It's easy to overlook the simple yet powerful benefits of walking. Walking is a low-impact exercise that can be done anywhere by almost everyone, and it's an effective way to lose weight, especially when paired with a healthy diet. In this article, we’ll explain why you should be walking more, how you can burn calories just by walking, and provide tips so you can get the best results out of your walks.
Why walking matters
Walking is a low-impact aerobic exercise that involves moving your body by taking steps. It’s a natural and accessible activity that most people can do without any special equipment or training. Walking is an excellent form of exercise for weight loss because it helps you burn calories, which can help you create a calorie deficit and lose weight. Walking has numerous other health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, reduced stress and anxiety, and better mood, as well as a wide range of mental health benefits.
How to Burn Calories by Walking
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Start with a Baseline: To determine how many calories you’re burning while walking, you need to start with a baseline. Use a fitness tracker, pedometer, or app to track your steps and distance traveled during a typical walking session.
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Calculate Calories Burned: Once you have your baseline, you can use an online calculator to estimate the number of calories you’re burning. The number of calories you burn while walking depends on your weight, speed, and the distance you traveled. For example, a 150-pound person walking at a brisk pace of 3.5 miles per hour burns about 300 calories per hour.
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Increase the Intensity: To burn more calories while walking, you can increase the intensity of your walks by walking faster or adding hills or stairs to your route. Walking at an incline or on uneven terrain can help you burn up to 50% more calories than walking on flat ground.
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Extend the Duration: Another way to burn more calories while walking is to extend the duration of your walks. Aim to walk for at least 30 minutes per day. Ideally, you should aim for 60 minutes per day for weight loss. You can also break up your walking sessions throughout the day to make it more manageable.
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Strength Training: Adding strength training exercises like lunges, squats, or calf raises to your walking routine can help you build muscle and burn more calories. You can also try walking with hand weights to increase your calorie burn.
- Stay Consistent: To see results from walking, you need to make it a consistent habit. Aim to walk at least five days per week, and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your walks over time.
Tips and Reminders
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Wear comfortable shoes with good arch support to prevent injury and discomfort.
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Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your walk.
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Warm up with a few minutes of stretching before your walk to prevent injury and improve flexibility.
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Mix up your route and scenery to keep your walks interesting and prevent boredom.
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Find a walking buddy or join a walking group to make it more enjoyable and keep yourself accountable.
Walking is a simple, effective, and accessible form of exercise that can help you burn calories, lose weight, and improve your overall health.
By starting with a baseline, calculating your calories burned, and increasing your intensity and duration over time, you can make walking an effective weight loss tool. Remember to stay consistent and mix up your routine to prevent boredom and keep yourself motivated.
Read more: Losing Weight Fast: is it good for you?
