Walking for health (2024)

FAQs

Walking for health? ›

About walking

Studies show walking is one of the best ways to shed belly fat, in less time than you think. Researchers reviewed 40 years of studies on exercise and belly fat and found that just 2 1/2 hours of brisk walking a week--about 20 minutes a day--can shrink your belly by about 1 inch in 4 weeks.

If walking is your main source of exercise, set a goal of logging at least 30 minutes a day. If weight loss is your goal, aim for longer walks of 45-60 minutes when you can. Some people also find that setting a step goal — like 10,000 steps a day — helps motivate them.

The short answer is yes. “Walking is just as good as any other form of exercise,” says University Hospitals pediatric sports medicine specialist Laura Goldberg, MD. “The guidelines are 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. It doesn't really matter how you get that.

If a person was to commit to walking 4,500 extra steps per day, or roughly 3 extra miles, they would be burning an extra 300 calories a day (at least). Burning 300 calories each day leads to a weekly deficit of 2100 calories. After a month, that's roughly 9000 cal burned, which equates to approximately 2.6 pounds lost.

abdominal muscles, leading to a flatter stomach. This type of exercise typically involves engaging the core muscles and walking at a brisk pace. It can be done indoors or outdoors and doesn't require any equipment. It is also called a “power walk” or “brisk walk”.

Conclusions: Total body fat is lost through walking at all speeds, but the change is more rapid, clear, and initially greater with slow walking in overweight subjects. A longer exercise impulse at a lower speed in our study initially produced greater total fat loss than a shorter one with fast walking speed.

For people who do not experience abdominal pain, fatigue, or other discomfort when walking just after a meal, walking at a brisk speed for 30 minutes as soon as possible just after lunch and dinner leads to more weight loss than does walking for 30 minutes beginning one hour after a meal has been consumed.

One of the most effective ways to reduce belly fat is to regularly take part in aerobic exercise, such as walking ( 19 , 20 ). In one small study, women with obesity who walked for 50–70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks, on average, reduced their waist circumference and their body fat.

How many steps to take for general health. Walking is a form of low impact, moderate intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommend that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day . For most people, this is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, or 5 miles.

How to lose 5 pounds a week by walking? ›

Aiming for more steps each day

People interested in walking for weight loss should consistently hit at least 10,000 steps each day. Some people may even want to increase their total number of steps beyond this amount. However, any steps that a person takes beyond their normal daily step count can help them lose weight.

After 3-4 days of walking: you will notice the “better fit” or more room in your clothes! After 7 days of walking: real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned!

Regular walking can engage glute muscles but incorporating specific techniques like power endurance walks offers better toning results. The use of lateral band walks targets the gluteus medius muscle, preventing "dead butt syndrome" and building stronger hip muscles for improved posture and stability.

The key to losing 20 pounds by walking is to set appropriate goals and understand the fundamentals of weight loss. How Long Will it Take Me to Lose 20 Pounds? At a weight loss rate of ½ -1 pound per week, it will likely take you at least 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds.

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

Using 2,000 steps in one mile as an average benchmark, 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles.

Try Straight Legs

To make sure you're engaging your abs and not just your hip flexors, draw your belly button into your spine to engage your core. Try it for a minute of walking, 8 to 10 times throughout your walk.

You might be able to lose weight by walking. But it depends on how long and how intensely you walk and what your diet's like. A combination of physical activity and cutting calories seems to help much more with weight loss than does exercise alone.