Bonnie (BONNIEBELLE2), who declined to share her starting weight, knew she was overweight and was ready to do something about it. So she started by putting one foot in front of the other with a walking program. Forty-two pounds later, she’s dropped inches and dress sizes but also improved her own self-esteem and self-confidence. She credits a consistent and variety-packed walking program for her success!
How did walking help you reach your goals? I lost 42 pounds in eight months as a SparkPeople member, and walking has been my main form of exercise. What other exercises did you do besides walking? I also did other things occasionally, like water aerobics, other DVDs, rebounding (on a mini trampoline), yoga, and strength training. But walking was really the core of my program. I am still working on it after being on a major plateau where I kept losing and gaining the same few pounds for a few months. Now, I’m changing my program a bit, doing more strength training and a little less cardio than I was doing before. How do you keep your walks fun and interesting? I did a variety of different types of walking, and I tried to challenge myself by increasing the pace, distance, or incline. The Leslie Sansone program (walking DVDs) involves basic walking, adds some other steps, and incorporates “walk boosters” like weighted balls, dumbbells, and resistance bands for variety. There are many different DVDs to choose from and it is a fun way to walk that does not depend on the weather. This is great for those people that don't feel comfortable exercising in public or on those cold or rainy days. I also walked in my neighborhood and tried to take a different route every now and then for variety. Sometimes I would go walk by the lake, sometimes I would walk hills, sometimes I would listen to music, walk my dog, walk with my husband, or just walk and spend some quiet time alone working out things in my head. On the treadmill I tried to vary my speed, incline, distance and time. I tried reading a book while on the treadmill but felt a little off balance with that, so I did better either listening to music or books on CD, or watching TV. Continued › |
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Fitness Articles › Focused Fitness''I Walked From a Size 14 to a Size 8''BONNIEBELLE2 Varied Her Walks to Reach Her Goals-- By SparkPeople Editorial Staff
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Member Comments
Way to go! Keep up the great work! - 5/1/2012 6:27:37 PM