By the healthiergang writer , medical student.
Walking is one of the simplest and most daily movements. It is a motor pattern that is learned in the first years of life as progress from crawling. The act of walking is a light activity, with a low metabolic impact, which however has numerous benefits.
But how many calories do you burn while walking?
Being a light activity, the energy expenditure will consequently not be high. More precisely, the energy expenditure varies according to the weight of the subject: maintaining a normal walk and if you have a weight that is around 70 kilos, it is estimated a consumption of about 170 calories in 1 hour.
If you weigh around 90 kilos and maintain a normal pace, you can burn around 300 calories per hour.
Of course, energy expenditure also varies according to the speed at which you walk, rather than the distance you travel.
In this table, adapted from a study published in the famous journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, we report how many calories you burn for a distance of about 1,6 km (1 mile), based on your weight and the speed with which you proceeds.
Walking Vs. Race
The main difference between running and walking, intensity of effort aside, is that in running the center of gravity is continuously moved vertically, increasing energy expenditure, while during walking the movement is only horizontal, halving the calorie consumption compared to those who run.
So for the same km traveled, the runner will certainly consume more calories.
But there are two other factors that determine the final result: frequency and consistency.
So yes, walking makes you lose weight! Whether in the open air or on the carpet, walking will not only help us reduce the waistline, it can also bring many benefits to the cardiovascular level and, why not, also to the mood.
Benefits of Walking
As already mentioned, walking does not only have the benefit of increasing daily energy consumption. There are numerous other benefits.
1. Helps to recover
Being an activity with a low metabolic impact and above all not very stressful for the joints, walking can promote recovery from intense workouts. The mechanism behind this effect is simple: walking increases heart rate along with blood flow.
By flowing the blood faster, there is a better exchange of energy substrates and oxygen together with the elimination of toxins present in the tissues of the whole body. and this is a benefit that you can use at any time without worrying about compromising your recovery or your joints.
2. General well-being
Like most physical activities, walking has benefits for the whole body. Among these the most important are the prevention of a tumor onset, prevents problems and diseases of the cardio-circulatory system, prevents the onset of diabetes, increases the immune system and helps the proper functioning of the thyroid.
Physical activity also has numerous psychological benefits. In fact, regular physical activity has been shown to improve mood. One study showed how exercising for 30 minutes improved the productivity of sedentary workers. Walking is particularly beneficial for the brain if you choose to do it in a natural environment. Vegetation and nature in general have a beneficial effect on the brain, they help to relax and also to improve one's creativity.
3. Walking makes you lose weight
Doctors and health specialists agree that brisk walking is an important adjuvant to low-calorie diets, and that it allows the body to burn fat drawn from physical reserves.
Furthermore, walking activates the entire musculoskeletal system, improves cardiovascular and pulmonary capacity, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, reduces stress and depressive states ... are you still wondering if it's worth it?
For sedentary and overweight individuals, a long walk can be a great way to approach physical activity and reduce your body weight.
In fact, running, for people with a BMI greater than 28, can be particularly traumatic for the joints and not suitable for an untrained heart, so if you want to regain physical shape, taking long walks is undoubtedly an excellent point of departure.
After an initial period, however, it becomes essential to increase the intensity of physical effort, increasing the speed of the step or dedicating oneself to walking uphill, much more tiring than that on the plain.
In any case, the so-called “endurance zone” should be reached, where the heart rate is between 60 and 70% of the maximum heart rate, reachable by walking at a speed between 5 and 8km / h.
Since sport walking can be considered to all intents and purposes a sport, it could be useful to follow a "training plan", especially for all those people who are approaching the world of sport for the first time.
A good way to start would be to alternate 60 seconds of brisk walking with 60 seconds of more moderate pace for the first 5 minutes, and then continue alternating 60 seconds of brisk walking to 30 seconds of slower pace until the end of the workout. , which will end with another 5 minutes at a normal pace and stretching exercises.
Obviously never exaggerate, especially if you have always led a sedentary life; in case of severe overweight it is better not to walk more than 2 km three times a week, allowing the body to get used to the new rhythm and then progressively increase mileage and frequency.
In conclusion
Walking is certainly something that must be included in our daily life. It improves the general health of the whole body and in particular that of the lower limbs. Helps increase energy expenditure without too much effort. The benefits are both psychological and physical and walking is also something that stimulates the recovery process from strenuous exercise.
Not having a high impact and great stress on the joints is an activity that can be practiced in any circumstance. It takes 30 minutes of walking a day to get benefits, this time is easily reachable by opting to travel over short distances without constantly resorting to means of transport.
