Although walking away the pounds might sound too easy to be true, you can burn calories and lose weight by walking. To lose weight, you need to pay attention to the duration and pace of your walks; a slow saunter every once in a while will not yield weight-loss benefits. You will also need to commit to changing your lifestyle permanently to include time for regular walks.
Significance
Any type of physical exercise -- including walking -- burns calories. The key to successful weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. You can lose weight through walking, but that changing your diet so that you eat fewer calories is often a more effective method of shedding weight than walking alone.
Considerations
A brisk 30-minute walk -- at a pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour -- can help you burn up to 150 calories each day, according to MayoClinic.com. This adds up to about 1/2 lb. a week. As you grow more accustomed to walking, you can increase the pace and length of your daily walks to speed up weight loss. For maximum weight loss, aim for 60 minutes of brisk walking on most days of the week.
Make walking part of your regular daily routine and try to skip as few days as possible. Maintain realistic expectations; even the most dedicated walker need to take a day off on occasion. Once you lose weight, continue walking regularly to keep the pounds off.
Disadvantages
Walking yields a slower rate of weight loss than more intensive workouts, such as running. According to the Merck Manuals website, a 125-lb. person will burn 198 calories an hour walking versus 453 biking or 708 running an 8-minute mile. It also places fewer demands on your heart, making it a less effective option for cardiovascular health. Walking alone will not strengthen your upper body and provides only a small amount of toning and strengthening to your lower body unless you are already in good physical condition.
Tips
Before starting your walking weight-loss program, set firm, realistic goals. Invest in a pedometer so you can keep track of how many steps you take and how far you go. Daily record your steps taken, the distance you walked and the duration of your walk.
If you cannot dedicate a full hour to walking, try to squeeze in several 10- to 15-minute increments of walking throughout the day.
Walking too slowly will not yield weight-loss benefits, so keep to a brisk pace. When walking at a brisk pace, you should be able to talk but not sing. If you can't talk, slow down. If you can sing, speed up a bit.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Can I lose weight if my only exercise is walking?
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories burned in 1 hour
- Merck Manuals Home Edition: Choosing the Right Exercise
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Measuring Physical Activity Intensity
- Harvard Men's Health Watch: Walking: Your Steps to Health
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