It's the simplest, most natural form of exercise imaginable. In fact, if your legs work, you're already doing it. You walk to your car, you walk through your house, at work, when you go shopping, and so forth. It doesn't require a gym membership or any equipment, you can do it indoors or out, with other people or without, and at your own pace.

Walking can be meditative and mentally and emotionally beneficial.

Research shows that many people who have lost weight have successfully kept it off by including a daily walk of about 1 hour per day. But the great thing is that it is incredibly easy to get started, and you can gradually work your way up to longer and longer walks.

Insulin and Blood Sugar Benefits of Walking

Boost Insulin Sensitivity

Walking is a great activity for boosting insulin sensitivity. All you need is a short walk (ideally 20 minutes) and your insulin sensitivity improves for at least the next 24 hours. Some studies show the effects up to 48 hours after a 20-30 minute walking session. That's an amazing benefit for such a simple thing. You'll need to walk at least every other day if not every day. Otherwise your body goes back to being insulin resistant again.

A Short Walk After Meals for Blood Sugar Control

This is a simple way to reduce post-meal blood sugar. A study done at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in 2013 showed that the muscle contractions that occur during a walk were effective at blunting the potentially damaging elevations in post-meal blood sugar. In fact, the blood-sugar lowering effect happens immediately after starting a walk. They discovered that walking for just 15 minutes after each meal was as effective as a 45 minute walk in later in the day (so you could do either one). This is particularly important for older people who typically have greater blood sugar problems.

Getting Started

You don't have to do it all in one outing -- all the steps you take during the day count. Or you can break up a formal walk into 5 or 10 minute increments or even smaller is fine. It's the total amount that counts. For that reason, it's a great idea to use a pedometer to keep track of your steps, and then record those steps in your journal.

One good goal to work up to is around 10,000 steps per day (which is roughly 4 - 5 miles depending on your pace).

Remember, though ... start small! You want to avoid the #1 Exercise Mistake!

Figure out what you can do now, even if it's just walking around the block, or even around your house. Then gradually add steps every week. You could aim to add an additional 150 steps each day, or 1000 steps every week. That works out to be roughly 7 - 10 minutes or about 1/2 mile. It's okay to stay at a certain level until it starts feeling more easy -- then it's time to add more.

Make it a daily habit -- it's often ideal to do it at the same time day, such as first thing in the morning. Walking is something you can (and should) do no matter what other future exercise you may choose to do. And, when you reach a certain point you may consider the "walk-run" method to gradually break into the joy of running.

To summarize:

Walking is a proven way to keep weight from returning
Almost everyone can do it
Start small, wherever you are -- and gradually increase your steps (distance)
Use a pedometer to track steps
Make it a daily habit

Ways to add steps:

Walk around while talking on the phone
Play with kids in the yard
Make family outings active (bike ride, walk in the park)
If your kids play sports, walk around while watching or waiting
Park farther away instead of finding the closest spot
Get off the bus stop earlier and walk
Enter buildings at the farthest entrance
Use stairs instead of elevators or escalators
Walk to a friend's house instead of calling, emailing or texting
Walk to a colleague's desk instead of calling or emailing
Ask co-workers if they want to go on a walk
Walk instead of driving to errands
Walk instead of spending time on the computer or watching TV
Get up and move when commercials come on
Get up from your computer and take a 5-minute walk several times a day

You will be pleasantly surprised at how steps can accumulate, and each step burns far more calories than just sitting around.

How Burn More Calories In Less Time

After walking has become a part of your routine (and hopefully you're enjoying it!), you can increase your energy expenditure while spending less time ... simply by increasing the intensity a little.

Here are a few ways to do it:

Alternate slow and fast walking
Walk up and down hills instead of on flat terrain
Change your stride - making it shorter or longer than your natural stride works different muscles and your body works harder
Carry light hand or wrist weights and move your arms

Tips for Staying Motivated

Lay out your exercise clothing the night before
Play your favorite music while exercising
Avoid activities that suck you in and distract you, until you are done exercising