So, you’ve decided it’s the best time you begin losing a little weight, and that working out frequently would be a good place to start. If you haven’t worked out for some time, or never, you may not know how to get going. It probably seems somewhat intimidating. But there is nothing to worry about, there’s an easy way to get back into exercise: walking! You need to make walking an integral part of your workout program.

There are plenty of ways to fit walking into your day-to-day agenda. If you own a dog then take your dog for a walk around the block for a minimum of ten minutes. 10 minutes may not be a long time to walk, but in a month, or even a week, it adds up quickly. You can double this by just walking your dog once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Another thing you might want to try is walking part of the way to work; you can make this as long as you want by just stopping short of your workplace. Evidently, if you live a two hour walk from, your workplace, it’s not such a great idea to walk all the way there daily (but feel free to try if you think you can do it!) Of course, you are going to have to walk back at the end of your work day, too, so that doubles the time you work out – which is terrific! But then, if you use public transport to go to work, just use a bus stop farther away than the one you usually use. Adding more walking into your day-to-day routine is a cinch.

Walking is one of the least complicated and most effective things you can do for better health. The reason is that walking is one of the most efficacious aerobic exercises. This means it’s not just good for your heart, but you’ll experience weight loss as well. You don’t have to worry about overworking your joints or muscles like when running, because you can walk as slowly as you must. My brother is really thin (but he eats a lot of junk food) and I asked him how he stays thin. He says he’s never really thought about it, but perhaps it’s because he walks quite a bit every day. It all added up when he told me that. Walking is simple exercise, so you should find no reason to not bother.

The moment you establish walking as a part of your daily activities, it will become more effortless to stay with it, and as a bonus you’ll begin to notice you’re losing some pounds, too. By walking you’ll also feel better and you won’t be bored by it since it’s not exhausting at all, which will make you feel more motivated. The more often you walk, the more you’ll want to walk . . . and the more quickly you’ll want to walk. This is terrific; whenever you’re ready. Who knows? It could be that you’ll love walking so much that you decide you’re ready to step it up by jogging. After that, only the sky’s your limit.

Now you know the truth – there is absolutely no excuse to not get out there and start walking. You can always find time to walk around your office building, or the block. If not, get a gym membership and get on a treadmill. There are multiple ways to skin this exercise cat.