According to the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, walking helps reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases (1). In fact, walking (at speeds equal to or greater than 8 km/h) expends more energy than jogging at the same speed (2). Read on to find out about the health benefits of walking daily.
Walking is a form of low impact, moderate intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommend that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day . For most people, this is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, or 5 miles.
According to the walking calorie calculator, a person weighing 187 lbs (85 kg) will burn approximately 512 calories walking 8 km at a speed of 3 miles per hour (a pace of 20:00 minutes per mile), while a person weighing 132 lbs (60 kg) will burn approximately 360 calories.
If you run 8-10 kilometres daily, then you can burn 350 calories more than walking. Research by Harvard University found that running for 30 minutes at a speed of 10 km per hour burns about 372 calories. Running also helps to reduce belly fat faster.
If you have the time to walk 8-10km, you'll probably burn 500 to 800 calories (about the same as running or biking for an hour).
“One of the most effective ways to reduce belly fat is to regularly take part in aerobic exercise, such as walking. Walking a mile (1.6 km) burns approximately 100 calories,” she added.
If you plan to walk for 4 miles (or 6.4 km) a day, you will begin to lose weight almost immediately. But along with your exercise routine, you need to maintain a balanced and healthy diet so that you don't put on the calories you're working hard to burn.
How far do I need to walk to lose weight? In the early stages you should aim for 6,000 steps a day, eventually progressing to a standard target of 10,000 to 12,000 steps which equates to closely 8-10km.
How Long Does It Take to Walk Off 10 Pounds? How much weight you can lose from walking depends on your current weight, diet and activity level. We recommend losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week for sustainable weight loss, which means you could potentially lose 10 pounds in five weeks.
10,000+ Daily Steps
However, aiming for a higher number is beneficial because walking not only helps in burning calories but is also responsible for the following benefits: Walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by about 19 percent.
Aim for at least 10,000 to 12,000 steps each day which will support a one to two kg weight loss over the course of a week.
Walking 10,000 steps every day will burn off roughly 3,500 extra calories per week. And burning off 3,500 calories per week burns off half 500g of fat – so combine your walking routine with a healthy and sensible diet and you can easily lose between 500g – 1kg a week.
For example, regular brisk walking can help you: Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat. Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Improve cardiovascular fitness.
About walking
Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.
A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories. Over time, calories burned can lead to pounds dropped. Walking tones your leg and abdominal muscles – and even arm muscles if you pump them as you walk. This increases your range of motion, shifting the pressure and weight from your joints to your muscles.
After 3-4 days of walking: you will notice the “better fit” or more room in your clothes! After 7 days of walking: real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned!
How much should I walk to lose 10 kg? 30 minutes a day of brisk walking or power walking 5 days a week can help you reduce up to 10 kgs.
Basically, walking every day for 30 minutes can burn as many as 150 calories per day. Hence, adding this to your diet chart to lose 5 kg in a month will surely work.
I started walking 2 km a day, slowly reaching 10,000 steps. At the end of two months, I lost 15 kilos. I used to avoid a meal three times in a day because my basal metabolic rate is low. I realised I don't need to eat three times food in a day.
People who lose weight or plan to lose weight wonder how many calories they need to burn to lose 1 kg. According to studies, for every 1 kg of weight loss, 7700 calories are needed, or 1000 calories are lost 0.13 kg.
What does 10,000 steps look like? Ten thousand steps equates to about eight kilometres, or an hour and 40 minutes walking, depending on your stride length and walking speed.