Alice in weight loss wonderlan
Our columnist, Alice Dogruyol, shares her personal health story and how for most of her life she’s been trying to lose weight. This month, as part of our walking special section, she looks at how walking can play a role in weight loss.
WHEN IT COMES TO exercise, I’ll have bursts of enthusiasm and selfdiscipline that usually last for a few weeks or months and then life takes over and I inevitably fall out of the routine and fall back into my sedentary desk-bound lifestyle. But, when I do decide that it is time to get back into exercising, walking is always my first step. It is free, it is gentle, it can be really enjoyable and I always feel better for doing it. It is widely accepted that there is no better elixir for metabolic health than being active, but finding the motivation, energy and time to take 10,000 steps a day can be really challenging. If you commute to work, pop out for lunch and dash around attending meetings all day, then 10,000 steps a day becomes more achievable. If you work from home, 10,000 steps can feel out of reach
Thankfully, there is mounting evidence to support that even a modest number of steps a day is related to lower mortality rates. A 2019 study carried out by Brigham and Women’s Hospital found older women who took 4,400 steps per day had lower mortality than those taking 2,700; risk of death continued to decrease with more steps up to 7,500 per day before levelling off. The positive effects of walking on cardiovascular health is well documented, but to drop fat you need to do other things alongside your walking.
A GOOD MOOD BOOST
Walking definitely improves my mood and doesn’t make me as tired, which means I’m less hungry and less likely to overeat. The benefits of decreasing sedentary time have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. To help get motivated, I find that walking with a friend is really helpful. You talk so much you forget how far you have walked. I used to go out with my dad for a long walk every Sunday morning and once saw Dame Darcey Bussell. She was walking with poise and purpose, circling and stretching her arms as she stepped. Ever since then I have always tried to walk with better posture.
HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES
The joy of walking in nature seems to have a positive weight-loss effect, as what I find is that, if I have had a nice morning walk with a friend, it puts me in a good frame of mind and makes me far less likely to eat an unhealthy breakfast. A study carried out by researcher Dr Larissa Ledochowski and colleagues from the University of Innsbruck revealed that 15 minutes of brisk walking reduced urges for sugary snacks in overweight people, so every time you have t
