Walking is an easy, relaxing, low intensity way of losing weight. If you are more interested in efficient weight loss or attaining the fitness and physique of an athlete, then you should try an exercise that is more intense. But for most people walking should be intense enough to lose weight, as long as you plan out your diet.
Exercise and Diet
All physical activity is correlated with weight loss, but in order to burn fat, you must use more energy than you take in. This requires that you restrict calories to a moderate level at the same time that you exercise. A good plan to follow is about 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men. You should also eat a lot of food that contains fiber, which slows down digestion, and has a moderating effect on blood sugar.
Calories Burned
Total calories burned during walking sessions are dependent upon time, intensity and body weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person walking 2 mph will burn about 183 calories in an hour. At 3.5 mph it's 277 calories in an hour. A 200-pound person, however, will burn more calories: 228 calories at 2 mph and 346 at 3.5 mph in an hour. Thus, depending on the speed you walk you'll burn between one and two calories per pound of body weight.
Time Frame
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity. In this amount of time you can burn somewhere between 400 and 850 calories a week from walking, depending upon body weight and intensity. However, this is only a start. For better results you should walk a longer amount of time.
Fat Loss
A single pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. If you burn an extra 500 calories a week from walking, then you can shed 1 extra pound of fat every 7 weeks. If you burn an extra 1,000 calories a week, then it will require 3.5 weeks to lose that additional pound of fat.
Considerations
The convenient thing about walking is that it is an exercise that can be seamlessly integrated into your daily routine. For instance, you can walk on your way to the store or around a college campus. Treat walks as exercise sessions, however: warm up and cool down phases consisting of a few minutes of slow walking are critical to avoiding injury. After each of these phases you should stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.
Wear comfortable walking shoes and loose-fitting clothing that you can adjust to suit the temperature. You should avoid rubberized material, which prevents perspiration from evaporating.
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