There’s no arguing that high intensity exercise burns a lot calories and can significantly improve your cardiovascular fitness. But not everyone is keen on doing HIITs. Fortunately, it’s not the only thing that can help with weight loss.
Walking has been found to be effective in helping people lose weight. One study compared the effects of diet + 60 minute daily walk and a diet + 30-minute daily walk to just diet alone and the results showed that the group which walked daily on top of dieting had superior weight loss and overall health compared to the diet-only group. Moreover, it was found that there’s a direct correlation between low-level physical activity and a healthy body mass index (BMI).
How Much Walking is Needed to Lose Weight?
If your objective is to maintain or lose weight, you probably want to know how much time you should spend walking to achieve this. But take note that there is no single answer that fits everyone’s needs. Adding 30 minutes to 1 hour of moderate walking will burn anywhere between 100 to 400 calories and if you walk daily, you could burn 3,000 to 12,000 calories a month. Of course, there are factors that affect the amount of calories you burn such as your gender, weight, height, speed of walking and environment. Walking at 3.5 mph for half an hour will burn 100 calories for someone who weighs 125 lbs. This same speed and duration will burn 160 calories for someone who weighs 185 lbs.
But if you’re serious about losing weight and would like to lose more than a pound a month, then you need to compute how many calories you need daily and how many is needed to create a calorie deficit. Keep in mind that you should burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body fat.
Walking vs. Running for Weight Loss
Running is a great way to enhance cardio fitness, burn calories, improve mood, and strengthen the body. Many people can’t go about their day without spending 30 to 60 minutes running on their treadmill or around the neighborhood. So if you’re wondering whether you should run instead of walk in order to lose weight, here are some things to consider:
1. How much time can you set aside for exercise?
One of the main differences between running and walking is the speed with which you can get results. You can burn twice the amount of calories when you run, compared to walking. If you’re pressed for time, you can do a 25 minute run instead of walking for an hour. If you have a lot of time in your hands and would like your workout to be more relaxed and enjoyable, then walking is definitely the way to go.
2. Are you susceptible to injuries?
Running is a high impact exercise that puts a lot of stress on the joints, muscle and bones. If you’re prone to injury in these areas, you may have to avoid running. Walking, on the other hand, is more comfortable and gentle on the muscles and joints.
Tips to Help You Walk More
You can easily fit a walk into your everyday routine. Keep in mind these tips:
1. Wake up early and start your day with a walk. Go out for an early morning walk so you can begin your day with a clear head. You can even listen to an audiobook as you do so.
2. Don’t drive to work. Commuting can add some mileage to your routine. You can take the bus and stop a few blocks from your office so that you are forced to walk more.
3. Make it a regular thing. If you have a busy schedule and are struggling to balance your personal and work life, squeeze in 20-30 minutes to walk with your partner after everyone’s had dinner so you can spend time together while burning calories – hitting 2 birds with one stone!
Check out this amazing fast walking video to burn calories: