Is Walking to Lose Weight Effective?
For most people, the thought of losing weight seems like such an uphill battle that they stay at the bottom of the hill with a pack of chips in their hand and never start the journey.
Walking to lose weight isn’t generally thought of an effective way to burn those excess calories so they don’t even bother doing that.
The machismo culture in the fitness industry along with go hard or go home attitude of personal trainers can also be quite daunting for anyone not physically able to be pushed that hard.
It seems though, that pushing yourself to the limit may not actually be the best approach for most people.
In this blog we will look at if walking to lose weight is effective or if you really need to push yourself to the limit and suffer with aching muscles for days after your workout to shed those excess pounds.
Can you Burn Enough Calories Walking?
You may not be aware, but we all have a Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is the amount of energy the body needs to function at rest so simply sitting on the couch will result in burning calories. Throw in some scrolling through Facebook on your phone and the odd reaching over to grab the remote and your flying through those calories.
Now compare that to a fast pace walk and you can now see how walking is relatively a serious bit of activity which can contribute in burning a considerable amount of calories.
Will a 30 Minute Walk Burn as Many Calories as a 30 Minute Jog?
No, of course not, but there is science to back up why walking can be more efficient than jogging to burn fat.
How Does Walking Help you Lose Weight?
Walking puts you into the fat burning zone which is the time at which your body is more efficient at burning fat.
This is one of the first things that I remember while studying health and fitness at university that really hit home about how complex the body really is.
If you have never heard of the fat burning zone you would understandably presume that the harder you push yourself the more fat your going to burn. Unfortunately, just like with anything fitness and health related, it is a bit more complex than that.
What is the Fat Burning Zone?
At high intensity the body requires a quick release of energy which is provided by carbohydrates, but at low intensity such as walking, the body relies mainly on the slow release energy provided by fats.
To be in the fat burning zone your heart rate needs to be within 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate
| Age | 50-60% | 60-70%
Fat Burning Zone |
70-80% | 75-85% | 100% |
| 20 | 97-116 bpm | 116-135 bpm | 135-155 bpm | 145-164 bpm | 194 bpm |
| 25 | 95-114 | 114-134 | 133-152 | 143-162 | 190 |
| 30 | 93-112 | 112-131 | 131-149 | 140-159 | 187 |
| 35 | 92-110 | 110-128 | 128-147 | 138-156 | 183 |
| 40 | 90-108 | 108-126 | 126-144 | 135-153 | 180 |
| 45 | 88-106 | 106-124 | 124-141 | 133-150 | 177 |
| 50 | 87-104 | 104-121 | 121-139 | 130-147 | 173 |
| 55 | 95-102 | 102-119 | 119-136 | 128-145 | 170 |
| 60 | 83-100 | 100-117 | 117-133 | 125-142 | 167 |
This table will give you a good guide of how many beats per minute your heart rate should be to stay in the fat burning zone based on your age
How Fast should I walk (To be in the Fat Burning Zone)?
Don’t treat this a leisurely walk in the park on a sunny day. It should be the kind of brisk walk you would do walking to the airport check in desk knowing it will be closing soon. Walk with a bit of purpose but you should still be able to hold a conversation without needing to catch your breath.
If your going to take this more seriously and want to have a more accurate reading of when you are in the fat burning zone then it might be worth investing in a heart rate monitor. Being able to monitor your heart rate while walking will let you know if you should slow down or speed up to stay consistently in the fat burning zone.
How Long Should I Walk Every Day?
If your goal is to burn fat, then you should aim for at least 30 minutes a day but 45 will be ideal to really get into those fat stores.
30 minutes is about 1.5 miles, 2.4 kilometers or about 4000 steps.
With the growing popularity of the Fitbit, 10000 steps has become the magic daily target.
If you’re not aware what a Fitbit is, it is a thin watch looking device that you wear on your wrist which counts your daily steps.
You can keep an eye on it to know how many steps you have taken throughout the day and it will let you know when you’ve hit the target of 10000 steps.
Having a goal and target to work towards is key and having a fitbit to remind you to keep active is a great bit of motivation.
The latest version now has a heart rate monitor attached to it which is a great addition if you’re looking to not only monitor your steps but also prolonging your time in the fat burning zone.
Increasing your steps from 4000 to 10000 is an extra 500 additional calories burned in a day and a massive step closer to your weight loss goal.
If you think that 10000 steps is excessive then there is a few things you can do to at least increase your steps.
#1 – Walk to Work
This is something I personally started doing and have got great results from.
Pushing myself to the point of exhaustion in my workouts didn’t get me anywhere as lean as my walk to work and back 5 days a week has.
If I’m honest, walking for an hour a day is not something I would have normally done as I don’t have an hour to spare in my day.
Making this activity my daily commute to work and back has allowed me to get leaner without even trying.
#2 – Don’t Get Off at the Closest Train Station
If walking to work is not an option because you work too far away but you get the train, then get off the train one station earlier.
This will give you as great opportunity to get a nice brisk walk before and after work to get those extra steps in.
#3 – Stop Trying to Find the Closest Parking Spot in Front of the Store.
If your one of those people, just stop.
Doing laps around the car park until you find a spot in front of the main entrance makes no sense.
What makes more sense is to park at the furthest point in the car park to allow you a good walk back to the car carrying a few bags of heavy groceries to get that heart pumping.
Here at quickness Fitness where all about quick and effective workouts for the busy person.
If you’re looking to burn the most amount of calories in the least amount of time, then there are more effective ways than walking.
It’s true that walking in the fat burning zone will burn a higher percentage of fat but working out at a higher intensity will burn more calories and more fat overall.
Walking though can be added into your daily routine without making it feel like exercise which I have personally had great results with.
A heart rate monitor is a great tool to keep you aware of when you are in the fat burning zone and a fitbit can be that extra motivation you need to keep you on your toes as you try a reach your 10000 steps.
If you’re not physically fit enough for a high intensity workout or maybe have an upper body injury that is preventing you from working out, then walking can be a great low impact exercise to get the heart pumping and to burn extra calories.
Walking to lose weight is very effective and if done consistently will give you more time in the sweet spot of the fat burning zone.
