Calories Burned Walking
There are lots of forms of exercise, but the simplest and easiest form of exercise is the oldest and most effective: walking.
Almost everyone over the age of 1 can walk. Very little special equipment is required. And when it comes to losing weight, walking is a great way to burn calories. Here’s a chart that shows how many calories you burn while walking one mile, depending on your speed and weight:
| Weight in Pounds |
||||||||
| Speed |
Pounds |
100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
| 2.0 mph |
65 |
80 |
93 |
105 |
120 |
133 |
145 |
|
| 2.5 mph |
62 |
74 |
88 |
100 |
112 |
124 |
138 |
|
| 3.0 mph |
60 |
72 |
83 |
95 |
108 |
120 |
132 |
|
| 3.5 mph |
59 |
71 |
83 |
93 |
107 |
119 |
130 |
|
| 4.0 mph |
59 |
70 |
81 |
94 |
105 |
118 |
129 |
|
| 4.5 mph |
69 |
82 |
97 |
110 |
122 |
138 |
151 |
|
| 5.0 mph |
77 |
92 |
108 |
123 |
138 |
154 |
169 |
|
| 6.0 mph |
86 |
99 |
114 |
130 |
147 |
167 |
190 |
|
| 7.0 mph |
96 |
111 |
128 |
146 |
165 |
187 |
212 |
|
As the chart shows, a 200 pound person walking at a modest speed, say 3 miles per hour, will burn 120 calories for every mile walked. Since we know a pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories, this person would need to walk over 29 miles to burn a pound of fat. (Yes, I realize that analysis is imprecise, but it does give you a general idea of how hard it is to exercise the weight away).
Weight loss requires a change in diet; exercise alone will not allow you to accomplish all of your weight loss goals.
But it is a good start, and remember: while you are walking, you probably are not eating, so that alone helps you lose weight!