I have always been curious about the relationship between calories and working. I never thought about it much before. I just went out with my pedometer and started walking. But yesterday, when I saw a question on a forum, I wondered – is there a specific figure for someone who wants to keep up a deficit of 500 calories each day? How much would he/she have to walk? So, I decided to research and write this post.
So, how much walking to burn 500 calories?
A 160lbs person can burn 500 calories by walking 6 miles or about 12000 steps each day at an average speed of 3 miles per hour. A 200lbs person can achieve the same feat in about five hours. As you lose weight, the number of calories you burn but my decreases as you do not have to carry the extra weight with you.[1]
There is a lot more to walking then the movement of your legs. Read the post entirely to make a solid walking habit and change your life completely.
Is it possible to walk over 10,000+ steps each day?
Yes, it is very much possible to walk over 10,000 steps each day. I did it for more than three months, and there are several testimonials on other websites that claim of achieving such a feat. The CDC recommends[2] 150 minutes of exercise a week to remain healthy. That’s about 2000 steps a day, but what if you walk 10,000? UC DAVIS health department says it is highly recommended the 10,000 steps plan and says that it can prevent serious illnesses[3].
It’s doable. But why should you do it? Are there benefits?
What would happen if you walked 10,000+ steps for the next one month?
Likely, you would be on a path to sustainable weight loss.[4] As we said before, a person with 160 lbs bodyweight would lose around 450 calories per day just by walking 10,000 steps. Remember that losing 3500 calories amounts to losing 1 lb (0.45 kgs) of body fat[5]. So, if you lose 450 calories for 30 days(450x 30 = 13,500 calories in a month) that would mean a weight loss of almost 4 lbs (13,500/3500 =3.85 lbs or 1.75 kgs ). But that’s not all. There are tons more benefits of walking that much.
Benefits of walking 10,000 steps every day:
- Prevention of heart disease
Walking is an effective way to prevent heart disease. If you walk every single day, you can reduce your chances of getting heart disease by 19%.[6] Not only is that, walking quite useful for other cardiovascular diseases. A 2002 study[7] points to the fact that subjects who walked 30 minutes or more every day for 5 days per week were 30% less prone to cardiovascular diseases.
- Improve blood sugar levels
If you have high sugar levels, walking is something that could reduce that. Studies have found that walking can lower blood sugar levels.[8,9] Although not many studies have conducted on this particular subject but the evidence so far is quite promising.
- Better life expectancy
Walking is also effective in increasing your life expectancy. A study has found that just by walking at a slow pace, you can improve your life expectancy by 20%, and if you move a little faster, that level could increase to 24%.[10] That’s an excellent result from a non-stressful exercise.
- Healthier immune system
if you catch the flu often or get infected easily, start walking. One study has shown that people who walk regularly are less prone to these types of diseases by a margin of 43%.[11]
- Improves focus and builds creativity
in case you have a lack of concentration or have problems in finding your creativity, walking is also suitable for you. Various studies have found out that walking can not only improve your focus but help you come up with new ideas.[12,13]
Are there any tools that could help motivate me to walk?
Yes, there are several apps dedicated to walking, and you can check them out. Here is the list of top apps used by recommended by us: –
- the pacer app
This is the easiest of them all. You can track your walk and your weight using this app, and it’s free. There is a premium version, but it is not compulsory. It is available for both Android and iOS devices and has been a long companion for me during my walks.
- Edmundo
This is a new one. It has a lot more features compared to pacer but consumes much more battery also. A lot of my friends have recommended it, and you could check this here. It can track a lot of exercises and working schedules.
- Google fit
This simple app comes to you from Google. Besides being the pedometer, it can track a lot of exercises. Moreover, all the data is synced to your Google accounts automatically. That’s a plus, IMHO.
- Fitbit App (no need for the device)
Fitbit provides its pedometer and health monitoring app for free. They are the world-renowned company for their fitness bands, and therefore there can be the right choice for your next walk.
- A reminder or to-do list app
Apart from the pedometer and health-related apps, you need to have a to-do list and habit tracking application so that it can remind you daily of your obligations. We recommend todoist for the task. It not only notifies you of your daily tasks but gives you karma for every completed task.
Besides these, here are the few tips you could use to increase your success at walking:
- Just get out
Do not overthink the process. Just get out and start walking. Once you stop overthinking the part of walking, it is it gets much easier. Believe me. I walked a lot only after I stopped thinking about the process and just went out.
- Find a companion
Studies have shown that people who have a companion tend to lose more weight than those who don’t. So try to find a companion. If you cant, just get a four-legged friend and walk with him. A companion also makes it much easier for you to pass your time
- Prepare a playlist or listen to an audiobook
If you like music, time doesn’t move slowly. Just prepare your Spotify playlist in the night before going out. Also, you can listen to summaries of audiobooks. That could be an effective way to pass your time.
- Have a Plan B
What if you could not walk that day? Make a plan B and prepare it so that you can walk at any other time, but your habit should not wish away. If you cannot go outside in the morning, make sure to have a 15-minute walk after eating your lunch or go to the nearby grocery store. You can also go to the office, to your kid’s school or any other place on foot, and that should complete your daily ritual. Don’t miss a single day. Keep griding.
- Start Small
Don’t make big plans at the start. Initiate with walking 5 minutes every day for a week and then gradually increase it each day. First 10 minutes then 15 minutes and so on. By doing this, you will create a long-lasting habit that stays with you rather than groundlessly thinking about the hardship you’ll need to face by walking a long time.
I don’t have time these days. I have serious office work, and I can’t go outside. Can I still lose weight?
Can you lose weight without walking?
Of course, you can lose weight without walking. Weight loss is 80% dieting and 20% exercise, according to the Vox magazine. We need a specific amount of calories each day to perform our daily tasks and run our normal body functions. The number is about 2000 females and 2500 for males.[14] If you eat less than that and keep a deficit each day, you would lose weight. It is as simple as that.
Make sure your macro levels are up to Mark, and you do not eat only carbs to fill you up. That could lead to both muscle loss and diseases[15]. Also, you could suffer from plateaus.
Conclusion
Losing 500 calories a day is possible if you can walk over 10,000 steps. Walking is both healthy for your body and can improve your immune system. There are other benefits also which are listed in the article. So, go out and do it 🙂
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