Losing weight can be difficult for many, but those who are significantly overweight and lead an inactive lifestyle may find it even more difficult. While diet improvements can lead to weightlossIncreasing the amount of exercise you get can also contribute to a healthier lifestyle overall. Christine Barnett weighed 21 stones and 13 pounds in August 2020. But when she now steps on the scales, 11 stones and seven pounds stares back at her. So how did she lose more than 10 stones in 18 months? She started to walk.
Walking is one of the most underrated forms of cardiovascular exercise.
To add to this, when you take a four-legged friend with you, you’re not only spending quality time with your pup, but reconnecting with nature can also improve your mental health.
Walking has also been shown to be the most effective form of exercise to help you strengthen your bones and prevent various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
And having to take her Cavapoo, two-year-old Goldie, for a daily walk boosted Christine’s weight loss.
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Christine explained her previous relationship with her weight: “I have struggled with my weight all my life since I was a teenager. I never had a healthy relationship with food, often eating out of comfort or eating out of boredom.
“I have tried every diet known to man with no success in the past.
“He was very introverted with low confidence and a lack of self-esteem. He hated buying clothes because I didn’t like what he saw when he looked at me in the mirror, [so I] often avoiding shopping for clothes.
“At the age of 38, I had type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.”
She continued: “We bought a dog in November 2019 and I noticed that on smaller walks I was short of breath.
“At first I found getting out and walking a couple of miles really challenging, but my wonderful Cavapoo, Goldie, encouraged me to get out there as I need to walk with her every day.”
Christine was then introduced to exante by a colleague who had lost eight stones.
Ex ante is a UK-based lifestyle brand that offers a range of health and wellness products including meals and meal plans, bars, shakes and snacks.
After this, Christine said: “I made the decision that I needed to be fitter and healthier for myself and my family.”
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As for the plan she followed, Christine revealed: “I initially started with 800 calories a day. Tendency to have a breakfast item such as porridge, pancakes, or chocolate puffs in one morning.
“For lunch I would have a smoothie, a bar, or a savory meal like Pot Dahl or Bolognese.
“My favorite shakes are the mocha frappe and the coconut milk latte or the lemon cheesecake, and the favorite bars are the lemon cheesecake or the strawberry bar.
“I would have a healthy 200 calorie dinner with my family and at 8 pm I would have another bar or shake.
“I made sure to drink a lot during the day and never feel hungry,” he added.
As for the results Christine hoped to achieve, she said, “I never really set a goal in the beginning, but just took each stone at a time.”
Christine combined her diet with more exercise: “In the beginning, the walks [with Goldie] they were quite challenging, but I built the confidence to keep pushing myself to walk more while my wonderful pup was by my side to motivate me.
“As the [weight] slow Loss, [and] as I got closer to my healthy weight and exercised more, I increased my calories to 1200 [a day].”
To encourage more Britons to take regular walks, Exante spoke to fitness trainer and qualified online personal trainer Charlotte Lockett about the importance of exercising every day and how walking can contribute to fat loss.
Charlotte said: “Walking is a great form of cardiovascular exercise because it can be done at any time of the day or night without the need for special equipment. All you really need is a good pair of shoes.
“Walking improves your cardiovascular system, which means it makes your heart pump harder and faster, moving oxygen-rich blood more efficiently to all the muscles, organs, and tissues throughout your body.
“Not only that, but it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and helps control blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and regulates blood pressure.
“It’s particularly helpful for those recovering from injuries or have weakened joints, as it’s much less impactful than running or high-intensity cardio.
“Taking your dog for a walk every day is a great way to build stronger bones and muscles, as it keeps him active and helps with recovery between workouts, and being outside in the fresh air increases brain function, helps improve your balance and coordination, and also reduces anxiety.
“It’s a great way to reflect and unwind from the worries and stresses of daily life,” he added.
As for how many calories you might burn on average walking the dog, Charlotte said: “This will vary wildly depending on the individual, the speed of the walk, and the amount of time you walk.
“Depending on the pace and biomechanics of the walker, an hour of walking can burn between 210 and 360 calories.”
About former before
Exante is a UK based lifestyle brand offering a range of health and wellness products including meals and meal plans, bars, shakes and snacks.
The company was created in 2010 to help people around the world achieve their nutrition goals, starting their journey to a new and more convenient lifestyle for themselves.
Whether a person’s goal is to lose or maintain their weight, or to better manage their type 2 diabetes diagnosis, exante offers a wide range of products that can help.
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