Walking is an aerobic exercise.
Image Credit: oneinchpunch/iStock/Getty Images If you walk for 50 minutes each day, the exact number of pounds you lose will depend on several factors, including your age and your current weight. The speed at which you walk and the type of terrain you walk on will also affect calorie burn and the total number of pounds you lose during a week.
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Calories
To lose a pound of body fat, you need to burn about 3,500 calories. The amount of calories burned during a 50 minute walk varies depending largely on how fast you walk. A 180 lb. person would expend only around 190 calories when strolling at a pace of around 2 mph, but if he were to increase his speed to 4 mph he would burn around 350 calories.
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Weight Loss
If the 180 lb. person walked for 50 minutes each day at a speed of 4 mph, he would use 2,450 calories each week. This would equate to around 9 oz. of weight loss a week. If he were to continue walking every day for a month, he would lose around 2.5 pounds of body fat.
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Increase
Other than walking faster, you can increase the amount of calories burned during a 50 minute walk several ways. Swinging your arms as you walk can increase calorie burn as much as 10 percent, according to the Berkeley University wellness newsletter. Walking on gravel or grass will expend more calories than walking on a smooth surface such as a walking track. If you have access to soft sand, you would increase your calorie expenditure by nearly 50 percent, if you can maintain your walking speed. Walking uphill will also help burn more calories and increase muscle strength and stamina.
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Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is a type of exercise that utilizes two poles similar to those used by skiers. Nordic walking burns significantly more calories than regular walking because it engages the use of the upper-body muscles as well as those in the legs. According to the Cooper Institute website, Nordic walkers burned an average of almost 20 percent more calories when using Nordic poles, compared to during a regular fitness walking session.
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Comparison
Jogging induces more weight loss than walking, according to the Health Status website’s calories-burned estimator, which indicates that during a 50 minute jog, a 180 lb. man would burn around 475 calories. After a week of jogging every day for 50 minutes, he would lose around 12 oz. of body fat. Fifty minutes of hiking daily would use around 405 calories a day and would result in approximately 11 oz. of weight loss per week.
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references & resources
Calories Per Hour: What It Takes to Lose a Pound
Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator
University of California: Berkeley Wellness: A Dozen Ways to Improve Your Walking Workouts
Cooper Institute: Nordic Walking Study
American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism is Modifiable with the Right Lifestyle Changes
The Walking Site
references & resources
Calories Per Hour: What It Takes to Lose a Pound
Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator
University of California: Berkeley Wellness: A Dozen Ways to Improve Your Walking Workouts
Cooper Institute: Nordic Walking Study
American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism is Modifiable with the Right Lifestyle Changes
The Walking Site
Walking is an aerobic exercise.
Image Credit: oneinchpunch/iStock/Getty Images
Image Credit: oneinchpunch/iStock/Getty Images
Calories Per Hour: What It Takes to Lose a Pound
Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator
University of California: Berkeley Wellness: A Dozen Ways to Improve Your Walking Workouts
Cooper Institute: Nordic Walking Study
American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism is Modifiable with the Right Lifestyle Changes
The Walking Site
