{"id":16085,"date":"2024-07-30T11:12:30","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T10:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mensfitness.co.uk\/?p=16085"},"modified":"2024-07-30T11:13:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T10:13:03","slug":"how-to-walk-to-lose-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mensfitness.co.uk\/features\/how-to-walk-to-lose-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"Entry-level fitness: how to walk to lose weight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re just getting started on your fitness journey, here\u2019s how to walk to lose weight.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re on a weight loss journey, it’s important to look at your life from all angles – from your nutritional choices, to fitness and lifestyle habits. <\/span>But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to whip out an exercise mat<\/a> and start lifting or stretching in ways which are alien to you. Instead, there is another much simpler way to get started. Walking is one of the most accessible and easy ways to get in shape and kick-start your weight loss journey. But, while we all know about getting the recommended 10,000 steps a day, it\u2019s rarely explained why that\u2019s a guideline.\u00a0<\/span>In this article, we’ll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about walking to lose weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expert voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny exercise that increases your heart rate is going to be good for weight loss, but walking is so easy because you don\u2019t need loads of kit \u2013 you can just go out your front door and walk around the block a couple of times,\u201d says the <\/span>Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health\u2019s<\/span><\/a> Dr Ian Beasley.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He adds that walking is low impact \u2013 \u201cyou\u2019re very unlikely to get injured\u201d. Plus, it doesn\u2019t have the socio-psychological barriers that can come with other cardiovascular exercises like running or swimming. \u201cIf you think you don\u2019t look good in running kit, that doesn\u2019t really matter because you\u2019re just walking \u2013 it\u2019s what everyone does.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning how to walk to lose weight is also a good gateway form of exercise for those who might not have been active for a while and are concerned about pushing themselves too hard too fast. \u201cWhen people get out of breath and it hurts a bit, they get scared,\u201d explains Beasley. \u201cWalking is really good, because you don\u2019t have to go mad with your heart rate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Walking is low-impact, meaning you’re unlikely to get injured. Plus, you don\u2019t need loads of kit \u2013 you can just go out your front door and walk around the block a couple of times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Is walking good for weight loss?<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Short answer, yes. A <\/span>study from 2018<\/span><\/a> found that walking 10,000 steps a day with just over a third of that coming in intervals of more than ten minutes lost weight. Furthermore, a 30-minute walk at 3mph will burn 138.9 kcal if you\u2019re a 70kg male (and even more if you\u2019re heavier). To understand why walking is good for weight loss, though, it\u2019s important to have a quick biology lesson on how the body fuels different intensities of exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The science<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWalking is an aerobic exercise. In other words, as you do it, you breathe in air. That air has got oxygen in it and the oxygen \u2018pays\u2019 for the exercise,\u201d explains Beasley. The oxygen is transported to muscles in your blood, where it\u2019s used by mitochondria in cells to create energy using your body\u2019s fat and glucose (sugar) stores. With high-intensity anaerobic exercise, oxygen can\u2019t be delivered quickly enough. So, glucose is broken down within the muscles themselves to create energy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your body therefore only uses fat as a fuel source during aerobic exercise. However, the ratio of fat to glucose can depend on your heart rate and fitness levels. \u201cIf I\u2019m really unfit and I go out walking, my primary fuel is going be glucose. But, the fitter I get, [the more I\u2019ll] use fat as my primary source and it’ll take four to six weeks to get fit enough before you start using those fat stores optimally,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, if you’re looking to shed some pounds in that sort of time frame, check out MF<\/em>‘s six-week fat loss plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of stuff in the literature about if you want to learn how to walk to lose weight, you [shouldn\u2019t] go above 65% of your maximum predicted heart rate.\u201d Go above this heart rate, and you move from an easy to an aerobic zone of exercise, increasing the proportion of glucose used as a fuel source.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to work out your maximum heart rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the most accurate way to find out your maximum heart rate is by conducting a treadmill<\/a> stress test, an easier (if slightly less accurate) way is 220 minus your age. So if you were 30, your maximum heart rate would be 190 and you therefore shouldn\u2019t go above 123 BPM when walking if aiming for weight loss.<\/span> If you’d rather measure things more accurately and your treadmill isn’t equipped with the right monitoring tech, perhaps consider picking up one of the best heart rate monitors<\/a> on the market to keep things in check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beasley caveats that \u201cthe real problem for very obese people is they can\u2019t walk very far without getting out of breath, because they\u2019re carrying too much weight\u201d. He suggests, \u201cdieting in the first phase is the most important thing to lose a bit of weight and then gradually start walking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also warns against expecting instant results when it comes to walking for weight loss. \u201cDon\u2019t expect the weight to drop off in the first few weeks, because it really won\u2019t. You\u2019ve got to walk probably three or four times a week for half an hour, then you\u2019ll get the best out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to walk to lose weight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to learn how to lose excess weight and burn more calories on a walk, the most obvious tactic is to increase the duration. However, upping the speed and gradient can also have a similar effect \u2013\u202fhence the popularity of the viral treadmill-based \u201812-3-30 workout\u2019 on TikTok.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to do the 12-3-30 workout:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n