Weight Loss

The Power of Walking for Weight Loss

Walking is an excellent form of exercise that can aid weight loss and provide many other health benefits. The number of calories you burn will depend on various things, especially your weight and walking speed. This table shows how many calories are burned in a one hour walk, according to your weight and walking speed:

 

 


2.0 mph
2.5 mph 3.0 mph 3.5 mph 4.0 mph
120 pounds 154 165 193 237 275
150 pounds 190 204 238 292 340
180 pounds 230 246 287 353 451
210 pounds 266 285 333 401 475
240 pounds 305 327 382 469 545
270 pounds 344 369 431 529 615
300 pounds 381 408 476 585 680

For reference, 3mph is the average walking pace.

Walking can promote weight loss: in a study, women with obesity who walked 3 days per week for around 1 hour lost about 6 pounds over 12 weeks, compared with women who didn’t walk.

 

Combining with your diet

As we have seen above, walking itself can promote weight loss. However, it is much more effective when combined with a calorie-restricted diet

In a 12 week study, people with obesity restricted calories by 500-800 per day. One group walked 2 hours per week at 3.7 mph, while the other group didn’t walk. Both groups lost a significant amount of body weight, however those in the walking group lost about 4 pounds more, on average, than those who didn’t.

 

Other health benefits

  • Improvement in cholesterol.
  • Improved mood: A Stanford University study found that walking increased creative output by an average of 60%. The study stated; “walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”
  • Decreased blood pressure.

These benefits translate to a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and overall mortality.

 

Keep it interesting

  • Modify your route: Walk on bike trails, in a different neighborhood, or at your local mall.
  • Change your walking times.
  • Walk with a friend: This is a great way to catch up with a friend. Or maybe ask the new resident in your area if they’d like to go on a walk with you.
  • Listen to an audiobook or podcast.
  • Have a moment of pause and reflection. In today’s society it can feel like we are constantly swimming through a barrage of noise. This can make it hard to pause, reflect and think creatively. Allow your mind to explore new ideas and resolve those issues you have been sitting on for a while.
  • Reward yourself: Maybe some new walking shoes or attire.

 

Happy Walking

We hope you feel inspired to go on a walk! While you’re here, why not check out our range of low carb, low calorie meal replacement shakes. Our shakes have helped many people reach their goal weight due to their great formulation and powerful hunger-blocking ingredient, Slendesta.

 



Molly Walsh

Molly Walsh

Writer and expert

Molly graduated from the London School of Economics in 2019. In her spare time you can probably find her golfing or trying to be inventive in the kitchen.


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