Walking for Weight Loss: How Much Should You Walk To Lose Weight

Walking for weight loss. (Image via Unsplash/ Arek Adeoye)
Walking is great for weight loss. (Image via Unsplash/ Arek Adeoye)

Have you ever thought of walking for weight loss? Do you wonder how effective it might be? It might not occur to you right away to simply include walking in your daily fitness routine if you're trying to lose weight, but it is definitely something you should consider.

When coupled with appropriate nutrition, brisk walking is a powerful weight-loss tool. If you move faster rather than taking a leisurely stroll daily, you'll get better outcomes. While this does not require you to accelerate to racewalker speed, you must travel at a faster, more difficult pace.


Walking for Weight Loss: How Many Steps A Day to Lose Weight?

There is no secret formula for calculating the number of steps, kilometers, or hours you must walk to lose the desired amount of weight. The key is to start off doing more than you are currently habituated to do.

If your employment requires you to stand up and move around all day, you need to do more. However, if you work at a desk all day, a walk every evening after dinner might produce noticeable improvements if you're considering walking for weight loss.

Walk for at least 10,000 steps a day of you are walking for weight loss. (Image via Pexels/ Ketut Subiyanto)
Walk for at least 10,000 steps a day of you are walking for weight loss. (Image via Pexels/ Ketut Subiyanto)

The amount of walking required to lose weight varies, and as you may anticipate, the more you walk, the more weight you are likely to lose. However, for your efforts to be successful, you must engage in minimal exercise.

According to research, if you are walking for weight loss, you must maintain an accelerated pace of at least 30 minutes at a time. The minimal amount of walking necessary to experience significant weight loss is typically understood to be between 30 and 60 minutes, multiple times each week. Aim for at least 10,000 steps each day if your overall objective is to lose a few pounds.

Check out the best walking strategies to improve overall health.

The precise number of steps that you should aim for when you're walking for weight loss depends on your age, gender, and nutrition. One study discovered a correlation between approximately 15,000 steps per day and a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Getting to roughly 10,000 steps will help you feel better and reduce weight, even though 15,000 steps per day may seem like a difficult target.


Is Walking Good for Weight Loss?

Abdominal obesity, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, can be reduced by walking. If you're walking for weight loss, power walking is recommended since it is healthier for your joints than running, even if you're moving more quickly.

You should expect to burn more than 100 calories per day if you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily schedule. After each 15-minute walking session, you can try five minutes of intermittent jogging or running for better benefits.

When opting for walking for weight loss, power walking is healthier. (Image via Pexels/ Nataliya Vaitkevich)
When opting for walking for weight loss, power walking is healthier. (Image via Pexels/ Nataliya Vaitkevich)

However, remember that not every walk is created equal. It's critical to monitor your heart rate throughout your walk to make sure it stays at a moderate effort level. A moderate-intensity exercise session is described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one that causes the heart rate to increase by 50–70% over resting levels.

Exercising at a vigorous activity level (70-85% of your maximum heart rate) requires the length of your walk to be halved in order to receive the same advantages, so if you wish to increase the intensity, add weight training, or incorporate brief bouts of jogging, you will need to shorten it. Alternatively, a 30-minute strong-intensity walk/run is equivalent to a 60-minute moderate-intensity stroll.


Walking to Lose Weight Plan

The key to success in walking for weight loss, like any other kind of exercise, is having a plan and clear goals. Following a set walking schedule will help you start out slowly and gradually increase your walking efforts to prevent injury. It's time to progress to moderate-intensity walking once you've developed a habit of walking.

Following that, you can keep moving towards greater overall health by picking up the pace at which you walk and possibly even including additional types of strength training in your regimen.

Here are a few factors to consider while planning:

1) Comfortable Footwear

When it comes to walking, there is just one item worth investing in the best pair of walking shoes. Even six-month-old sporting shoes may not have adequate padding to sustain you. If you plan to hike on trails, you can either go with sports shoes for the sidewalks and roads or light hiking shoes.

Pick out walk-specific footwear that will be marked as such. Running shoes come in second. The third-best option is cross-training footwear.

2) Add Hills and Inclines

Your walks will involve more cardiovascular work and muscle activation if you include hills or inclines in your route. Your calorie burn when walking up an incline can increase and help you lose weight. Make it a routine to ascend a hill or slope at least twice every week.

Incorporate inclines or slopes in your walking for weight loss routine. (Image via Pexels/ Mart Production)
Incorporate inclines or slopes in your walking for weight loss routine. (Image via Pexels/ Mart Production)

3) Stay Consistent

To keep up with your walking schedule, you must be ready and have a backup plan in case unforeseen events prevent you from going outside. You can maintain consistency with your walking regimen by checking the weather and making an outfit plan. Have a backup plan for how you'll get your walk-in if you know you're busy or the weather won't cooperate.


It doesn't have to be difficult to incorporate walking into your daily routine as a workout that aids with weight management. If you're pressed for time, you can even divide your walks into 10-minute halves.

Edited by Susrita Das