Walking for Weight Loss: What You Need to Know!
Can a nice, pleasant stroll really help you lose weight? Some diet programs and health experts recommend brisk walking for weight loss. You’ve heard regular physical activity can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of various health conditions. Walking is a wonderful form of physical activity that’s low risk, free, and accessible for most people.
Walking is an easy and practical form of exercise to fit into your daily routine. You could walk the dog, go for a stroll in nature, walk with a friend, or explore somewhere new.
Can Walking Help with Weight Loss?
With our busy, industrialized, modern work environments and lifestyles, most people spend the day sitting and being sedentary. A sedentary lifestyle might contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of health problems. Walking is one way to increase your physical activity level and reduce these risks. Walking can also help with weight loss and even walking just one mile a day has been shown to burn an estimated 100 calories[1].
Daily calorie needs vary from person to person and are influenced by factors like weight, activity level, and genes. It’s well known and studied that people who are more active and move more tend to lose more weight. Physical activity facilitates weight loss and better health.
Aerobic exercise like walking can also reduce belly fat, which has been linked to a range of health problems.
How Much Should I Be Walking?
Most health experts suggest participating in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This equates to around 2.5 hours of a brisk walking pace every week (at least 10 minutes at a time). Ideally, you could aim for a brisk walk of 30 minutes to 90 minutes most days of the week to really boost your wellness. Start where you are and gradually increase your steps and pace over time.
When it comes to weight loss, walking at a brisk pace seems to be more effective and logical. Walking on hills or slight inclines can also increase the intensity of your walk and might help you burn more calories.
Tips for Walking for Weight Loss
Making exercise a habit makes you more likely to do it. Pencil a fast-paced walk into your daily schedule and think of it as a beneficial form of self-care you shouldn’t skip out on.
Check out these top tips for walking for weight loss:
- Make a habit of taking a walk at the same time every day, such as when you wake up, on your lunch break, or after dinner
- Ask a friend to join you for a regularly scheduled walk
- Walk your dog every day or join friends on dog walks
- Use a fitness tracker or app to log your steps and get you motivated
- Walk during a meeting with a colleague instead of just sitting at your desk
- Try to run some errands by walking on foot instead of always by car
- Join a walking group
- Choose new challenging and interesting walking routes to kick it up a notch!
You can achieve the best results by combining your exercise with a healthy diet like a well-formulated ketogenic diet.
Remember, you can burn around 100 calories just by walking one mile! Walking is considered a moderate-intensity exercise that might enhance your weight loss progress. It’s easy to get walking; just take it one step at a time!
Has Walking Helped Your Weight Loss Progress?
Do You Walk for Weight Loss? Share your weight loss tips with the keto community here at ketogenic.com!
References
Loftin, M., Waddell, D. E., Robinson, J. H., & Owens, S. G. (2010). Comparison of energy expenditure to walk or run a mile in adult normal weight and overweight men and women. J Strength Cond Res, 24(10), 2794-2798. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cc26cd