Michele Stanten - Walk Off Weight Burn 3 Times More Fat

F OR MY MOM , R OSALIE,
WHO HAS BEEN BY MY SIDE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT WALKS OF MY LIFEMY FIRST STEPS, MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, DOWN THE AISLE, THE 3-DAY BREAST CANCER WALK, AND ACROSS THE FINISH LINE OF OUR FIRST MARATHONAND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

I COULD FILL ALL OF THE PAGES of this book with thank-yous to the many people who helped to make it happen, directly or indirectly. I could not have done it without each and every one of their contributions and support.

To the Walk Off Weight test panel: Debbie Adie, Kathy Ashenfelter, Deb Baer, Theresa Bahnick, JulieAnne Bedard, Carmen Bell, Kathleen Caola, Laura Chiles, Lysa Delefeti, Kristina Donatelli, Stacey Geffken, Tammy Harding, Denise Jennings, Meg Kranzley, Geri Krempa, Joann Manuel, Susan Moyer, Mary Lou Phillips, Gail Rarick, Stacy Shillinger, Yvonne Shorb, Wendy Silfies, Lisa Stone, and Louise Wagner, who walked in the heat and rain to prove that this program works. Your efforts amazed me and will inspire millions of women like you!

To my colleagues: my editor, Andrea Au Levitt, for guiding me along the way; Donna Agajanian for designing a stunning book, and the rest of the art and photo team; Marianne McGinnis for her writing and research help; Heidi McIndoo, MS, RD, LDN, for developing a nutritious and delicious meal plan; Marielle Messing for coordinating the test panel and much more; Natalie Gingerich for reviewing the many versions of the program; Kelly Hartshorne and Tammy Strunk from the Rodale fitness center for testing our panelists; Diana Erney, Jen Keiser, and Krista Pegnetter from the Rodale library for their research help; Carol Angstadt, Susan Berg, Marilyn Hauptly, and the rest of the Rodale Books team for their meticulous attention to details; and to Prevention's former Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello and Executive Editor Courtenay Smith for their never-ending support and belief in methank you!

To my mentors: Mark Bricklin and Maggie Spilner for turning me onto the powers of walking for exercise nearly 20 years ago; Lee Scott, Mark Fenton, Suki Munsell, and Casey Meyers for teaching me the techniques to turn a leisurely walk into a body-shaping workout; and Wayne Westcott, PhD, for his guidance and expertise in all things fitness.

To all of my fellow walkers, including Pat Schuppin, MaryPat Scorzetti, Rebecca Garson, Pam Jarrar, Beth Katcher, and all Team Prevention memberskeep showing the world that walkers are athletes, too!

And most importantly, to my family and friends: my husband, Andrew, who has been my greatest supporter and fan for more than 20 years. Thank you for everything! I couldn't do it without youand it means more to me to do it with you by my side. My son, Jacob, whose big hugs with legs kept me energized. My daughter, Mia, who learned to walk while I was writing this book; you always put a smile on my face, no matter how late I stayed up working. My dad, Gary, for always pitching in to help. Jessica Lievendag, Brenda McColgan, and their families for being there for my family on the many nights and weekends that I was busy with the book. I love you all!

XOXO,
Michele

WELCOME TO PREVENTION'S WALK OFF WEIGHT (WOW) program. I've drawn on my nearly 20 years of experience as a fitness instructor and editor at America's leading healthy lifestyle magazine to create this unique 8-week exercise and diet plan that focuses on increasing the benefits of America's favorite type of exercise: walking! And to guarantee that it will work for you, I recruited about two dozen women just like you to road test it. Their results were amazingand yours will be, too!

In just 8 weeks, these women lost as much as 22 pounds and nearly 14 inches all over. So can you! Whether you've walked for exercise in the past or not, this program is designed to get you maximum results in minimal time by focusing on interval training. That means alternating highintensity bursts of activity, such as fast walking, with lower-intensity recovery bouts of slower strolling. Scientific research shows that this type of training improves your body's ability to burn fat and can increase weight loss.

In addition to interval walks, the program includes moderate-intensity walks (to balance out the vigorous intervals) as well as strength training to build the muscle that fuels your metabolism and firms you up. Combining cardio and strength workouts has been shown to produce greater weight loss. For even faster results, I enlisted Heidi McIndoo, a registered dietitian, to create an eating plan that will help you to consume fewer calories and still fuel your body for exercisewithout feeling hungry. Testers who followed both the exercise and diet portions of the WOW program shed more than double the number of pounds on average and 65 percent more inches than the exercise-only group.

Now it's your turn. Picking up this book is your first step toward achieving a slimmer, firmer, stronger body and tons of energy. Let's get started!

1.75 pounds per week of the biggest loser in the WOW exercise-only group divided by 0.5 pound per week based on the best results of studies equals 3.5 times more weight loss for the WOW program.

My skin looks better. I have more energy. And I'm almost never tired at my desk in the morning.

DENISE JENNINGS

I went dancing for the first time in years, and I was fit enough to do it all night long.

SUSAN MOYER

I lost back fat! I never noticed losing in that area on other programs.

KATHY ASHEN FELTER

I LOVE TO WALK! Whether it's strolling around my neighborhood with my husband and kids, speeding down a park path for a workout, or racking up the miles to complete a full or half marathon withPreventionreaders, walking is my number one form of exercise. (And trust me, after nearly 20 years as a certified fitness instructor atPreventionmagazine, I've tried just about every type of workout!)

I'm not alone in my love of walking. Over the years, I've gotten thousands of letters and e-mails fromPreventionreaders who are just as passionate about walking as I am. When I invited them to walk a marathon with me and other editors a few years ago, more than 500 signed up. In fact,Preventionreaders are nearly 90 percent more likely to walk for exercise 2 or more days a week than other Americans.