If you are a complete beginner in the journey of weight loss, then the most adaptable, easy, and fun activity could be none other than “WALKING”.
How Daily One Hour Walk Can Help You Lose Weight Effectively ?
This question arises in minds of those who only walk, and the ones who does not at all!
Curiosity is the key to amazing and helpful answers.
So,
Most of us don’t see Walking as a prime way to lose weight & burn fat.
New studies have shown that walking consistently for a set number of minutes throughout the week can impact on fat loss.
Walking can help you lose body fat and reduce waist line.
It’s especially true if you have started on your weight loss journey or looking for motivation to start getting more active.
Walking can become a lifestyle and help in sustainable weight loss. And on top of that if combined with a healthy diet it can do wonders!
With one hour walk of ( 30-30 min Two session) Daily:
You can burn 210 to 360 calories in a day ( depending on speed), Covering around 5-6 km of distance and 6-7 thousand steps.
These numbers can make a big difference.
With one hour of intense cardio you can burn Up To 450 calories in a session
And with strength training Upto 340 calories depending on weight.
If you clearly see the comparison between three of them, then the numbers are not really varying. But the fact that you can not do strength training for all days of week straight is something you need to know. Because, Over Exercising can create a strain and stress on your body leading to high chances of injury and muscle pain.
- Walking is considered safe for people with injuries, other health conditions, pregnancy, new moms, elderly people.
- Walking is not only good for beginners but also more advanced people trying to add some active recovery in between other workout routines.
- Walking is good during Recovery time to prevent Side Effects of training.
- High intensity training exhausts your central nervous system making you tired.
- Walking helps you recover from soreness and muscle pain.
- Chance of getting an injury from walking is 50% less than running, and 30% lesser than many other exercises we perform at a high pace.
Benefits of Daily Walking :
- Helps in increasing leg strength.
- Improves body composition.
- Reduces blood pressure.
- Reduces bad HDL.
- Results in losing body weight.
- Improves waist to hip ratio & body fat percentage too.
- May help reduce some amount of visceral fat.
- Add many years to life.
Walking is the safest and effective strategy against reducing fat and managing insulin specially in women.
At an advanced stage With high intensity exercise you can burn more calories, save time, improve muscle ability to use oxygen more effectively.
In Walking, Ground Reaction force is around 1.2 times your body weight. In walking it’s 2.5 times your body weight.
Running produces higher ground reaction forces. It means that it puts more stress on your joints every time your foot touches the ground.
Walking slightly more than usual is better & won’t put much strain in your body.
Running/ jogging an extra kilometer can strain your body making it harder to do the same next day.
70% of Weight loss depends on What you Eat & How you Digest it & many other factors.
30% of weight loss depends on how much you move ( exercise and NEAT).
Out of those 30%, 15% is your daily exercise or deliberate activity, and 15% is your ( NEAT) Non exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
Side effects of over exercising :
- You become hungry ( moody).
- High Craving fat high calorie fatty food
- Less movement during rest of the day : low NEAT.
- Low energy throughout the day.
- Depression & low motivation levels.
- Higher chances of injury.
- Walking leave you feeling fresh, motivated & less stressed.
Walking vs running, which is better ?
Both the activities are great, but the one that suits more depends on:
- Age.
- Individual ability.
- Physical condition or limitations.
- Motivation level.
- Stress levels.
You can also convert walking into brisk walk, slow jog or run any day as per your convenience.
What is Brisk walk ?
100 steps per minute or walking as if you’re late.
Keep it enjoyable. It shouldn’t be stressful.
How much to walk for weight loss?
10k steps approx. 7-8km ( not in one single session but in a day)
Total steps = daily work steps + deliberate walking (45min- 1 hour).
By now, if you have convinced your mind about how wonderful walking is, so here are bonus tips for you.
Things you can do to improve walking results:
- Split walking into 2 main sessions of 30 minutes. ( add 2 extra small sessions)
- Interval walking ( increase or decrease pace ) within one session or 3 sessions in a week.
- Swing arms to burn 5-10% more calories
- Walk On sand 30% extra effort and burn more calories or grass, hike.
- Combine stretching or yoga with walking.
- Wear comfortable clothes to enjoy walking.
- Prefer going on walk at suitable times of the day (Best time: Sunrise and Sunset).
It would be very beneficial if you combine walking with some resistance or strength training throughout the week and consume a balanced diet to see major results.