Walking works because there are few excuses not to walk

Walking was the only exercise that I used to lose weight, and it work great for me. By walking an hour a day, 4-5 days a week, I was able to lose over 50 pounds (over several intervals) often without needing to restrict my caloric intake. After trying many other types of exercises (and gaining endurance), I still consider walking to be the best for me for weight loss.

Why walking works

- Walking works great for weight loss for many reasons, but the most important for me is that there are few excuses that you can make for yourself to skip walking on a particular day, so you are more likely to do it than any other exercise.

Walking is something you can do anytime, anywhere, no matter what you are wearing (I used to sometimes walk in high heels), and you can do it no matter how tired you are. Therefore, you can't give yourself excuses not to walk, and you are more likely to do it. There might be other more effective forms of exercise, but it is not the most effective exercise that matters, it is whatever exercise you will actually do.

Exercises such as running, weight training, or kickboxing might be very effective, but many people are unlikely to stick to them and do them regularly because they have too many deterrents. They often lead to discomfort and it is hard to motivate yourself to do them if you are tired.

- By walking, you are not likely to get exhausted or cramped the next day. That means that you will look forward to it knowing that it will be pleasant with no downside. Cramps deter you from exercising again until they subside. They also make you hungry. This sets you up for failure.

45 minutes of walking gives you all the benefits of exercise (endorphins, heart pumping, strengthening of essential muscles, etc.) without the potential side effects (cramps, fatigue, injuries, etc.)

- You are not likely to injure yourself when you walk. If you do exercises that cause injury every once and a while, that will mean that you will quit exercising until you recover from the injury.

- You can walk when you are stressed out, in pain or any other form of discomfort. You can do it when you have menstrual cramps, when you have a headache, when you are emotionally down, when you have a cold, when you have muscle cramps, etc.

Not only is it easy to do when you are in stressed out or in pain or discomfort, walking will also alleviate that stress, pain or discomfort, because of the endorphins (natural pain killers) that it releases. Because it is not likely to cause fatigue or cramps, it will not add to the already existing pain like other exercises might.

- You can walk after you have eaten a big meal, whereas doing other types of exercise can be difficult after eating. You can't give yourself an excuse not to walk, so the chances that you will do it are higher.

- You can pace it easily, increasing and decreasing the speed and intensity according to your energy level.

Exercise priorities

I still practice yoga, dancing, strength training, and jogging. Each one of them is important, but many of us cannot do them all. That is why it is necessary to set priorities.

All the other forms of exercise are beneficial in their own way. If you can do them all, that would be great. But if you can't, and your purpose is weight loss, I suggest walking.

Exercises ordered by importance

1- Walking: great for everything, but most importantly weight loss.

2- Dancing: great for your emotional health and happiness.

3- Yoga: great for your spiritual wellbeing and for cultivating awareness.

4- Jogging and ellipticals: They save time. Instead of walking an hour, you can jog for half and hour. But not everyone has that endurance and it takes time to gain it. Also, they are more likely to cause cramps.

5- Abdominal workouts: good for posture.

6- Strength training. It often strengthens non-essential muscles that you don't really need in your everyday life.

Exercise priorities for general health

These priorities apply not only to weight loss but general health as well. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. Heart attack is the number one killer. That is why I consider cardio workouts more important than strength training. Having strong triceps is good, but having weak triceps won't kill you.

Serendipity

I lost weight at first by walking at least an hour every day, 4 to 5 days a week. I did this out of necessity; it was the only exercise that I could do in Jordan at the time. There were no gyms for girls in Irbid and I couldn't run in the streets. All I could do is walk. But I'm glad I did. Walking turned out to be best form of exercise.

I must admit that I suffered a lot of harassments by walking in the streets of Jordan. This was the only annoyance that I had to endure. However, my walkman kept me occupied and I developed an ability to block myself off from negative surroundings.

During those long hours of walking, I listened to lectures that improved my Arabic and English language skills. I also listened to Quran recitations which I almost memorized.