15 facts about walking you need to know if you’re taking weight loss drugs

GLP-1 medications have changed weight management, helping people achieve results they may have struggled to reach through other approaches.

But as our weight declines, our fitness and strength can disappear in the same direction. Research shows that some of the weight lost during significant weight reduction can come from lean body mass (including muscles), not just fat.

Though not unique to GLP-1 medications, this makes maintaining muscle, strength and physical function particularly important.

We can become so focused on watching the number on the scales go down that we forget to ask whether our bodies are becoming stronger, healthier and more capable, or simply smaller.

For women in midlife and beyond, when maintaining muscle strength is already an important part of healthy ageing, we need to look beyond weight loss alone and focus on how healthy we are.

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Here’s my advice for staying well, post weight-loss – and it centres around walking.

1. Don’t wait until you’ve lost weight to start moving

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is thinking we need to reach a certain weight or fitness level before we can begin exercising. In reality, movement is how we begin building that fitness.

You don’t need to join a gym, sign up for a marathon, or walk five miles. If you’ve been relatively inactive, start with a short walk that feels manageable for you. That might be five or 10 minutes, depending on your starting point.

The important thing is to begin at a level that feels achievable and gradually build from there.

2. Think about how you’re walking, not just how far

We hear so much about getting our steps in, but we should also pay attention to how we’re taking those steps. We need to focus on foot mechanics, posture, gait and how we use the muscles throughout the body.

Think about your posture, the way your feet move and whether you’re walking comfortably and with control.

For someone whose body is changing through weight loss, developing greater awareness of how they move can be a positive part of the journey.

3. Build your walking fitness gradually

If you’re starting from a low level of activity, the last thing you need is an exercise programme that leaves you feeling exhausted or discouraged.

Start with a manageable duration and build gradually as your confidence and fitness improve. That might mean adding a few minutes to your walk, walking a little more frequently or introducing short periods at a slightly quicker pace.

One useful guide is the talk test. During a moderately brisk walk, you should generally be breathing a little harder but still be able to hold a conversation. And remember, you don’t need to do everything at once. A few shorter walks can be a good way to begin.

4. Don’t forget about strength

This is such an important point, particularly for women taking weight-loss medications.

While walking is a wonderful way to build cardiovascular fitness and establish regular physical activity, we also need to think about preserving muscle strength. That means including appropriate resistance and strengthening exercises alongside your walking routine.

These might involve resistance bands, weights or suitable bodyweight exercises, depending on your fitness, mobility and medical circumstances.

UK physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days each week.

My walking programme, WalkActive, also incorporates mobility and strengthening work to complement the walking technique, because I believe we need to think about how the whole body moves.

5. Make exercise fit into your life, not the other way around

We often think exercise needs to involve a gym membership, special clothing or setting aside a big chunk of the day, but walking can be incorporated into everyday life in ways that feel much more realistic.

You could take a short walk after lunch, walk part of a journey you’d usually drive or build a regular walking session into your morning routine. For people who enjoy a little more structure, guided walking workouts can also be helpful.

If exercise feels like another enormous task on an already busy to-do list, we’re much less likely to stick with it.

6. Measure your progress in more ways than one

Of course, if you’re taking medication to support weight loss, changes in your weight may be an important part of monitoring your progress with your healthcare team, but I would encourage you to look at other measures of progress too. Are you able to walk a little further than you could a month ago? Can you manage a hill that previously left you out of breath?

Do you feel more comfortable getting up from a chair, climbing stairs or carrying your shopping? Are you beginning to enjoy moving your body rather than seeing exercise as something you have to endure? Those changes matter enormously.

Don’t just count the pounds you’ve lost. Notice the things your body can now do.

7. Think about the habits you’re building for the future

One of the things we know about weight management is that maintaining changes over time can be challenging.

GLP-1 medications may be part of someone’s ongoing medical treatment, and decisions about continuing or stopping them should always be made with their prescribing clinician. But alongside that treatment, there’s a wonderful opportunity to develop movement habits that support your wellbeing over the longer term.

I don’t think exercise should be something you do simply to reach a target weight and then abandon. The aim is to find ways of moving that you enjoy, that suit your body and that you can continue progressing with as your circumstances change.

For somebody who hasn’t exercised regularly for years, that might begin with a ten-minute walk. Over time, it might become a regular brisk walk, a structured walking workout, a 5K walking challenge or a combination of walking and strength training.

The important thing is that movement becomes part of your life.

Ultimately, I don’t want somebody to finish a weight-loss journey simply weighing less. I want them to feel more confident, physically capable and excited about what their body can do.