All you need to get away from your waist is a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Walking is the most basic form of aerobic exercise that almost anyone can use to burn calories and increase energy levels. Walking speed plays a role in the amount of calories you burn, and therefore in the amount of weight loss you can expect. Whether you plan to get on a treadmill or hit the trails for walking around the neighborhood, control your speed to work efficiently toward weight loss goals.
What is the fat burning zone?
You may have heard of the fat burning zone , which is defined as exercising at about 55 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, or MHR. The MHR is calculated by subtracting 220 from your age. When you exercise within the fat-burning zone, your body tends to burn the highest percentage of calories, about 60 percent, from fat compared to other exercise intensities.
A moderate walking pace of about 2 to 3 mph is intense enough to place the person in the fat burning zone during a walk. To make sure it’s the right speed for you, check your heart rate periodically during the walk to see if it falls in the 55 to 65 percent range.
Although the walking speed that is within the fat burning zone is ideal for burning a high percentage of calories from fat, it is not the best way to burn maximum calories. Faster walking speeds burn more total calories, even from carbohydrates and fats. The key is to walk at a speed that speeds your heart to approximately 75 percent of your FCM . Aim between 3 and 4 mph to reach this level of intensity. If the intensity level is difficult to maintain 30 or more minutes at a time, do three or more 10-minute sessions throughout the day.
Estimated speed outdoors
There are a couple of ways to track your walking speed when you are off the treadmill. There are several applications for smartphones that offer a simple speedometer to help you track while walking speed. You can also use a smart watch or activity tracker to track heart rate, speed, steps, and other helpful health statistics. A third method is to use a simple breath test. If you can carry on a conversation with a partner without breathing, you are walking at a moderate pace in the range of 2 to 3 mph or less. However, if you find that you need to breathe every two sentences, you are walking at a more intense rate of 3 to 4 mph, or possibly higher. For reference, a light running speed is around 4 to 5 mph.
Perform walking intervals
You can integrate intervals into your walking regimen to increase the amount of calories burned. The intervals work by alternating periods of moderate intensity walking with short periods of vigorous walking; the higher the intensity, the better. You can use interval training walking outdoors or on a treadmill. A workout could include walking at a moderate speed of 3 mph for three minutes followed by three minutes of walking at a very fast speed of 4 to 5 mph. Repeat this cycle until you have completed a 30-60 minute walk. On the treadmill, you can increase the incline of the platform instead of speeding up the belt for more vigorous intensity during each work interval.
How do you lose weight by walking?
You have to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body weight. This sounds like a lot of extra calories to shift the balance from weight gain, or maintenance, to weight loss. However, regular walking can reduce this number in the long term. For example, a 90-pound person burns approximately 396 calories by walking at 3 mph for 60 minutes. At a rate of 4 mph, the same person would burn approximately 468 calories per hour.
If you manage to burn an average of 400 calories per workout , it would take less than nine workouts on foot to burn a total of 3,500 calories. Walking five times a week would put you on the path to losing 1 kilo a month, which is a viable goal to lose weight.
