Written by Walter Grio
THE BEGINNING
In early 2015, I could no longer button my suit jacket and I didn’t even bother with the pants. I felt like Incredible Hulk. That’s when I knew something had to change. I like my suits to fit so I usually get them tailored. The fact that I now needed to “re-tailor” the suit to make it fit around the inflatable tube I’m carrying around my waist was just silly to me.
Just like everyone else who wants to start a weight-loss program, I didn’t know where to begin. There are so many things out there that it can get overwhelming. The diet, the exercise, the running – and unlike most people in Washington, DC, I actually hate running. Or jogging. Or pretty much anything that requires physical effort.
If this sounds like you, there is a solution: WALKING
I know that diet is 80% of the solution — but you have to start somewhere and take the first step. WALKING is the easiest of them all. You don’t need any equipment or training. You can do it anywhere. You can do it anytime. It’s totally FREE.
I didn’t know that the phone in my pocket actually kept track of how much I walked throughout the day. And after realizing that I could turn my usual 1/4 mile walk to the office into 1/2 a mile by simply walking a different route, it started to feel like a game.
What used to feel so “far away” didn’t feel that way anymore. I would walk to Georgetown or U St. or other neighborhoods where I would normally grab a cab or an Uber. After a while, walking “extra” became a part of my daily routine. Even when I was on vacation in Houston or California or Seattle, I would walk around the neighborhood. Two miles, three miles, five miles or even for just fifteen minutes — I would walk everywhere.
These days, I’m a firm believer that a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine can make a positive and indelible impact in your life regardless of how stressful or awful you might feel. It literally changes everything.
Through WALKING and minor changes to my diet, I was able to lose 3 inches in a few months. Read more below.
THE STRATEGY
Go for a walk. Everyday. From a calorie perspective, you can take a 30 minute walk or run for 10 minutes and you will lose the same amount of calories during your walk or run. Crazy huh? For those who will point out that running is “better” because it’s a higher intensity, my counterargument is that it’s better to walk for 30 minutes than to sit on the couch for 30 minutes.
And you don’t even have to do it straight. You can break it up throughout the day. If you can go longer, great! And again, you don’t need any equipment or a trainer. There’s literally no excuse.
For me, I wanted to do something that was sustainable for the rest of my life. And WALKING is definitely my thing. Yes, someday, I am going to be that guy walking around the shopping mall at 10am in matching Adidas sweats.
ARTICLES ABOUT WALKING
- Washington Post: The Many Benefits of Walking 30 Minutes a Day
- Mayo Clinic: Walking – Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health
- The Atlantic: Walking for a Better Brain
- The New Yorker: Why Walking Helps Us Think
- WebMD: Walking – How to Make it a Workout
- American Heart Association: Walk, Don’t Run, Your Way to a Healthy Heart
- The Walking Revolution: 30 Minute Documentary
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Since launching fashiontographer.com on July 2011, Walter Grio has photographed over 250 runway shows and fashion events in Paris and New York.
In 2012, Walter Grio was accredited by the prestigious Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers to photograph and cover Paris Fashion Week Prêt à Porter and Haute Couture. He also has media accreditation from IMG to cover Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Miami, and Berlin. He has received runway show invitations from Burberry, Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Akris, John Galliano, Issey Miyake, Paco Rabanne, Tsumori Chisato, Herve Leger, Andrew Gn, and others. In addition, he has photographed the runway shows of Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Elie Saab, Diane von Furstenberg, Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra, Tracy Reese, Vera Wang, and many more.
Walter Grio is also involved in philanthropy through his Shoot for Change initiative, where money from photography go to a nonprofit organization of his client’s choice. Since 2006, Shoot for Change has raised over $130,000 for various nonprofit organizations. In January 2012, Walter Grio created the Shoot for Change Scholarship at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. Based on merit and need, scholarships have been awarded to two students to study at the JKO School.
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