Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
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.
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.
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Often I agree with you, and factually this is no exception; however, I disagree with some of the logic and the conclusion. For one, if walking is as ineffective as you say, why do you do it so much? Why not just save the money and pay for the bus pass? I think it can be very effective, at least to keep the weight off if not to lose any.
Second, idk about you but I live in one of, if not the, fattest country in the world. Actually, I live in one of the fattest states in that country, one in which 2/3 of the population is overweight and 30% is obese. I would never try to dissuade anyone from walking anywhere at any time. If they only lose three pounds by walking somewhere regularly instead of walking, so be it, at least that's three pounds closer to not being overweight or obese.
anyway not to threadjack. to the OP i like to take my bike to anywhere that's bike-able - popular destinations include the laundromat (to switch from washer to dryer), liquor store, and the gas station (for beer). often times it is also a happy coincidence that I should not be driving anyway...