An instructor explains how many calories walking burns

Many factors affect how many calories you burn while walking. Here’s an analysis:

weight

The heavier your body is, the harder it has to work to move, says Jessica Cording, MS, RD, author of. The Little Book of Game-Changers. This also means that the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn, says Glor. On average, a 150-pound person will burn about 100 calories per mile at a light pace (say, 2.5 miles per hour), Glor explains, and a 120-pound person will burn an average of about 85 calories per mile at the same pace.

metabolism

Some people are born with a fast metabolic rate – in other words, they burn calories faster. “Men also have a faster metabolism, partly because of their size and muscle mass,” says Maaliff. Calorie burn may also decrease with age as you become less active and lose muscle mass.

speed and resistance

In general, the faster you walk, the more calories you’ll burn, says Kording. “A 150-pound person running at a three-mile-per-hour pace will burn an average of 115 calories per mile, while a 120-pound person may burn an average of 100 calories per mile,” explains Glor. Similarly, you can use additional tools (like ankle weights) or non-flat terrain to the east.

number of steps

Cording says step counting can have different effects on everyone. “I’ve found that it’s really motivating for people to see how many steps they’re taking – it motivates them to make good choices and stay consistent with healthy habits in other areas of their well-being,” she says. But some people can be too stubborn about counting their steps and become stressed as a result, she says.

cumulative speed

“You don’t have to just take long walks for them to be effective for your mental and physical health,” says Cording. “Short walks throughout the day can be just as effective.”

“From what I’ve seen as a bariatric surgeon, walking is vastly undervalued and overemphasized,” he says. Hector Perez, MDA bariatric surgeon at Renew Bariatrics
and advisor to BestSurgeons.com. “The patients in my clinic who have lost more than 60 pounds and kept it off walk almost daily, but they certainly don’t rely on walking alone.”

It is related to the mechanism of walking. Dr. Perez adds, “It’s a gentle physical activity that, although it won’t burn 800 calories an hour, is sustainable, low-damage, cortisol-friendly, and repeatable, which is basically everything you need for consistent fat loss.” He says his patients often live at two extremes, either believing that walking 10,000 steps a day will “fix everything” or that walking is useless. “Both are wrong,” he says. “Walking is sufficient for quick fat loss in obese individuals because it increases daily energy expenditure without triggering compensatory hunger the way intense cardio often does.” He goes on to explain that in the long run, without resistance training and managing your diet, running alone becomes a maintenance effort.

Because everyone is different, there is no exact number. according to Gail Barranda Rivas, ACE, AFAAPersonal Trainer, Functional Strength Coach, Pilates, and Yoga Instructor in New York City It all depends on the above factors of weight, metabolism, and resistance. When in doubt, try to move forward with more enthusiasm. “Walking at a fast pace increases your heart rate and makes you sweat, which will definitely cause more irritation than walking at a slow pace,” says Rivas.

Rivas says that on average, walking 10,000 steps per day can burn about 3,500 calories. It also depends on how much you weigh, your height and your level of exertion. Keep in mind that you don’t have to complete all the steps at once. To climb more stairs, Rivas recommends walking instead of resorting to other forms of transportation, parking your car farther away from your destination, or even taking a short walk during your lunch break.

The easiest way to increase calories while walking is to increase your speed. “Increasing the intensity of your workout increases heart rate, which requires more energy and burns more calories,” says Glor. You can also walk longer distances than your usual leisurely walk to build stamina, and/or find some mixed terrain.

“If you’re walking outside, look for hills,” suggests Glor. And if you’re running on a treadmill, Glor encourages setting your incline level to 1.5 or higher. Apart from burning more calories, incline walking helps to tone the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and core. “Avoid bending at the hips, keep your shoulders back and keep your core engaged as you walk downhill,” suggests Glor.

You can also add dumbbells to incorporate strength training during your walks and increase the weight you’re running around. “This helps you target more muscle groups to strengthen your muscles and burn more calories,” says Glor.

Unless you’re using a tracker, it can be quite confusing to know whether you’re burning enough calories while walking. The good news is that you can check yourself to see if you’re working hard enough.

Do you find yourself short of breath? This is a very good indicator that you are working hard. Glor says you want to aim for a thin layer of sweat, and a little out of breath if you talk while walking. “If you’re doing a slow, long endurance walk, you’ll want your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to be six out of 10,” says Glor.

RPE is a way of measuring physical exertion on a scale of one to 10. “If you’re doing a high-intensity running workout with dumbbell work, incline hills, or lunges, your RPE should be at least seven,” says Glor.

Diet is also an essential aspect of weight loss. “Nutrition is the primary approach to weight loss, and unfortunately, people put too much emphasis on exercise,” says Maalif. The amount of calories you need is determined by your age, height and body weight, and you can use a weight loss calculator or talk to your doctor or physical trainer to determine how many calories you should consume and burn per day.

“Anything that moves your body burns calories,” explains Maaliff. “We take in energy through food and then burn it passively through body functioning (breathing or digesting food) and actively through movement (running or exercising).” boost metabolismWalking reduces stress hormones like cortisol, which can contribute to weight gain. “Walking increases non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), one of the most powerful but overlooked components of daily calorie burn,” explains Dr. Perez. “A 200-pound person can burn about 100 calories per mile walking, depending on the speed, which isn’t dramatic, but done daily, that’s about 700 calories per week, which turns into about a half pound of fat over time.” Dr. Perez warns that hunger hormones may increase after cardio, and the more intense your workout, the greater the cravings may be. This is another reason why walking is great. “It works best (for weight loss) when it increases basal expenditure without dramatically increasing appetite,” says Dr. Perez. “In my postoperative patients, daily walking stabilizes blood sugar, improves insulin sensitivity, reduces stress eating, and maintains lean mass better than aggressive cardio. The real secret isn’t behind the calories burned, it’s the fact that walking keeps people metabolically active without triggering the hormonal backlash that plagues more extreme workouts.”

In conclusion: there are some reasons No Walk whenever possible.