Walking has been a proven way of burning calories to achieve weight loss. On top of being effective, this exercise is also a fun activity to do and moved people to make it a bonding activity with their families or friends.
Calculating the amount of calories burned while doing this workout is possible by knowing the distance you walk and your current weight. Speed is not as essential in determining burned calories unlike the first two factors. To help you with the calculation, you can refer to the chart found below.
How Many Calories do You Burn Walking?
If you will refer to the chart, it shows that the high amounts of burned calories per mile are attained in walking at low speeds and high speeds. Walking at low speed causes your body to stop and begin with every step. On the other hand, walking at faster speed promote more muscular movement like arm motion. More muscles moving while exercising contribute in increasing burned calories with every step. According to your weight, you can find out the bets speed to walk for losing weight.
Speed/ Pounds | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | 220 | 250 | 275 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2.0mph |
57 |
68 |
80 |
91 |
102 |
114 |
125 |
142 |
156 |
2.5mph |
55 |
65 |
76 |
87 |
98 |
109 |
120 |
136 |
150 |
3.0mph |
53 |
64 |
74 |
85 |
95 |
106 |
117 |
133 |
146 |
3.5mph |
52 |
62 |
73 |
83 |
94 |
104 |
114 |
130 |
143 |
4.0mph |
57 |
68 |
80 |
91 |
102 |
114 |
125 |
142 |
156 |
4.5mph |
64 |
76 |
89 |
102 |
115 |
127 |
140 |
159 |
175 |
5.0mph |
73 |
87 |
102 |
116 |
131 |
145 |
160 |
182 |
200 |
Aside from this chart, you may also want to calculate the calories burned by using an online calculator. Type in the required details like weight and workout minutes the tick the speed. It will then provide the estimated amount of calories burned while walking. An example of this calculator is http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-walking/.
How Often Should You Walk?
If it is your first time exercising through walking, start your routine by walking at least 15 to 20 minutes a day and do the exercise three times a week. Gradually boost your workout intensity by walking 30 minutes to an hour per day and exercise more than three times in a week.
Variations in working out make walking more interesting and motivate people to continue with their routines. Aside from walking outdoors, indoor walking on a treadmill will keep you from burnout by doing the same exercise routine. Entertaining yourself while walking is also an important motivating factor. Walk on a treadmill while watching television show or bring your portable music player and listen to your favorite tunes. Several people can attest that boredom is the primary reason why they stopped walking. Through workout variation and media, you can keep up with your goal as it is easier to incorporate exercising with your daily activity.
How to Walk Correctly?—the Right Posture
Walking is one of the first abilities a baby learns as he grows. Therefore, it seems like your brain and body already knows the mechanics involved in walking. However, maximizing the calorie burning process is possible by tweaking your form as you do this exercise.
- Keep your chin up. Your focal point should always be in front around 10 feet away from you. Doing this relaxes your neck as it maintains proper alignment with your spine while giving you longer strides.
- Work your core. Your core or abs are crucial in working out. As for working, work your core by pushing your stomach in, as if you are trying to connect your navel to your spine. Maintaining this position automatically puts your body into proper posture, which maximizes results.
- Tighten your glutes. Your body springs to moving forward while walking because of your behind. Tightening your glutes aids in promoting speed and strides. Naturally, it is challenging to maintain this position, but visualizing a certain scenario can help in tightening this part of the body. Imagine your glutes squeezing and keeping a piece of paper in place. Your goal is to keep this paper from falling. Do this and you are guaranteed to tighten your behind while working out.
Ways to Burn More Calories with Walking
Working out is always coupled with patience. However, it will not hurt to have some tricks on your sleeve to boost calorie burning through walking.
1. Adding Hills
Add 20% of burned calories to your regular walking routine with hills. Incline your treadmill or walking on slopes in your area to experience this benefit. Resources cited that five percent incline, and even lesser, gives you an advantage in improving the calorie burning process.
2. Rough Terrain
Rough terrain adds challenge on walking. An hour of brisk hiking on uneven surface can burn 430 calories. Set a day concentrating on this activity to experience its benefits.
3. Arm Motion
Swinging your arms adds 10% on total burned calorie. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and keep them close to your body. This exercise aids in propelling your body forward and strengthening your upper body.
4. Longer Strides
Health experts recommend maintaining longer strides rather than doing smaller and shorter steps. Covering more ground through better strides burn more fats and calories.
5. Heel Walk
Instead of landing on your sole, take a step and land on your heel. Do the same procedure using your other foot left behind. Remember to keep your toes from touching the floor and just walk on your heels. Swing and extend your arms while walking according to your steps’ speed. Do this exercise for a minute.
6. Toe Walk
Your position and movements in doing this exercise are the exact opposite of heel walks motion. Instead of walking on heels, you need to tiptoe and walk on your toes. Take short steps while moving your arms upwards, as if you are lifting a barbell, but open your palms once they are overhead then make soft fists while lowering them. Spend a minute on this exercise for better results.
7. Varying Speed Intervals
Exercise routine change by increasing intensity will make your body burn more calories. You can start by walking at your fastest speed up to two minutes and then walk at your usual speed. This workout improves your endurance to let you walk farther while simultaneously improving your speed. Another variation of this exercise is adding running to your walking routine. A minute of running intensifies calorie burning process, resulting in attaining your fitness goal faster.