How Much Should I Walk To Lose Weight

A dedicated walking program combined with good nutrition can help to lose weight. You’ll need to walk at the correct pace, with the right intensity, and pay attention to your diet in order to achieve your goals.

Here are the basics and where to start on How Much Should I Walk To Lose Weight:

Walking Duration and Weight Loss

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that individuals do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day, or 150 minutes per week. This can help you improve your cardiovascular fitness and fight other health conditions. However, if your goal is to lose weight you will need to do more.

The ACSM recommends increasing this amount to 200-300 minutes per Semaine (3.3-5 hours) for obese people who want to lose weight or those looking to maintain their weight. This means that a walk of one hour, five days a week, will suffice to reach your weight loss goals. Additional exercise will increase your overall fitness and calorie burn.

Walking Intensity

All walks are not created equal. Your heart rate should be maintained at a moderate intensity during your walk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines moderate intensity exercise as any activity that increases your heart rate by 50-70% of your maximum.

To increase the intensity of your exercise, add resistance training by using weights and short periods of running. The duration of your walk must be reduced to 70% to get the same benefits. A 60-minute moderate-intensity walk is equivalent to a 30-minute run/walk at a high-intensity level.

A heart rate monitor is the best way to determine intensity. However, you can also track perceived exertion. On a scale from 0-10 (sitting, 10 being the most exertion), moderate intensity is between 5-6 and vigorous activity starts at 7.

How Does Walking Compare With Running

Walking has many of the same benefits as running, and is safer than running. For those who prefer to walk, it is important to consider the time required for weight loss. The American Council of Exercise states that a 150-pound (68kg), the runner can burn 340 calories in a three-mile (5k) when they run a 10-minute mile on average (for a 30-minute run). This is an average of 11.3 calories per hour. A 150-pound (68kg), walker who walks at a moderate pace for three miles an hour will burn 224 calories in a walk of three miles (5k). This is a total of 60 minutes. On average, this is 3.7 calories per hour.

This shows that running is indeed more efficient at burning calories than walking, but you can still make up the difference if you walk for longer distances. To burn the same calories as a 3-mile run, you would need to walk for approximately one hour and thirty minutes or 4.5 miles.

Tracking Meals

When you want to lose weight, it is important to calculate and record your daily steps and mileage. The last piece of the equation, nutrition, is also crucial. You can log your food intake and track your workouts to get a better picture of what you eat. This will allow you to make better decisions about portion sizes, and where to cut calories. It will also help you lose weight and maintain it.

The Conclusion

Begin by walking more than usual each day until you are able to walk for an hour or more every other day, 4-5 times per week. You’ll be able to lose weight if you walk at a fast pace, and pay close attention to your diet.