Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Walking for Weight Loss: Walking with a Purpose

Walking for Weight Loss: Walking with a Purpose

I wrote this article back in the late fall when I was struggling with weight loss motivation. Since January I have embarked on a serious weight loss journey and I have lost 37 1/2 pounds. "Walking with a purpose" was the first step in making exercise a regular routine in my life.

Let me start off by telling you: my purpose was walking for weight loss. For all of you goal oriented people out there, you might be thinking, "Ok, she has a goal, what's the problem?just do it! I enjoy walking very much but I do have to admit that sometimes "life" gets in the way and I don't "just do it". I manage to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why I can't fit a walk into my schedule on any given day. I must admit I don't like this trait but I wasn't able to find a way to break the cycle, even though I knew that walking for weight loss was the key.

I thought that maybe if I didn't concentrate so hard on losing weight but instead focused on the other benefits of walking I might be encouraged to take my walks on a more regular basis, thus increasing my weight loss motivation. On a long walk one day I started to think of my walks, my weight, and what the benefits of exercise are. I decided I would establish a purpose for walking other than losing weight. I decided there were probably thousands of reasons why a person could walk to include: physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, educational, philanthropic, and economic. (Just to name a few!) I started to focus on this concept and it has really worked for me.

We are all different so my purposes might be very different than what would work for you. But once you understand the concept of doing something for a purpose I am hoping it will help to motivate you too.

This is how it works:

Each time you want to take a walk, think about the purpose. The purpose can be extremely simple or complex; it can focus on only you or it can involve others. The important thing is that it encourages you to continue. Sometimes my purpose is downright silly but it motivates me; and deep inside I know if I keep walking, I will ultimately achieve my original goal.

Purpose:

*Collect trash?make your community a nicer place to live.

*Collect cans to recycle...do something good for the environment and put money in your pocket too!

*Listen to music from when you were in college...focus on memories

*Watch and admire nature?how much wildlife can you see in a given time?

*Connect with people?say hello to at least 10 people on your walk?more is even better!

*Think?pick a subject and focus on it for the entire walk.

*Walk to places you might usually drive to?saves gas money!

*Admire the yards in the neighborhood?make a mental note of things you want to remember to do in your own yard.

*Look at holiday displays

*Collect objects from nature to use in arrangements/decorations for your home (one of my favorite purposes for walking)

*Participate in a walking event?earn money for charity

*Devise a "mental game plan"?.for the day, week, or upcoming month.

*Take the dog with you?he needs exercise

*Take the kids or spouse with you?.yup, they need exercise too but more importantly...it is a wonderful way to spend time with your family.

*Discover a new walking trail or path...adventure!

*Listen to a self-help tape?learn something new about yourself.

*Walk at a faster pace?complete the "old boring walk" in record time.

*Take scenic pictures?be artistic

*Walk in the snow?look at the beauty around you.

*Walk in the rain?feel like a kid again by splashing in a few puddles.

*Go to the store?buy what you need and carry it home.

I think you get the idea. Walking with a purpose is highly motivating because it really makes you think and come up with creative ideas prior to hitting the trail. When I walk with a purpose it seems to take the stress off of me when I start to think I can't possibly ever reach my weight loss goal. "Walking with a purpose" encourages me to walk more often and I will let you know when I do reach my goal!

If you too are having a hard time losing weight and staying motivated, give "walking with a purpose" a try! Your weight loss motivation will skyrocket!

Visit me for information on walking for weight loss and other weight loss tips or stop by walking for weight loss to see how I have lost weight and stayed motivated.

high-end home cleaning Morton Grove ..

In The News:

Aigen's Element robot uses solar power and AI to provide farmers with a sustainable alternative to herbicides, working efficiently in cotton and soy fields.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Cybercriminals accessed Medicare data of more than 100,000 Americans by creating fraudulent accounts, prompting CMS to deactivate accounts and issue new Medicare cards.

China's battery swap technology from CATL lets electric vehicle owners exchange batteries in under two minutes, with plans to expand to 1,000 stations across 31 Chinese cities by 2025.

Analysts at Silent Push have uncovered a widespread scam that uses counterfeit retail websites to steal the credit card information of online shoppers.

Chrome users need to update their browsers immediately as Google addresses a critical vulnerability that hackers are actively exploiting. Additional security measures are recommended.

A study found teens glance at phones for dangerous two-second intervals while driving, using devices primarily for entertainment, texting and navigation despite crash risks.

Security researchers uncovered a flaw in Windows 11 that allows attackers to disable Secure Boot using Microsoft-signed tools, requiring manual updates to protect against bootkits.

Carnegie Mellon's noninvasive brain technology allows users to move robotic fingers by thinking about the motion, offering new possibilities for people with motor impairments.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. Instead of relying only on a password, MFA requires you to verify your identity using two or more methods.

Scientists from Duke, Harvard, and the University of Otago have unveiled a game-changing tool called DunedinPACNI. It uses a single AI brain scan to reveal how fast a person is biologically aging.

A disturbing wave of fake agent phone scams is sweeping across the United States, catching people off guard and draining their savings.

Emojis aren't just playful add-ons; they're powerful tools for building stronger connections in our increasingly digital world.

Google has taken a major step toward the future of clean energy by partnering with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors.

If you create and share art online, you might have seen messages warning that Facebook's parent company, Meta, claims the right to use or even sell anything you post, whether it's pictures, poems, or artwork.

Cybercriminals hit Qantas in a major data breach that exposed information from up to six million customers.

Having reliable, loud, and timely emergency alerts on your phone or device is important because when severe weather strikes, every second counts.

Here's how your daily brew is becoming the foundation for greener buildings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are transforming how we learn. But what does this mean for AI and learning retention?

Modern AI data centers use much more electricity than traditional cloud servers. In many cases, the existing power grid cannot keep up. One innovative solution is gaining traction: repurposed EV batteries for AI data centers.

Microsoft 365 and Outlook users are being targeted by a tactic that injects fake billing alerts directly into their calendars.

Researchers are now showing us that old smartphones as data centers could be the next big thing in sustainable tech.

Scientists have created micro-robots for sinus infection treatment that can enter the nasal cavity, eliminate bacteria directly at the source, and exit without harming surrounding tissue.

Let's examine how your data is collected in everyday life, who is buying and selling it, what happens to it afterward, and, most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation.