If you've been looking for a better diet or weight loss strategy, simply adding walking to your daily exercise routine could be the fast track to success. That's what the authors of The Walking Diet suggest, encouraging people to make gradual lifestyle changes from a sedentary lifestyle to one that includes several sessions of aerobic activities. Exercising vigorously for 30 minutes per session just 3-4 times per week is all most people need, say authors Les Snowden and Maggie Humphreys, and walking is the ‘perfect' solution for many. Since walking as exercise does not require any expensive equipment, special clothing or fitness gear, it's an easy step towards better health.

Key Principles of The Walking Diet

The Walking Diet focuses on cultivating a ‘walking meditation' mindset, a warm-up exercise that helps you become grounded and in control of your breathing. This can take practice, but the goal is to build up a sense of self-awareness simply by taking focused and deliberate steps as you warm up the leg muscles and begin a workout. Other principles of The Walking Diet include:

• Sticking with a low-fat eating plan to maintain good health

• Setting small and achievable goals to complete the fitness routine

• Completing warm-up stretches to prepare core muscle groups for action

• Embark upon a 30-day walking program and then incorporate walking into the daily lifestyle after that

The authors encourage everyone to wear light and comfortable clothing, and do some light stretching before and after each session to keep muscles and joints healthy. Maintaining good form and posture alsp helps to keep the body healthy and strong, and can help prevent injury, muscle soreness and joint problems.

Health Benefits of Walking

The Walking Diet touches upon several health and wellness benefits of walking, and encourages people of all ages to add the exercise to their fitness routine. Not only can regular walking help maintain a healthy weight, but can also reduce the risk of many diseases. Walking has been linked to a reduced risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and even some forms of cancer. It is also a healthy way to reduce stress and achieve mental clarity; walking helps invigorate the mind and body, and fast-paced walking can elevate the heart rate to improve circulation. Other key benefits of walking regularly include:

• Lower blood pressure

• Reduced risk of having a stroke

• Protecting bone density and preserving muscle mass

• Improves self-esteem and overall well-being

• Increases energy levels

• Can promote deeper sleep

• Keeps bones and joints healthy

Bottom Line: The Walking Diet makes provides simple guidelines and instructions for beginning a walking program and incorporating healthy eating habits into the daily lifestyle. Since the book focuses on gradual, incremental changes, most people can succeed in completing the 30-day program and then sticking with the healthy habits after that. Increasing the frequency and intensity of walking sessions can help improve endurance and stamina over time, and can help many people lose weight, get in shape and improve their lifestyle without damaging their health.