With so much talk about walking and steps, it can start to feel like hype. But then, a real-life success story comes along that reminds us how powerful this easy form of exercise can be. Take Rebecca Reyes, for example. The mother of two was inspired to begin her own walking journey after seeing a video of another woman who "lost a ton of weight" by walking 10,000 steps a day. As Reyes shared in a now-viral TikTok video, she decided to give walking a go. After just four months, she was down 40 pounds with little more than her treadmill and some simple lifestyle changes.
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Reyes shared with Newsweek that she started gaining weight and reached 180 pounds after giving birth to her second daughter. "I was extremely unhappy with myself," she said. "I knew I had to make a lifestyle change and not look at this as another 'diet.'"
So, she set a goal to walk for one hour on her treadmill every day while her daughters were napping, aiming for the often-recommended 10,000 steps a day.
"It was very hard at first," she told Newsweek. "But I kept pushing and I started feeling absolutely amazing and then eventually the weight started melting off."
Though the only exercise Reyes was doing was walking, she also maintained a minimum 500-calorie deficit daily, meaning she was burning off more calories than she was consuming.
After just two weeks, Reyes said she'd lost 10 pounds and felt more energized. After four months, she'd dropped 40 pounds and then added strength training to her routine. By five-and-half months, she was down 44 pounds and had gained muscle definition.
@rebecks17 Have you wondered what 10k steps a day does to your body? THIS!! I did not do any other form of exercise to lose this weight, I would walk 1 hour a day and aim for 10k steps a day total! . I also ate in a calorie deficit of atleast 500 everyday.. These pictures are about 5½ months difference, but i lost most of it in 4 months (40 pounds) I am now 44 Pounds down and have also started strength training to tone and get muscle. #10kstepsaday #walking #walking1hourdaily #what10kstepsadaydoes #beforeandafter #40poundsdown #momsoftiktok #mombod #hotmom #weightlosstransformation #bodytransformation #weightloss #healthjourney #fattofit #walkeveryday #walkingeverydayresults #10kstepsbeforeandafter #whatwalking10kstepsdid #caloriedeficit #500caloriedeficit #lose1lbsaweek
"Walking is SO underrated! Losing weight can be that easy i promise! just start walking and getting your 10,000 steps in!!" Reyes write in the caption of another video. "I'll also add that i walk 1 hour a day on the treadmil & that gets me half my steps or more, the rest i get throughout the day!"
To keep her body feeling good, Reyes shared in the video's comments that she stretches a lot and uses a foam roller on her legs. She also told a follower that she had to get inserts for her sneakers since she has a high arch.
RELATED: Walking Pads Are the Latest Wellness Trend Everyone's Talking About.
As for her diet, Reyes shared a video of some of her favorite healthy snacks and meals, which include teriyaki rice bowls, frozen everything seasoning-breaded cod from Costco paired with broccoli, and cotton candy grapes.
"I count the calories but I don't restrict myself to only 'healthy' food.. in order to actually stick with something you have to make it realistic," she explained. "If I'm only eating 'healthy' food and not letting myself eat anything else, eventually I'm going to crack and binge out on a bunch of horrible food, so I let myself have what I want, I just make sure my daily calories don't exceed my certain amount.
But Reyes told Newsweek that her biggest piece of advice is "to not overcomplicate it." She added, "Losing weight and getting healthy doesn't have to be so hard and you don't have to deprive yourself of good food or treats, just focus on the calories."
