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Home » Lose Weight Safely » Walking: Can It Help You Lose Weight? – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

So youre feeling a bit out of shape and want to shed a few pounds? Your weight-loss journey can begin by taking a few thousand extra steps each day.

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A dedicated walking program can help improve your overall health and fitness while moving you toward a healthier number on the scale. Its an easy way to burn additional calories, says exercise physiologist Katie Lawton, MEd.

A lot of people have a hard time getting motivated to start exercising, says Lawton. But walking is simple, right? We do it every day.

Heres why you might want to consider doing it more.

Hauling yourself around takes energy and thats reflected in the calories spent walking.

A 150-pound person walking a mile in 20 minutes will burn about 80 calories. If youre heavier, you torch more calories because it takes more energy to move more mass. Likewise, the count is lower if you weigh less.

Other factors influence the calories burned on a walk, too, including:

Any discussion about walking usually starts with a big target: 10,000 steps, which equates to about five miles. But that number doesnt necessarily translate into truly beneficial cardiovascular exercise.

The reason why is simple: Not all steps are created equal, notes Lawton. Slowly shuffling around a store, for instance, boosts your step tally but its not doing a whole lot from a weight loss or fitness point of view.

So Lawton suggests counting minutes instead of steps.

A fitness payoff from walking comes when the activity rises to the level of cardiovascular exercise. That means a minimum of 10 minutes of constant one-foot-in-front-of-the-other movement at a moderate level of intensity.

(NOTE: At moderate intensity, you should be able to carry on a regular conversation while moving, says Lawton. Your rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, should fall between 3 and 5 on a 10-point scale.)

Ideally, you should look to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, says Lawton. That follows guidelines set by the American Heart Association. That target, however, is for heart health not weight loss.

To drop pounds, the activity goal rises a bit. The American College of Sports Medicine, for instance, recommends 200 to 300 minutes of exercise per week for weight loss and long-term weight management.

The key is to be active, says Lawton. The more youre moving, the more you benefit. (A wellness expert offers five reasons why you should take a walk today.)

Studies have shown that a regular walking program can help you melt away some extra pounds. Ideally, though, the increase in exercise should be paired with healthier eating habits for weight loss.

You cant out-exercise a bad diet, says Lawton.

Also, enter your walking program with realistic expectations. Putting in daily miles can improve your overall fitness, but its not going to give you six-pack ab muscles and a shredded physique, says Lawton.

Dropping pounds is only one perk of wearing out the tread on a pair of walking shoes. Other potential benefits include:

Success in any exercise program starts the same way: By setting aside the time to do it. You need to make it part of your routine, says Lawton. This is about adjusting your lifestyle for your health.

Start slow in your workouts to build strength and endurance, then gradually increase the intensity as your fitness grows.

The following tips can help to make walking part of your life:

Lawtons best advice, though? Stay positive and keep at it. If you miss a day or two, thats fine, says Lawton. Just get back on that horse. Walking to manage your weight or improve your health isnt a one-day thing. Its a long-term commitment.

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Walking: Can It Help You Lose Weight? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

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Home » Lose Weight Safely » Walking: Can It Help You Lose Weight? – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic