So I do a lot of walking. On average, I walk at least an hour a day, sometimes two - the dog needs an hour of walking, and when I walk to class it takes a half hour each direction. So I would like to be able to use this to my advantage in my weight loss endeavors. I know ankle and wrist weights can be damaging tot he joints and shouldn't be worn for walking. Instead I was thinking if I throw on a weighted vest before I go for these long walks it might give me that extra edge, but I'm seeing different things online as far as what weight I should walk with, what kinds of weights there are, price ranges, etc.

So the question is: what weight should I work with? Most commonly I'm seeing that I should use 15-20% of my bodyweight, which by my calculations means I should be walking with a roughly 25-30 pound vest. Does that sound about right? Also, the whole material thing. I'm seeing neoprene, leather, all kinds. Does it matter? And so far from what I've seen, after about 15 pounds the prices skyrocket up to about $200. Are there cheaper ways to do this? If anyone's used a weighted vest before that's good, I'd love to hear about it.

Walk faster. Or on hilly and/or uneven terrain. Or, do both.

Also, work on perfecting your form. Such that your fast walk is smooth and seamless. It's like slow-motion running. Only, not that slow, as you're twice to three times as fast as everyone around you. If you see yourself from the side, it should look like you're floating in a horizontal line rather than bobbing up and down as you move forward.

Less toys, more grit.

Trust me, I already walk faster than anyone I know. No one will walk with me haha. And it only gets so hilly around where I walk. It really is power walking- glutes tight, stomach tight, smooth, there's effort in this walking trust me. I'm even wearing shoes that simulate a constant incline. I just walk so much every single day that its gotten really easy to walk these long distances and I need a way to make it more challenging to it will have some effect :P

Okay. Welp, then, I think the simplest thing to do would be to make yourself a little harness out of an old backpack (take the straps apart and use them to tie some weight to your torso - y'know, like the sort of thing Conan or He-Man would wear.. or, Rambo, to hold his bullets and knives and shiet). Or, I suppose you could just wear the backpack, or even two. And fill it with something that has heft, but relatively evenly distributed. Like a rectangular prism of a lock-and-lock container filled with sand. Ideally you should have one on each side to balance it out.

Just thinkin' of what I would do. You might get some funny looks if you don't wear something over it, but it should be more than easy to get the kind of weight you need.. and for a couple bucks worth of sandbag. Plus you get the whole satisfaction of having macguyvered that ****.