When it comes to burning calories, there are so many ways that involve expensive gym memberships and classes that it can get a little ridiculous. But surprisingly, walking is a remarkably efficient and easy way to burn calories, and is really simple as well. Not to mention, it doesn't just benefit you by calorie-burning. Walking is one of the best ways to maintain strong bones, tone muscle and sustain good posture.

Getting rid of excess calories is the surest way to attack excess fat. More likely than not, you've already looked into cutting back on certain types of foods with unneeded calories. Walking can be a changing factor. According to the Mayo Clinic, walking 30 minutes a day 4 days a week can help burn twice as many calories as your diet intends. The treadmill wasn't invented for nothing, but instead of paying out the ear each month for the privilege to use the treadmill machine, check out these four guidelines for weight loss through walking.

1.) Start Simple - It doesn't take much. Aerobic activity is defined as anything that brings your heart rate up, and just going for a short walk, say, twenty to thirty minutes, is more than enough to start you down the right path. Begin walking a little bit each day, and if time allows go to the point where you begin to feel tired. Don't worry about pace or distance, just get your feet moving. A daily walk can fit in nicely before the day's work, or after an evening meal.

2.) Be Consistent - After you figure out a good time for your walk, try and establish a habit of going out as often as possible. The Mayo Clinic encourages walking for at least a half hour, four times a week. But the more often, the better. If you have the time, going out every day can make an enormous difference. The most important thing to remember is consistency. If you're going to walk four days a week, be sure you actually do walk four days a week. If you're going to walk five days a week, walk five... You get the picture.

3.) Challenge Yourself - Once you get into a consistent habit and know your limits, start pushing yourself a little. Again, you don't have to start big. If you walk for thirty minutes a day, walk for forty. If you maintain a fairly easygoing pace, start walking a little quicker. Begin working to where you feel a good heart rate and a little tired after your walk. Then things will begin to get easier, and when they do, start pushing yourself even a little more. This transition doesn't have to come overnight, or even over the course of a month, but remember to try and make things a little more difficult for yourself each day.

4.) Ready for Exertion? - After a while, your walks will begin to seem less tiring, less exerting each day. That's good - you're probably noticing the results in the mirror as well. Now might be the time to try some more exerting walking exercises. You could keep with the walking longer, or walking faster. Or, maybe try switching up the terrain a bit - going uphill can really up the heart rate over a shorter period. There's also an option of trying to carry some weights. These are easy to come by - any old 3-5 pound weight for each hand will do, or even a pair of filled water bottles.

It's a lot easier than it sounds to find a good, solid calorie-burning activity. Walking is an excellent and simple means of weight loss. The key is to just keep it up - combine this with the correct weight loss supplements, and you will find that losing weight is as simple as taking a step outside.