Walk off the weight

In a hurry to walk off weight? "Then you might want to slow down," say University of Michigan researchers, who tested different walking speeds to see which helps women over age 50 the most. In a 15-week test, volunteers who walked a bit farther at a slower pace burned 2.73 times more fat-basically tripling fat burn-compared to subjects who pushed harder for a shorter distance.

- Allison Nemetz

"Our bodies use different fuels at different speeds," explains lead scientist Katarina Borer, Ph.D. "Go gently, and the difference in fat burning is dramatic." Women like Stacy Dodson back her up. "I was so heavy when I started, it was like I was carrying two 50-pound bags of dog food everywhere I went. I had to start slow." Yet she found herself slimming down quickly. "Now I know it helped me lose more," says the 93-pounds-slimmer Florida mom, 53. Read on for more of her Stacy's story-and to learn how much an easy pace can help you...

Most of us have been taught that when we work harder, we get bigger and better rewards. That's not always true with walking. "The first goal for many older women is to get rid of that extra fat we put on as our hormones change," notes Borer. "For that, walking more moderately has advantages. Especially if you're someone who hasn't exercised much lately." Why? "It has to do with how much oxygen is needed to burn fat," she says. When an activity leaves us breathless, we're not getting enough oxygen for the body to readily convert flab on our bellies or hips into fuel. In fact, if we huff and puff hard enough, "we no longer have the ability to use fat," Borer says, adding that we'll almost exclusively burn blood sugar. Now, sure, some of us want get rid of excess blood sugar. Luckily, slower walking helps with that too as it simultaneously shrinks waistlines.

Maximizing a slow walk

A slower walk doesn’t mean going in slow motion. Think of it more as a pleasant pace, suggests Borer. It should get your blood pumping but make you feel energized, not fatigued. And you want to breathe easily and be able to carry on a conversation throughout.