The advantage of using walking as a main part of your weight loss program is that it is free. It costs nothing to walk a couple of blocks, or to march to the top of that hill (and back down again). But just because it is free to do doesn't mean there aren't useful pieces of equipment to help you lose weight whilst walking.

Of the equipment below only a good pair of shoes is really essential, the rest are a benefit to you... but we do wholeheartedly recommend them.

A good pair of walking shoes

The last thing you want is a cheap pair of ill fitting shoes giving you blisters, making you miss walks and stopping you losing as much weight as you would otherwise. A good pair of walking shoes, either walking boots or trainers depending on what you are doing, will support and comfort the foot, not rub and blister it. No matter what else you do make sure you get a good pair of walking shoes, your feet and back (and waistline!) will thank you for it.

An MP3 Player

Possibly the most fun you can have whilst walking. An MP3 player allows you to bop along to your favorite songs, play some massively inspirational tunes to push you on harder, to listen to your favorite book in audio format or even learn a new language with the hundreds of audio courses out there! However you choose to use it MP3 players can be both cheap and fun when you are walking to lose weight.

Pedometer as a weight loss tool

Not the most essential piece of equipment when trying to lose weight walking, but an extremely useful one and once you get one you'll wonder how you lived without it! A wonderful tool for any weight loss program, this little gadget is about the same size as a pager and clips onto your belt/shorts etc. As you walk it will measure how many steps you take, which is great for pushing your walking against targets.

On top of that most will take these steps walked and use them to estimate how far you have traveled and how many calories you have burnt... a great way of motivating yourself to walk that little bit further and lose that little bit more weight!

Ankle or wrist weights

For those looking for a little extra challenge some simple ankle or wrist weights, which strap on very easily, can add a change of pace. The idea behind these is that the extra weight on your arms or legs will cause you to burn more calories doing the same walk you would otherwise do, helping you to lose weight. The added weight will also help tone muscles and strip fat in the target areas.

So there we go, 4 very useful, and cheaply available, pieces of equipment that will help you lose weight by walking. Now get yourself out there and start burning those calories, you'll have dropped some inches from your waist before you know it!

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