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Home arrow Fitness arrow Walking arrow How Many Miles to Walk to Lose Weight?

How Many Miles to Walk to Lose Weight?

Isabel-Mayfield-health-reporter
Written by Isabel Mayfield
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Fact checked by Rosmy Barrios, MD
Last update: July 11, 2023
6 min read 1373 Views 0 Comments
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Walking is a great way to lose weight. Find out how many miles you need to walk to lose weight here.

how many miles to walk to lose weight

Getting more active is one of the best ways to support your weight loss goals, and increasing the amount you walk each week is an easy way to boost your weekly calorie burn.

Weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit, and this can be done in two ways. Eating fewer calories than you burn and burning more calories than you usually would. Walking helps with the latter.

Walking for weight loss doesn’t need to be an intense cardio workout – you can keep your normal walking pace and still feel the health benefits of walking. It is more about building a walking routine that helps you burn more calories each day.

In this article, we’re going to be looking at how you can lose weight by walking, how much and for how long you need to walk for weight loss, as well as how much walking is safe. To find out more about walking for weight loss, keep reading now.

Can You Lose Weight by Walking?

Yes, you can. Walking is an easy way for you to reduce your body weight. It is good for both physical and mental health and can support you in losing weight.

Walking is a good starter workout that can help those who may have not exercised regularly already. It is accessible for all levels of ability.

If you’re struggling to start walking or stick to your walking plan, you may benefit from a product like the Walking.Diet plan.

This product is a great resource for walking beginners. Providing a training plan with warm-up and cool-down exercises, this product can help you organize your walking and stay on track as you walk for weight loss.

The product can help you lose weight in other ways, too. It offers a recipe section with quick and simple meals using easy-to-find ingredients. It can also offer insight into the nutrition of meals you’re eating as well as tips and guidance for walking.

The app’s extra features include a keto dessert cookbook, workouts for general health, and private consultations with nutritionists and personal trainers via email. These features come at an extra cost.

If you’re looking to start walking more regularly and are aiming to lose weight, this product could be the helping hand you need. Why not check it out today?

How Much Should I Walk to Lose Weight?

To sustainably lose weight, the recommended amount of steps you should take each day is commonly cited as 10,000. This number is based on the knowledge that the average person will burn around 100 calories per 2,000 steps.

If you are burning 100 calories per 2000 steps, you will be able to burn an extra 500 calories if you are to walk 10,000 steps per day.

You can increase the number of calories you burn when walking 10,000 steps by increasing your walking speed to a brisk pace, choosing more uphill routes, or adding weights.

10,000 steps may seem like a daunting amount of steps to take each day, but remember that this includes every step you take around your house, office, walking to the car, etc. You could even add more steps by skipping the elevator or taking walking breaks at work.

How Long Do You Need to Walk to Lose Weight

When you begin walking for weight loss, you might wonder if there is a set amount of time you should walk to lose weight. Most recommendations suggest between 30 and 50 minutes per day.

During these 30–50 minutes, it is important that you set a decent walking pace. This means that your heart and breathing rate should be increased, but you should still be able to hold a conversation.

Walking briskly for 30–50 minutes a day might be too much for your current fitness level, particularly if you don’t currently engage in regular exercise and so you may want to start out more slowly.

Try taking shorter walks, then increase the distance until you can comfortably walk for 30–50 minutes a day. You could also walk for just a few days a week, gradually improving and being able to walk daily.

How Many Calories Does Walking Burn?

In a weight loss program, it is important to understand how many calories you are burning each day to help you adjust your calorie intake. This means knowing the approximate number of calories you can burn across certain distances.

Though every person is different, and calories burned will vary depending upon your weight, fitness level, and even the route you take, there are some rough estimates for the number of calories burned per specific distance.

We’ve summarized a few below for you to peruse.

#1 One mile

Walking one mile a day is estimated to burn between 65 and 100 calories depending upon your weight and the regularity of your physical activity.

You may also burn more calories by using a brisk walking pace across the one-mile distance. The faster you are walking, the more you are burning calories.

#2 Three miles

Walking three miles a day can increase the health benefits of walking and help you burn between 210 and 360 calories.

Walking three miles five days a week can help you burn an extra 1050–1800 calories per week. This helps avoid weight gain after a diet.

This number only increases the faster you are walking, and so if you are power walking 3 miles a day, you’ll be burning way more than this number.

#3 Five miles

Five miles of walking can boost your calorie burning to 350–600 calories per session or 1750–3000 calories per week.

#4 Ten miles

Walking for ten miles is thought to help you burn between 700 and 1200 calories per session.

Ten miles is a long distance to begin walking with, and you should get to such distance particularly slowly. 

You could try increasing your distance each day and setting a walking challenge for yourself until you hit this goal.

Should I Walk 7 Days a Week?

Walking seven days per week is perfectly healthy. However, if you are new to walking and don’t usually engage in any kind of walking program, you should build up to walking every day.

You could start by walking for three days each week and slowly add an extra day. Once you hit seven days, you could try increasing the duration or distance of your walks.

Remember not to push yourself too far and seek professional medical advice if you are concerned about the level of exertion.

Would Walking Tone My Legs?

Walking is a great way to tone your legs and reduce the extra weight around your thighs.

Walking engages a range of muscles in the body and can help build strength in the calves, quads, and hamstrings. It will also lift the glutes.

To increase muscle gain, you could change a few things about your walks, including making it a brisk walk of moderate intensity, adding strength training to your walks, like additional exercises or weights, and going on long walks with more complex routes.

Is It Safe to Walk Every Day?

It is safe to walk every day, and once you have adjusted to it, going on a long walk for your daily exercise will feel easy.

It is important that after your daily walk, you stretch. Stretching your muscles will ensure that you don’t ache and will help prevent injury.

Stretches to perform post-walk include a calf and hamstring stretch, a quad stretch, and a stretch to relieve tension in your glutes.

You should also ensure that you rehydrate after a long walk and replenish your energy stores. Try eating leafy greens, lean protein, or a protein shake to speed up recovery and ensure you can head back out on a walk again tomorrow.

A Word From Coach

Walking is a good way of increasing the calories you burn each day, and burning more calories than you take in is the only way you can lose weight.

Getting more active is always recommended when you begin losing weight, and walking is an easy and accessible way to do this.

You can begin by walking at an easy pace a few times a week to increase the number of steps you take each day. You should slowly aim for walking every day and trying to hit that 10,000-step goal.

Walking 10,000 steps a day can help you burn an extra 500 calories each day, helping you create a calorie deficit and a reduced food intake.

Walking can help you on your way to your fitness goals, but it is important that you don’t push yourself too far initially and that you stretch post-walk to avoid injuries and aches.

Walking helps boost your heart rate, can aid in muscle building, and gets you out of the house, which is great for your mental health as well as your physical health!

Conclusion

Walking is a great way to boost your weight loss. By increasing the amount you walk each day, you can burn more calories and create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

Walking is an accessible way to begin exercising more regularly. Start out slowly and increase as your body gets used to it.

The Walking.Diet Plan can help you track your daily walks, show your progress, and help you stick to your weight loss goals. Why not check it out today and see how it enhances your walking experience?

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Written by Isabel Mayfield
Isabel Mayfield is a certified yoga instructor with over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is passionate about self-improvement and loves to help people improve their sense of self-worth through education and support in meeting their fitness goals.
The article was fact checked by Rosmy Barrios, MD
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