How Many Calories Does A 5-mile-a-day Walk Burn?

Walking five miles a day can be time consuming, but it's also a fantastic way to stay active, get a low-impact workout and form a stronger connection with the outdoors --- or your local treadmill. Depending on how fast you walk and how much you weigh, you could burn upward of 500 calories on a daily stroll.

Pace

Walking faster will burn more calories over a set period of time, but it won't make much difference if you're going for distance rather than speed. That is, if you were going to walk for 90 minutes every day, you'd burn more calories walking at a speed of 4 mph than at 2 mph, but you'd burn a similar number of total calories if you went for five miles at either speed, even though it would take you longer at the slower pace.

Body Size

Larger people burn more calories. Your weight matters, at least when you're calculating how useful your workout might be. For instance, a 160-lb. person who walks for an hour at 3.5 mph burns about 275 calories, but a 240-lb. person who does the same walk burns about 415 calories.

Calorie Totals

A 160-lb. person who walks for five miles at a leisurely pace of 2 mph burns a total of about 505 calories, and the walk would take about two and a half hours. Don't have that kind of time to spare? You can walk at double the speed and take half the time, finishing in just 75 minutes for a total calorie burn of about 470.

Alternatives

There are plenty of ways to burn more calories on a daily five-mile walk. One option is to strap on light wrist or hand weights. That will add resistance to your movements and increase your total calorie burn; according to the American Council on Exercise, using 1- to 3-lb. wrist weights during walking increases heart rate by five to 10 beats per minute and boosts calorie burn by 5 to 15 percent. You can also step up part of your walk to a jog, which will burn about double the number of calories that walking does.

Considerations

If you choose to wear wrist or ankle weights, keep them at 3 lbs. or lighter to avoid muscle strain and injury. Before beginning a walking plan or any other fitness routine for weight loss, speak with your physician and get approval.