by PKMitchell

Created on: April 27, 2009

Fire up your metabolism and lose weight with the right walking plan. Walking is a simple, cost-effective way to get fit and lose weight, and is particularly helpful if your metabolism seems to have slowed down, as it does naturally with age. Walking will also help you rev up your metabolism if you have been on a diet or exercise plan to lose weight and feel as though you have hit the "wall" where you are no longer losing that unwanted weight.

When walking for exercise, most people will start off slowly and then keep the same pace for the duration of the walk, changing their pace only when it is time to cool off at the end of the walk. However, the most effective walking plan for firing up your metabolism is one that involves different levels of walking speed and intensity.

Your body is an amazing machine. It knows what you are doing and what you will need to accommodate your newfound activity level and provides just that for you. When you walk at the same speed for a certain amount of time every day, your body actually gets used to the amount of energy you're expending and will adjust your metabolism accordingly. Though it's great that the body can adjust very helpful in certain situations this ability is also the main cause of that "wall" you hit after you have been on an exercise program for a while.

Change your walking plan to fool your metabolism. You can still keep to your 30-minute walk or complete the 2-mile trail you enjoy so much, but try breaking up the pace in small intervals. In other words, either in terms of time or distance (it's helpful if that trail has quarter or half mile markers), walk at a moderate pace for a certain time or distance, then speed it up a bit. Slow back down for a while, and then speed up to a pace even faster than before. Change your pace about every five minutes or every quarter or half mile, whichever works best for your walking path. Start and end with moderate paces, to warm up and cool down appropriately.

When you implement this new walking plan, your body will be busy making adjustments and your metabolism will rev up to adjust for the changes. Remember, of course, to drink lots of water. You need to be hydrated both before and after your walk, particularly if your high intensity walking segments are quite fast, around 4 or 4.5 mph.

Combine your new walking plan with water, and a healthy eating plan and you will soon be able to bust through that "wall" and begin losing weight once again.

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