Conclusions: Total body fat is lost through walking at all speeds, but the change is more rapid, clear, and initially greater with slow walking in overweight subjects. A longer exercise impulse at a lower speed in our study initially produced greater total fat loss than a shorter one with fast walking speed.
Speed Matters When Walking for Fitness
If you're walking for your health, a pace of about 3 miles per hour (or about 120 steps per minute) is about right. That's a 20-minute mile. To walk for weight loss, you'll have to pick up the pace to 4 miles per hour (or 135 steps per minute), a 15-minute mile.
Surprisingly, walking slowly 2 miles per hour burns more calories than fast walking 3 to 4 miles per hour. Why? When you walk slowly, you lose the efficiency of already being in motion towards your next step. This makes your muscles work a little harder with each step.
Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.
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.
Walking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace covers a distance of 2.0 to 2.5 km and burns about 125 calories (520 kiloJoules). This amount may not seem like much, but if you walked five days a week within one year you would burn over 32,000 calories which would burn off more than 5 kg of fat.
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. For those who are walking to remain active and maintain their weight then 10,000 to 12,000 steps is recommended.
“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.
About walking
Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance.
A longer walk may take more time, but the activity lowers your risk of injury and provides many of the same health benefits as walking faster. A longer walk builds endurance so that you can, over time, cover longer distances, Dr. Higgins says. Consistent walking allows you to gradually combine both distance and speed.
It improves cardiovascular fitness, cardiovascular risk, glycemic control, stress levels, and may help prevent dementia," says Dr. Weinrauch. The takeaway: If you're just getting started, a slow walk will give you the most benefits until you've raised your fitness and your body is ready for the next challenge.
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. Walking eases joint pain.
Ten thousand steps equates to about eight kilometres, or an hour and 40 minutes walking, depending on your stride length and walking speed.
Most people burn 30-40 calories per 1,000 steps they walk, meaning they'll burn 300 to 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps, Hirai says. However, this is just an estimate. Each step you take burns calories, but the exact amount is highly individualized. "Calorie burn rate can be quite variable," he says.
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!
Walking is absolutely a great form of exercise, and one that doesn't get a ton of love because it's so chill and easy compared to other forms of exercise, Saltos says. But, rather than building butt muscles, walking can actually make your bum a bit smaller.
If you want to know how to speed up your weight loss by walking, you need to increase the intensity of your walks. Walking regularly could help you lose nearly a kg per week, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
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.
"If you're looking for ways to lose weight, walking may be just the thing you need," says Elmardi. In a 2022 study published in Nutrients, overweight women who took a brisk, 30-minute walk five days a week lost nearly two pounds over 12 weeks — without changing their diets.