Can You Lose Weight by Walking 30 Minutes a Day? (2024)

FAQs

Can You Lose Weight by Walking 30 Minutes a Day? ›

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily habits, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

“If all you do is walk briskly for 30 minutes, you've burned just 200 calories. Since 3,500 calories is a pound of fat, you'd need 17.5 days to lose one single pound. At most, you'd be losing two pounds a month.

Can a person lose belly fat by walking? Regular aerobic exercise such as walking may be an effective way to lose belly fat. A 2014 study supports this and concluded that walking could help to burn body fat, including fat around the waist and within the abdominal cavity.

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!

Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

You can achieve part of this deficit by walking 1 hour per day or by gradually decreasing the number of calories you consume. Depending on your calorie intake, a deficit of 500 calories per day may lead to 0.5–2 pounds (0.2–0.9 kg) of weight loss per week ( 10 ).

Walking regularly may help you burn extra calories, develop lean muscle, and reduce belly fat. Other health benefits are associated with consistent physical activity, too. If you want to stay fit and healthy, it's important to exercise regularly.

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”.

A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories. Over time, calories burned can lead to pounds dropped. Walking tones your leg and abdominal muscles – and even arm muscles if you pump them as you walk.

"There is a strong relationship between intensity of exercise and fat-burning hormones," says Weltman. "So if you're exercising at a pace considered to be hard, you're likely to release more of these hormones." The best part: When women walk, deep abdominal fat is the first to go.

When is the best time to walk to lose weight? ›

If you can fit it in, “early morning aerobic exercise — such as biking, running or even brisk walking to start with — is a promising tool for weight loss,” Ma said. “Most people actually are more likely to stick to a morning workout routine than that in midday or evening.”

Walking offers health benefits regardless of time. Morning walks boost metabolism, energy, productivity, and sleep quality. Evening walks aid relaxation, digestion, and social bonding. Choose based on personal goals and lifestyle.

Speed Matters When Walking for Fitness

If you're walking for your health, a pace of about 3 miles per hour (or about 120 steps per minute) is about right. That's a 20-minute mile. To walk for weight loss, you'll have to pick up the pace to 4 miles per hour (or 135 steps per minute), a 15-minute mile.

The shape of the buttocks is defined by muscles known as the glutes. That's the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, as well as the fat that lies over them. Walking, running, and climbing all work the glutes. Strength training that targets these muscles can help give you a tighter, more rounded look.

Walking at a brisk walking pace for 30 minutes typically results in a distance walked of 1.5-2 miles or 3,000-4,500 steps. While you can walk more on some days and less on others, the total walking time per week should be at least 150 minutes⁶.

You can lose weight by walking 30 minutes a day, provided you walk most days of the week, or at least 5 days of the week. Simple physical activities can help in your weight loss journey because it can help you burn calories. However, how much weight you will lose depends on factors such as: Your speed of walking.

Walking for 30-90 minutes several days each week will help you to lose weight. Walking at a brisk walking pace for 30 minutes typically results in a distance walked of 1.5-2 miles or 3,000-4,500 steps.

"Generally, 1 mile—or roughly 2,000 steps—walked equates to [burning] 80 to 100 calories." Since there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound, "this means to lose 1 pound, you'll need to walk roughly 35 miles or 70,000 steps. Over the course of a week, this means targeting 10,000 steps a day," says Davis.

At a weight loss rate of ½ -1 pound per week, it will likely take you at least 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Losing weight at this pace is safe and will help you keep the weight off long term. To accomplish a weight loss of ½ - 1 pound per week, try to burn an extra 250-500 calories per day by walking.

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.