Walking for weight loss over 50 – a 6 week plan to get you started

Walking is good exercise at any age, but is especially good choice for exercise over 50 as it’s low impact, weight bearing and good for cardio health. This post explains the benefits of walking for exercise and gives you a 6 week walking for weight loss over 50 program.

Walking for weight loss over 50 PDF

Low impact exercise

Low impact means any exercise that doesn’t involve the body being airborne and landing.  In running, rope skipping and jumping jacks for example, there is a point when both feet are in the air.  While some people can carry on doing these types of exercise to a great age, others find that their joints are less good at cushioning the impact as they get older.  If you have any sort of joint issues, you should stick to low impact exercise.

Weight bearing exercise

As women’s oestrogen levels start to decline, from mid-30s onwards, so do bone mineral deposits.  The decline of bone mineral density accelerates after menopause, leaving women susceptible to bone fractures.  To offset this decline, exercise over 50 should include weight bearing exercise. This isn’t the same as weight training.  It means exercise where you are on your feet, moving your own weight.  So mat exercise like Pilates and yoga would be less beneficial in this context.  Swimming and cycling are also less beneficial because you’re not supporting your own weight.  Walking, on the other hand, is ideal as a weight bearing exercise.

Cardio health

Oestrogen also has a protective effect against heart and circulatory disease, so cardio workouts should form part of any exercise over 50 plan for women.  Cardio (or aerobic) workouts are any activity which is continuous for several minutes or more, in which the heart is able to keep supplying the muscles with enough oxygen to keep going.  When we exercise and get out of breath, this trains our hearts to get bigger and stronger and pump more blood with every beat.  Ordinary walking at normal pace for 15+ minutes several times a week will be beneficial to heart health, however using speed intervals will increase the benefits.

A 6 week walking for weight loss over 50 plan

Walking program for women over 50

This is a beginner plan to get you started with interval walking.  There are 3 speed levels:

  • Level 1: normal walking pace
  • Level 2: walking a little faster, you start to become aware of your breathing and become warmer
  • Level 3: brisk walking, fast enough to make you feel slightly out of breath

Planning your walks

Make sure you have comfortable clothing and shoes.  You should find that you get warmer as you walk, so wear layers that you can take off.  It’s also a good idea to take a bottle of water with you, especially on the longer walks.

To start with, it’s simplest to use a “there and back again” route – that is, walk for half the time and then turn around and walk back again.  If you use a fitness tracker or tracking app on your phone, you’ll be able to see what distance you’ve covered.  Then, if you want to, you can use the distance you’ve covered to plan a circular route.

Although walking is a natural, healthy activity, please make sure you read these general safety guidelines before you start. Please also ensure that bear personal safety in mind when planning where to walk.

Buying a treadmill for home use

Now that folding treadmills are widely available, having a home treadmill doesn’t mean you need a dedicated workout space. You can fold your treadmill up and store it out of the way between workouts. If you’re thinking of buying a home treadmill, here are some points you should consider:

  • Are you likely to run on it? If so, you should avoid very lightweight models. Also, a cushioned running/walking deck will help to absorb impact.
  • Dimensions: there’s a slight variation in dimensions between models. If you’re tall, you might prefer a longer walking/running deck to allow for a longer stride. Obviously, the treadmill needs to fit in your chosen storage place when it is folded away.
  • What sort of a console do you want? Is it important to you to have a multi-feature console with a choice of preset programs, or will you be happy with something simple that just lets you set speed and incline? Extra functions add to the cost of the treadmill, so think about whether you really need them.
  • What is the incline range? Some treadmills only have a limited incline range. Models that offer up to 12% give you more options to vary your workouts and to challenge yourself more as your fitness improves.
  • Maximum speed – if you run fast, or plan to do sprint intervals, you should bear the maximum speed in mind. For walking, or average speed running, any treadmill will be fine.

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The walking schedule

Walking for weight loss over 50 schedule

The schedule sets out the time to be spent walking at each level.  As you can see, more time is spent at the faster speeds as the weeks progress.

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