Learn How Walking Can Burn Calories and Get You Started On Your Fitness Journey

When you first make the decision to get active again, walking is a great start – it’s easy to do, and you can do it anywhere! Walking is great in the sense that you can literally just put your shoes on and go, or, jump on a treadmill and go!

Walking is so wonderful because regardless of the distance, the speed, or the intensity, you are always heading a step at a time in the right direction!

Despite it being a low-impact workout, it still has a ton of really great benefits, and is great for those all levels- you have to start somewhere!

Here are a few of the best benefits of walking

Walking helps to build strength and endurance.

Just the act of getting out there and walking will make you stronger over all! You are supporting your body while you take each step. Think about using hills to your advantage as well – they are great natural resistance! Also, getting your blood and oxygen pumping through your body can help to improve your overall health and well-being.

According to the American Heart Association walking can help reduce the risk of both breast and colon cancer. It can also help reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.

Walking can help to improve your blood sugar levels.

It can also improve your blood sugar levels . That’s a lot of wonderful benefits for such a simple exercise.

A brisk 30 minute walk a day is all it takes to burn calories, tone your muscles and improve your health.

If you haven’t worked out in a while its okay to start off slow. Walking just 5 minutes a day is a great start. As you get stronger you can increase the time to 10 minutes, 20 minutes and then 30 minutes.

When you walk, or do any type of exercise for that manner, you release what is commonly referred to as feel good hormones.

The technical term for these feel good hormones is endorphins. When your body releases endorphins it gives you an immediate boost in your mood. Walking is low impact which makes it a great exercise for everyone.

How Many Calories Can You Burn Walking?

Every individual is different and will therefore burn a different number of calories from walking. The amount of calories you burn will depend on three main factors: your current weight, the intensity of your walk and the duration of your walk.

Someone who weighs 150 pounds and walks a normal pace for 60 minutes can burn as much as 250 calories.

A 200 pound person on the other hand can burn as much as 330 calories. The average person will burn up to 140 calories per mile walked.

How To Achieve The Best Results

To get the most out of your walking you should focus on walking with good posture and letting your arms swing slightly as you walk.
Engage your abdominal muscles with every stride. This will build up your core strength and protect your spine.
To help you stay on track consider asking a friend or family member to go along with you on your walks.
Purchase a pedometer so you can track your steps throughout the day.
For best results aim to walk at least 30 minutes a day. However, remember to start off slow if you are just getting back into the swing of things.
As you get stronger you can increase the amount of time and intensity of your walks.