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Losing weight can be difficult for anyone – you have to get your head in the right place and you have to be mentally ready for it. But for new mums, it can be even more difficult – suddenly, you have to look after a whole new person, your house and your family. This can make losing weight fall right back on the list of your priorities, but luckily, there is one thing you can do to lose weight that’s easy, free and you can do it with your baby. All you have to do is walk – 10,000 steps per day.

The average person walks between 900 and 3,000 steps per day – so you might think that getting up to 10,000 steps per day is a bit of a challenge. However, you can do it – you just need a pedometer so you can track your steps. 

How much weight could I lose?

Walking 10,000 steps every day will burn off roughly 3,500 extra calories per week. And burning off 3,500 calories per week burns off half 500g of fat – so combine your walking routine with a healthy and sensible diet and you can easily lose between 500g – 1kg a week. This weight loss is healthy, sustainable and easy – and it will help you to maintain your weight in the long term.

Generally, you need to create a calorie deficit of up to 700-800 calories per day – this will make your weight loss even more sustainable. So if you eat 2,000 calories per day, reduce your intake to around 1,700 or 1,800 – this calorie deficit probably won’t even be noticeable, but in conjunction with the 500 calories you’ll be burning off every day through walking, it’s an excellent way to melt away the weight.

Why is walking good for me?

Walking is good for you in other ways, too, aside from helping you to lose weight – it helps reduce the risk of obesity, and with it, the risk of heart disease and liver disease. Walking regularly also halves your risk of certain diseases and cancers, and it also helps you to feel fit and healthy – and the endorphins it releases will make you feel happier, too!

Walking also improves your energy levels – the more you walk, surprisingly, the more energetic you’ll feel. It also improves your posture.

How quickly should I walk?

Research has shown that if you walk your 10,000 steps in a brisk half hour or hour, it is better for you than if you take those steps leisurely instead. A brisk walk gets your cardiovascular system working, which reduces the risk of heart disease and heart attack – it also reduces the risk of high blood pressure later on in life. Walking briskly also burns more calories off, so the faster you walk, the more effective the exercise. However, if you can’t get your steps in in just half an hour, that’s fine too – any exercise is much better than none.

How can I Increase the number of steps I take?

It might seem a scary prospect to increase your steps to 10,000 per day, but there are a few ways to do it at home with your baby.

  • Put your baby into a pram and pound the pavements – and the hills, as you’ll burn off twice as many calories if you walk up a big hill. The pram also creates resistance, making the exercise more effective.
  • Hold baby tightly in your arms or put them in a sling and have a boogie around the house!
  • You’ve got floor space – so use it! When your baby is napping, run up and down the stairs, do laps around your living room or run round the garden.
  • Use your spare time. You might not think you have any spare time, but take periods such as television commercials as an opportunity to exercise – jog on the spot or run round your house and you can really increase your step count for the day in just a few minutes.

If you’re new to exercise, speak to your doctor or midwife before starting.

  • I’m going to get a pedometer just to check how many steps I take in a day at work and by the time I go to bed.

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  • I am going to go out and buy a pedometer this weekend!

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  • I have just started walking and bought an Omron pedometer. It seems to be the best one. Although a little fiddly to set up once your up and running it counts your steps even if it is stored in your handbag!!!! A lot more handy than having to clip it to your body!

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  • i so need to get a pedometer so i can track my steps thanks for the article

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  • Can anyone suggest an awesome pedometer for counting steps? I got 2 free ones from Lose Baby Weight – one died and the other, Everytime I sit down or lean over it resets itself and I lose all my steps. It’s SO incredibly frustrating 🙁

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  • Wouldn’t have thought you could lose that much with just walking

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  • My husband and I take a walk on most days after dinner around the neighbourhood. it is a nice end to the day.

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  • Very surprised to learn that such a simple exercise could end up with a result of 500g of weight loss per week!

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  • Did this for a while. Ended up making it a competition between my partner and I. But then I got sick of him competing with me so I just stopped counting and walked for 45mins to a hour.

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  • I’m increasing my walking by walking around the house to get my baby to sleep at 3am in the morning. Walking is the best form of exercise after having a baby because it’s low impact.

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  • Well… Working fulltime mum… Husband drop at train station, walk a bit and from train station to office. I don’t think is enough. But hard to find time to do extra walking after arrive home. Housework list go on.

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  • I walk pretty much every weekday, and it has been the best exercise ever, was easy to do with a baby too as I would just push them in the pram. It is much more interesting to go for a walk than exercise at home, plus It was great exercise for the thighs.

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  • great idea…… recently i have started walking 3 days a week which i guess is a good thing rather than not walking at all.

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