Is it possible to lose weight only by walking? If so, than how many miles do you have to walk? Let us dig deeper into this topic and find the truth!
Calculator (Equation) for Calories Burned In Walking
Walking is a part of everyday routine. No matter how much time you spend on working or doing sport, you always need to walk. Of course, this kind of activity (like any other) makes calories burn. Even simply by walking through the office, you spend more calories than you think. So, is it possible to lose weight like this?
The answer is definitely ‘yes’. However, the amount of burnt calories is not as big as for running or doing exercises.
When you walk, your whole body takes part in it. Legs have to transport you, spine supports the weight and even arms help to move. Therefore, many muscles work and they all need energy for it. That is why you do spend calories on walking.
Calories Burned Running
There are only two factors that affect the amount of burnt calories: your weight and the distance you have walked. Speed and time of walking make no difference. You will spend the same amount of calories per mile if you walk 3 mph or 4 mph.
Nevertheless, long walks may make you sweat. This means your metabolism rises.
Therefore, you will possibly spend more calories on a long walk, as it is rather exhausting. It depends on your weight and cardio. So, any speed you walk, you will burn calories according to this simple formula:
- BCal1 = 0.53 × BW × D
where BCal – burnt calories; 0.53 – coefficient; BW – your body weight in pounds; D – distance walked in miles.
This formula takes normal metabolism into account. This means calories burnt regularly are added. If you want to know how many calories you have spent just for walking, use this one instead:
- BCal2 = 0.3 × BW × D
Notice that running differs from walking only by movements and not by speed. When you walk, one foot is always on the ground; when run – there are moments when your whole body is in the air. That is the only difference, but the formula changes. So does the amount of calories burnt.
Examples of How to Calculate Calories Burned By Walking
Considering mentioned in the first paragraph, the more you walk, the more calories you can burn. This means you can even stroll slowly. Let us say you weigh 130 pounds. If you walk, for example, for 2 hours with 3 mph speed, you will burn no less than 410 calories, which is a big number for such an easy activity. Let us consider more examples.
Burned Calories for a person with 150 Pounds of Weight, walking with 4 mph Speed
| Distance | Burnt calories including metabolism | Burnt calories excluding metabolism |
|---|---|---|
| Half a mile | 40 | 23 |
| 1 mile | 80 | 45 |
| 2 miles | 159 | 90 |
| 3 miles | 239 | 135 |
| 4 miles | 318 | 180 |
| 5 miles | 398 | 225 |
| 10 miles | 795 | 450 |
As you can see, you can burn almost fifth of your daily calorie intake by walking 5 miles. Of course, this is a big distance, but if you get used to it, it will not be hard for you to walk even more. The best way to walk so much is to get to work by foot (if you can).
| Time | Burnt calories including metabolism | Burnt calories excluding metabolism |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | 27 | 15 |
| 15 min | 80 | 45 |
| 20 min | 106 | 60 |
| 30 min | 159 | 90 |
| 1 hour | 318 | 180 |
| 2 hours | 636 | 360 |
| 3 hours | 954 | 540 |
| 4 hours | 1272 | 720 |
| 5 hours | 1590 | 900 |
Five hours of walking can help you spend almost all the calories you have gotten for a day. This is really a huge number. If you have no time for such a long strolls, walk for at least one hour and do some morning exercises. It will definitely help you lose weight.
Calories Burnt by a person of 200 Pounds of Weight, walking with 3.5 mph Speed
| Distance | Burnt calories including metabolism | Burnt calories excluding metabolism |
|---|---|---|
| Half of a mile | 53 | 30 |
| 1 mile | 106 | 60 |
| 2 miles | 212 | 120 |
| 3 miles | 318 | 180 |
| 4 miles | 424 | 240 |
| 5 miles | 530 | 300 |
| 10 miles | 1060 | 600 |
Apparently, the more you weigh, the harder it is for your muscles to carry this weight. Therefore, the same distance walked makes your burn more calories.
| Time | Burnt calories including metabolism | Burnt calories excluding metabolism |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 31 | 18 |
| 15 minutes | 93 | 53 |
| 20 minutes | 124 | 70 |
| 30 minutes | 186 | 105 |
| 1 hour | 371 | 210 |
| 2 hours | 742 | 420 |
| 3 hours | 1113 | 630 |
| 4 hours | 1484 | 840 |
| 5 hours | 1855 | 1050 |
As you can see, even with a lower speed, a person weighing 200 pounds spends more calories per hour walking than the one who weighs 150 pounds.
Read more:
Walking is easy. It is a normal activity for your body and will never be as exhausting as running or doing exercises. However, with a proper distance walked you can burn many calories. Therefore, if you want to lose weight it is a good idea to walk as much as you can. Tell us how many miles do you walk per day in a comment section!
