👟The Incline Walking Method for Weight Loss

Hello reader.
It’s Chloe here. 💚

Welcome to my daily workout routine.

If you came from Beverly’s article "How to Start Working Out and Actually Stick With It," you already know that I'm one of those people who prefers simple workouts to keep me active.

I don’t like overly complicated plans or some brand-new "extra fat-burning" training method. I simply want to do what’s expected of me in order to stay healthy. I chose this workout in particular because it’s something I can do every single day. Not only does it fit around my job and other hobbies, but it also allows me to indulge in my guilty pleasures.

You’re confused about my last sentence? Keep reading and find out.

A couple of months ago, I started noticing that my lack of daily movement was becoming more and more visible. My clothes eventually fit tighter, climbing the stairs left me out of breath, and even buttoning my pants became harder. I was gaining weight slowly but steadily. My metabolism wasn’t what it used to be, and I realized my "lucky genes" were running out of time.

At first, I simply bought looser clothes. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t exactly overweight, but somehow deep down I knew I wasn’t exactly telling the truth either. This situation continued for as long as I could bear to look at myself in the mirror.

Hopping in the shower became embarrassing, seeing myself in something other than a loose T-shirt was rare, and clothes that highlighted my figure were a no-no.

If any of this sounds familiar, I promise it gets better.

I knew I needed to change my habits if I wanted to feel good about myself again. So it was about time I started doing something to fix the mess I created.

It may sound obvious, but I didn’t realize how important this was until I started. This is probably the easiest activity you can do because it’s basically the bare minimum. Especially if you have a dog, extending your morning and evening walks can be enough to reach your daily step goal.

If you don’t have a dog, I’d suggest listening to a podcast while wandering around your neighborhood or the park. Walking 10,000 steps at a brisk pace raises your heart rate and helps you burn more calories throughout the day.

Another thing that motivated me in the beginning was the apps StepBet and Sweatcoin. I heard about them from Ruby and Beverly and, to be honest, I was very skeptical. But they really did help me start walking daily. They kept my motivation alive even after the excitement of the free trial wore off.

You should give them a try.

In StepBet, you enter a challenge by adding a certain amount of money to a group prize pool. If, by the end of the month, you haven’t reached the goal, your bid is split between the winners who met the target number of steps. I like it because I hate losing money, so it really helped me at the beginning of my walking journey. Sometimes I even received more money back as a winner if someone in the group didn’t achieve their monthly steps.

Sweatcoin, on the other hand, is an app where you can buy discounts using the digital currency "Sweatcoin," which is generated by your steps. You can also buy entry tickets for prize draws, where you might win vouchers, phones or, if you’re very lucky, even holidays.

After a couple of weeks, I decided I was ready to invest some money in a gym membership. I didn’t look for a fancy one. I knew there was a fitness center two blocks away.

It looked decent and had just the right amount of equipment I was looking for, so I prepaid an annual membership and started going right away.

I have no idea why, but walking on a treadmill in a gym feels different. It felt heavier because you have nothing else to do but look at how many calories you burned or listen to music.

See, that’s what I thought before realizing I could balance my phone on the handles and watch my favorite series.

If there’s something you should know about me, it’s that I’m a sucker for movies, reality shows, any series that includes handsome guys, and anything with some supernatural stuff happening.

I felt like I had won the lottery.

I decided I should immediately pair those two activities and avoid doing one without the other. That way I could obsess over fictional characters and stay healthy—the perfect balance.

However, if there was one thing I knew I wasn’t going to do, it was running.

I’ve always hated running.

Maybe if I were better at it, I would genuinely like it, but I couldn’t do more than five minutes without feeling like my heart was jumping out of my chest.

I had to think of something else.

When walking started feeling a little too easy, it was time to make progress differently.

It was time to start experimenting with the incline settings.

You’ve probably noticed that incline walking has become much more popular over the last couple of years.

The reason is simple.

Depending on the speed and incline, it can burn a similar number of calories while feeling much more manageable for people who dislike running.

Incline walking has several advantages compared to running. It’s generally gentler on the joints, it’s easy to adjust the incline or speed to match your fitness level, and it raises your heart rate without requiring you to run.

But my favorite benefit isn't any of those. It's that I can actually stick with it.

I suggest starting with an incline between 6–8% and a speed of around 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h).

Aim for 20–30 minutes.

If you finish the workout thinking, "I could probably do another five minutes," you've chosen the right starting point.

Make sure to increase your incline or speed at least once per week. Even if you increase it by only 0.1, you’re still doing a little more than you did the week before.

Be proud of that and keep going.

After about a month—or sooner if you already feel comfortable—you can increase both your incline and speed.

Your workout could now look like this:

8–10% incline

3.2 mph (5.1 km/h)

30–40 minutes

You’re still walking, not jogging.

If you’re with a gym buddy, talking may start feeling harder.

This is what I do almost every single day.

10–12% incline

3.4–3.7 mph (5.5–6.0 km/h)

Usually somewhere within that range, depending on how I feel that day.

I aim for around 45–60 minutes.

This adds up to one or two episodes of my favorite shows.

It’s crazy how quickly time passes, especially when I’m close to a season finale.

There have definitely been days when I walked an extra ten minutes just because I wanted to see how the episode ended.

I hate being left on a cliffhanger, but I have to admit—it gets me back on the treadmill even faster the next day.

I’m proud to say my system works.

If you're hoping to wake up after one week looking completely different, I have some bad news.

It didn't happen that way for me and I can guarantee it won’t happen that way for you.

The first thing I noticed wasn't the number on the scale. It was how much easier everyday life became. Climbing the stairs stopped leaving me breathless, my walks felt easier, and I had more energy throughout the day.

A couple of weeks later, my clothes started fitting a little better. That's when I realized all those workouts were quietly adding up.

The weight loss happened gradually, but feeling stronger came first. Looking back, that was exactly what kept me motivated to continue.

Some days I spend more time choosing what to watch than actually warming up

Do a five-minute warm-up, even if you’re in a hurry.

Your joints will thank you.

The advanced workouts will never make up for the non-existent ones.

Avoid skipping steps unless you want to trip and fall. This isn’t a sprint.

It’s a marathon.

Holding onto the rails is basically cheating. Try not to lean on them or rely on them for support.

Using them briefly to regain your balance is perfectly fine, but your legs should be doing the work—not your arms.

Cardio is incredibly important, but your results will be much better if you pair it with healthy eating and a calorie deficit.

Some days I don’t feel like walking either.

Those are usually the days I’m happiest I went anyway.

Motivation comes and goes. Habits stay.

At the end of the day, I don’t believe in the perfect workout.

I believe in the workout you’ll still be doing six months from now.

If that happens to be incline walking while watching your favorite show, then I think you’ve already found something that works.