Burning Maximum Number Of Calories When Walking

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : October 21, 2021

Walking is an exercise health professional always recommend for everyone; irrespective of age and gender. And everyone tries their best to cover the 10000 steps each day benchmark experts in general suggest.

But the concern that comes up nowadays is the number of calories one should burn every day. Some may even be looking for ways to get the most from that simple exercise.

Burning Maximum Number Of Calories When Walking

The Internet abounds in software and devices designed to estimate the number of calories you burn. But that information may not be accurate, scientists say.

According to recent studies, those who walk actually burn more calories than technology reports. A team of scientists published their study in this regard in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Burning Maximum Number Of Calories When Walking

They reported that in 97% of the people they monitored, technology reported less than the number of calories that they actually burned.

This brings up the question; how to know how many calories you burned after an exercise? The answer, in fact, depends on your heartbeat.

High-intensity exercises done for shorter durations burn more calories, experts say. It should fire up your heart and you should feel your heartbeat getting faster.

Walking, on the contrary, is a low-moderate intensity physical activity. It does not increase your heartbeat which happens during high-intensity interval training. To burn more calories while walking, you, however, need to walk at a consistently faster pace. Vary the intensity and monitor your heartbeat to get the most from your walking.

Wearable technology is not entirely false. It can help you monitor the improvement you attain at each stage of your exercise. Monitor what you feel at the end of your walking and keep track of your heartbeat. Combining these will help you burn a maximum number of calories from walking.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, a person should try to maintain 64-76% of his maximum heartbeat.

Walking, as you know, is a moderate-intensity exercise. And you should walk at a consistently faster pace to maximize the number of calories you burn.

The CDC suggests a way for you to determine your maximum heart rate. All you need to do is to deduct your age from 220.

The maximum heart rate for a 34-year-old person, as per the calculation given above, is 220-34= 186. As per this instance, you should aim for 119-131 heartbeats per minute.

While exercising like this, you should feel breathless, but should be in a position to complete sentences. You should also include light-intensity walking; walk at a moderate pace. Combining both will maximize your benefit from it.

Walking at a slower pace also helps you burn fat. When you walk slowly, you use your fat as the fuel required for the action. When you walk faster, you burn calories.

Scientists also warn against the notion that walking burns only belly fat. But it does reduce fat. And varying intensity through faster and slower walking will help you burn both fat and calories.

Finally, remember one thing. Whatever is your pace, your posture is the thing that matters. As you grow up, you tend to develop certain bad habits. And they are sure to influence your walking.

The Internet is filled with videos designed to teach people good posture. Watch them and correct the mistakes you may have developed as you age. Your posture should be able to distribute the balance equally. If done right, walking is a great tool both to burn fat and calories at the same time.

CDC recommends 30 minutes of walking every day.

When beginning an exercise, do not forget to take advice from your doctor. The professional may have recommendations based on your health condition. Abide by them.


Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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