My trick I guess was to get rid of my monthly metro pass. I now have to pay out of my pocket each and every time I want to take the bus. This has forced me to walk in some instances where I would have taken the bus. My rule of thumb is that I'll walk if it's within 30 minutes one way.
It also helps to have a dog...in the city...with no yard. I easily walk one or two hours a day because of the dog.
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Originally Posted by lurkette
Well, looked at another way:
Say you could walk a cumulative mile every day at 62 calories. Over a year you would burn 22,630 calories, which at 3500 calories/pound is just under 6 1/2 pounds, which I find pretty a pretty impressive return on a minimal investment (having just struggled to lose about the same amount in about 2 months). If you're seriously overweight it's not going to solve the problem by itself, but it's an extra 6 1/2 lbs nonetheless!
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Unfortunately, it isn't so simple. The "returns" on the calorie burning will diminish over time as your body adapts and becomes more efficient. This is why you won't lose 6.5 lbs., year to year until you whittle down to literally nothing.
The idea is to do progressively more until you're happy with what you're doing. If the body isn't challenged, the body won't be forced to adapt. This is why I've never really bought into the "take the stairs" mentality to burn fat. There are days where I'll walk for up to 3 hours or more cumulatively, in addition to any gym time. I used to get to work and take the elevator up four floors. The stairs would have been a drop in the bucket.
Walking isn't anywhere near the best way to burn fat. It happens to be the easiest, cheapest, and most convenient. It just takes a long time and can lose its effectiveness.