Study says that walking can create a smaller waistline than working out at the gym

The other day, I pulled out of my sub division to take a short trip to the post office.  While waiting for the traffic to pass, I noticed two brothers who live up the street.  They moved in about a year ago.  They're in their early twenties and overweight.  At least they were overweight when they first moved in.

Our neighborhood is near a major road with public transportation, shopping, and restaurants near by.  So although the brothers don't have a vehicle, they can get to where they need to go by walking.  As a matter of fact, these guys walked pretty much everywhere. At first they rode bikes but eventually, walking became their preferred method of getting around.

When I saw them crossing the street wearing fitted black tank tops and appeared noticeably thinner.  I was surprised and not so surprised at the same time.  Sure, I was shocked that these boys, who used to wear XXL size shirts were now average size with barely any signs of excess weight.  But, I wasn't surprised because, last year, I predicted it would happen.

That's because I've seen in happen multiple times before.  Over an over again, I've seen a (car-less) neighbor move in carrying lots of extra pounds only to have lost it by the time summer comes around. Since I'm always home, I watch them as they leave the house on foot every day.  Some go off to do something productive, others, leave just so they don't have to stay in the house.  One guy just walks up and down the road because he has nothing better to do. All of them, have visibly shrunk their size without doing much else but walking everyday.  Trust me, these guys are not deliberately working on their summer bodies.   They likely haven't made any adjustments to their diets to create the results they enjoy.  No....all they did was walk every day.

Its such a predictable outcome that whenever someone with extra weight moves in without a vehicle, I turn to my husband and say, "he's gonna lose all that weight soon."  To me, this appears to be the absolute easiest way to lose  weight.  And by easy, I mean "resistance free." They didn't have to purchase a gym membership, go low carb, or hire a personal trainer.  But they did change their lifestyle.  Because these guys were overweight when they moved in, I suspect their previous lifestyle was different before they moved in.  Walking became a regular part of their every day routine.

A recent study claims that those who walked briskly for 30 minutes or more had lower BMI (body mass index) and a smaller waist circumference than counterparts who participated in 30 minutes of heavy housework, moderate intensity sports, or heavy manual activity.   This was especially true for women over 50.

The newly transformed brothers reminded me of how important it is to keep moving.  Whether it means walking, dancing, or bouncing more. And, if I'm consistent, a healthier body will be a natural outcome.  I understand that walking everywhere isn't practical for everyone.  But each one of us can certainly walk a lot more than we do now.  I always hear about how important it is to live an active lifestyle, but seeing the benefits of it first hand (over and over again) takes everything to the next level.