stick to it. It is why we came up with our lean Ape Living book. To allow people to maximize weightloss and muscle gain so they look hot, without it being a major chore. It takes an hour or so a week tops for the training.

And if you can add in walking on a daily basis you have just about the perfect plan for getting lean and, more importantly, staying that way for the rest of your life.

But please bear in mind that any exercise to lose weight is minimal in comparison to cleaning up your diet. A long walk is ruined if you eat half a burger, a rich drink from the local coffee shop, or a chocolate bar or a bag of chips. Diet is all important, so ensure that this is a priority if weightloss is your goal. Then the walking really pays off as a boost, as long as you don’t ruin it by having extra calories when you finish your morning constitutional.