Walking used to be the only mode of transportation a long time ago. And maybe a bit of running now and then, if something was chasing you. Now we drive or take public transportation almost everywhere we go, eliminating one of natureâs best exercises.
Walking remains one of the best exercises available today because you donât need any special equipment, itâs free, and you can do it absolutely anywhere, without the body stress of running. Unlike other expensive weight loss regimes that require fancy memberships and equipment, all you need to get started walking for weight loss is shoes and solid ground.
If you want to lose even more weight on the Military Diet, walking is an excellent addition to the diet. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. The Military Diet already ensures weight loss via a calorie deficit, but adding a low impact walking regime can really boost your results. And just like the Military Diet itself, walking is easily incorporated into your day to day life.
Health experts recommend brisk walking as one of the best cardio calorie burning exercises. But just how many calories are you burning out there?
The key to walking for weight loss is to keep a brisk pace and cover some distance. At a brisk pace, you will be in at 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate. To know if youâre there, you should be breathing harder than usual, able to speak in full sentences but not able to sing. You can also get your exercise zone reading from a fitness app or heart rate monitors, should you possess the latest gadgets.
Your weight and the distance you walk determine how many calories you burn while walking. If a 180 pound person walked an hour a day, they would cover about 4 miles and burn 400 calories. Those calories really add up for weight loss!
You burn more calories walking at a brisk rate, usually about 15 minutes per mile. And the good news is that the more you weigh, and the less fit you are, the more calories you burn! You burn less calories if you walk at the strolling rate of a 30-minute mile, but it all still counts.
And thereâs even better news, during the first 30 minutes of walking, your body burns sugar. After 30 minutes, you the body starts releasing fat from its cell and burns that for fuel instead.
If you walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, the distance you cover would be:⨠1.5 to 2.0 miles, or 2.5 to 3.3 kilometersâ¨, or 3,000 to 4,500 pedometer steps.
Walking weight loss tips
⢠To see real results, you should walk at least 30 minutes a day (or about 2.5 hours a week minimum). If you have more time on your hands, walking 90 minutes a day will shed those pounds. If you need to break up your walking time because your schedule doesnât permit you to do it all at once, use higher intensity intervals like stairs or hills to get the most out of your shorter walking workouts.
⢠Try not to skip more than one day in a row. Consistency is best for burning calories, improving your metabolism, and seeing real results.
Walking has many benefits like lowered risk of disease, but increased metabolism and weight loss are some of the best benefits of walking. If you walk at a brisk pace, aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to reduce belly fat too. Another small study showed that obese women who walked an hour a week, three times a week, reduced their waist by 1.1 inches and lost 1.5% of their body fat over a 12 week period.
