The Easiest Way To Drop 1 Dress Size

(Plus, if you want to torch 3,000 calories a week, you need to join the NEW 30 Day Weight Loss Walking Challenge now! Click here to join.)

If you’re looking to lose a dress size for that upcoming summer wedding, the easiest way to get started is as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. In fact, recent studies show that walking can actually burn MORE calories than running! At 5 mph, it’s much more efficient to run — and cover more ground with each stride — than it is to walk. So you actually use more energy, and burn more calories walking a 12-minute mile than running a 12-minute mile.

Use the calorie-incinerating walking workout below to tone your thighs, tighten your buns and cinch your waist. You can use the workout outdoors in your neighborhood or indoors on your treadmill. To drop a dress size quickly, use the workout four times a week every other day. For even faster results, on alternate days, try the Ultimate Sculpt DVD.

This 35-minute interval training walk will ramp up your calorie burn and blast away fat:

5 minute Warm-Up Pace
3 minute Aerobic Interval – Push slightly more than your steady-state pace
3 minute Recovery Interval – Catch your breath and get ready for the next interval!
3 minute Aerobic Interval
3 minute Recovery Interval
1 minute Anaerobic Interval – For one minute, walk as fast as you possibly can! On a scale from 1-10, you should be pushing yourself from a 7-9.
3 minute Recovery Interval
1 minute Anaerobic Interval
3 minute Recovery Interval
1 minute Anaerobic Interval
3 minute Recovery Interval
5 minutes Cool-Down Pace

To rev up your walk, tune into the music that’s motivating you along. I know which tunes are at the right speed to keep my pace up, and I let the rhythm drive my feet. You may choose to walk to the tunes you like best, but why not put music to work for you by selecting songs with rhythm — in beats per minute — that corresponds to your footfalls? That way, you keep up your speed by keeping pace with the music. As a bonus, walking to the rhythm of your workout music helps your body more effectively use its energy.

The easiest way to do this is to find a walking playlist that you can either buy or stream. My WalkFit audio downloads include music with the appropriate beats per minute for both recovery intervals and anaerobic intervals, along with some coaching from me along the way.

You can also make your own walking playlist. To do this, figure out a song’s beat per minute (BPM) the same way you calculate your heart rate : Count the beats for 10 seconds, then multiply by 6. Then match beats per minute with the paces below.

For warm-ups and a foundation-level walk: 114-120 BPM
For high-intensity intervals: 138+ BPM

There was an interesting study in which researchers found that people were able to keep exercising longer when they listened to music. The funny thing was that softer, slower “easy listening” music seemed to keep people going longer than loud, fast rock tunes. The researchers speculated that maybe quieter music keeps you more relaxed, so that you exercise more efficiently. Still, there’s no right or wrong kind of music: Whatever gets you going is what’s best for you.

The Easiest Way To Drop 1 Dress Size