Walking Tips for Weight Control

People who are overweight, as so many of us with bipolar disorder are (generally thanks to our meds), may find walking is the best way to ease into exercising. Walking may also be the easiest exercise to do during a depressive episode, as it can be done almost anywhere -- even from room to room in your home if you don't even want to get dressed.

Walking alone may not help you take pounds off, but combine it with a healthier diet and you are likely to find it a very effective weight loss tool. We've selected tips from About.com Guide to Walking Wendy Bumgardner to help you start off, walk safely, and stay injury-free.

If you have fibromyalgia, are seriously overweight, or have bad knees/bad, it's okay -- and smart -- to start slow. Walk for just 2-5 minutes the first day. Not too fast, either. Walk one more minute per day each day until you get to 10 minutes. Stay there until you're comfortable, then start increasing again, as much as works for you, the same way. Doing it like this, I went from sedentary to walking 80 minutes a day (till winter set in and I blew it).

• How to Walk for Absolute Beginners
  If you haven't walked for exercise before, please read this in-depth tutorial! We don't want anyone to get hurt!

• Walk of Life
  This is an excellent program with stretches for safety and variety for interest. You'll get a daily newsletter with tips to keep you on track.

• Walking for Weight Control
  How fast should you be walking to burn fat? Guide Wendy Bumgardner gives easy instructions for choosing the best pace to help you reach your goals.

• Stretching for Walkers
  These are really good stretches, trust me. Guide Wendy also provides a printer-friendly page if you need to carry these instructions with you for awhile.

• Build the Walking Habit
  It's HARD to make ourselves walk during depression, so if we can make it a habit, it will be that much easier. So read this habit-building plan and try it out, especially if you're having trouble making regular exercise a part of your routine. Note: We suggest that you do not set a short-term pounds or inches goal, and it would be better not to set a date for a long-term pounds/inches goal.

• Loosen Up, Look Thinner, And Walk Better
  From Walking Guide Wendy B.: "Do you want to look 15 pounds thinner? Do you want to walk more fluidly and eliminate lower back pain? Do you want to improve speed? Then you need to do some wall work."

• How to Prevent and Treat Shin Splints
  If you are new to walking, heed these warnings. If you start having pain in your shins anyway, follow the treatment instructions.