How much weight can you lose walking 5 miles a day for a month?
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Introduction
Walking is one of the safest and most effective ways to get in shape and lose weight. You don’t need any fancy equipment, you can do it anytime, anywhere, and it’s low impact so it’s easy on your joints.
In this blog post, we’ll outline how much weight you can expect to lose by walking 5 miles a day for a month.
How much weight can I expect to lose?
The amount of weight you’ll lose depends on the calories you burn. And the number of calories you burn while walking depends on a few factors, including your weight, the intensity of your walk, and how long you walk for.
However, to give an example, a 185-pound (84 kg) person can expect to lose around 3.6 pounds (1.6 kg) from walking 5 miles a day for a month.
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This assumes that they walk 5 miles at a brisk pace everyday for a month (30 days). If you weigh less than 185-pound, then you will lose less weight. If you weigh more, then you can reasonably expect to lose more weight.
It also assumes that they’re in a calorie deficit (more on that later)
The exercise calorie calculator at Verywellfit.com was used to arrive at this estimate.
To get an estimate based on your weight, simply insert your weight and pick walking (brisk), then pick 75 minutes for the duration.
Once you have an estimate for calories burned, multiply this by 30 and then divide by 3,500.
(In case you’re wondering 3,500 calories is a commonly used guideline for 1 pound of weight loss, as it is equivalent to 1 pound of fat loss)
Unfortunately, it’s not always this simple. This calculation assumes that you’re eating just enough calories, or less, to maintain your current weight before you start your walking regimen.
If you maintain your current diet while walking 5 miles per day, you may not see as much weight loss as someone who makes changes to their diet in addition to walking 5 miles per day.
How many calories do I need to burn each day to lose weight?
Simply put, To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is what’s known as a calorie deficit.
Typically, this results from adopting a more active lifestyle that includes regular exercise, as well as making changes to one’s diet to consume fewer calories each day.
By managing one’s calorie intake thoughtfully and balancing it with sufficient physical activity, such as walking, it is possible to achieve a healthy and sustainable weight loss.
Diet - how many calories a day will I need to stick to if I want to lose 8 pounds in a month?
A common target people aim for is 2 pounds (0.9 kg) of weight loss per month. Requires a daily deficit of 1,000 calories on average.
What would this look like in practice?
Take our 185-person as an example. Let’s assume that their calorie maintenance level (the number of calories to maintain their current weight) was 2,000 calories without exercise.
Since they would burn around 419 calories from walking 5 miles a day, they would need to stick to a diet of around 1419 calories a day to achieve a daily deficit of 1,000 calories.
To work out a daily calorie quota for yourself, you would need to first find your calorie maintenance level. Online calorie calculators (such as the one below) can provide you with an estimate for this although a doctor or registered dietician will provide you with a more accurate one.
Then follow these steps:
- Subtract the calories you burned walking from 1,000.
- Subtract your answer from your maintenance level
The answer you get will be roughly the number of calories you’ll need to stick to lose 8 pounds in a month.
However, walking 5 miles a day and sticking to a strict calorie quota may be too ambitious for some people – at least starting out. There’s a good chance they may quit early on.
To avoid this, it might be a good idea to gradually ease into their new diet and exercise regimen.
How to get started
Here are some suggestions for easing into a new diet and exercise routine.
Cut back on calories gradually
If you drastically reduce your caloric intake, your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to every calorie it can. Instead of cutting out 500 calories per day, try reducing your intake by 250 calories per day. This will give your body time to adjust.
Increase your activity level gradually
If you go from being a couch potato to exercising for an hour every day, your body is going to rebel. Start by adding 10 minutes of activity to your daily routine and increase from there.
Get enough sleep
Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain. So make sure to get 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night.
Get enough protein
Protein helps you feel full and satisfied after eating, so you’re less likely to overeat or make unhealthy food choices later in the day. It also helps preserve muscle mass as you lose weight, which helps keep your metabolism high. According to Mayo Clinic Health Systems.org, you should aim for 15 – 30 grams of protein per meal.
Losing weight isn’t easy, but it is possible with dedication and effort. Remember to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to both calories and exercise, and give yourself time to adjust to new habits. Making small changes in your diet and lifestyle can have a big impact in the long run!
How to increase the calorie burn from walking
Walking is a great exercise for weight loss because it’s low impact and easy to do for long periods of time. But if you want to make walking even more effective, there are a few things you can do to increase the calorie burn. Here are three tips:
Pump Your Arms
When you walk with your arms at your sides, you’re not maximizing the calorie burn. Swinging your arms back and forth helps you work your upper body and makes walking a more full-body workout.
Walk Uphill
If you live in an area with hills, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of them! Walking uphill offers a number of benefits compared to walking on flat ground.
First and foremost, it’s great cardio, meaning that it gets your heart pumping and increases your respiratory rate. Additionally, the extra strain that walking uphill puts on your leg muscles and glutes helps to tone these muscles more effectively than walking on flat ground.
So if you’re looking for a fun way to get some exercise or increase the effectiveness of your workout routine, consider heading up into the hills for a brisk walk! You’ll be sure to feel the burn, but you’ll also reap all the health benefits of staying active and keeping your body strong.
And with so many gorgeous environments to explore, what are you waiting for? Get outside and start walking uphill today!
Pick Up the Pace
When it comes to burning calories and losing weight, it’s also important to pay attention to the intensity of your movement. That’s why this article focuses on brisk walking.
Power walking or even sprinting for short bursts can give your weight loss efforts a real boost by challenging your muscles in new ways and really getting your heart pumping. Plus, any increase in activity is bound to have positive effects on your overall health and well-being.
So if you’re ready to achieve great results with your weight loss journey, don’t just focus on moving fast; focus on moving better too! Your body will thank you for it.
Walk 5 miles or more without leaving your home
At first glance, a treadmill might not seem like the most exciting investment.
However, a treadmill can have many advantages that make it worth considering. For one thing, a treadmill removes all excuses for not going for a walk or run during bad weather or dark hours.
Nobody can argue that walking on a treadmill is more fun than running through the woods on a sunny day, but it’s definitely better than sitting at home watching TV while your health declines due to lack of exercise.
Additionally, treadmills can often be set up to simulate difficult conditions like steep hills or jogging surfaces. In this way, they enable you to burn even more calories and challenge yourself in new ways.
So if you’re looking for an effective way to get in shape and stay fit, investing in a treadmill may be just the thing for you!
Other exercise tips for even more weight loss
Just walking can get a bit tedious after a while. So why not mix things up a bit?
These exercises are not only great for burning calories, but they also help build muscle mass, which increases your resting metabolism – you’ll burn more calories, even when doing nothing!
Bear in mind that the recommendations that follow are just general guidelines. Some people may be comfortable doing a lot more reps. Others less.
If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to speak to a doctor beforehand.
Squats
Squats help to tone your leg and butt muscles while burning calories. To do a squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body down as if you were going to sit in a chair. Hold this position for a few seconds before returning to standing.
Repeat 10-15 times.
Push-ups
A classic exercise that works your arms, chest, and core muscles, push-ups are great for toning your upper body and burning calories. If traditional push-ups are too difficult, you can modify them by doing them on your knees instead of your toes.
Aim for 10-15 reps.
Planks
An excellent exercise for targeting your abs and core, planks also work your arms and legs. To do a plank, get into a push-up position and then rest on your forearms instead of your hands. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds before returning to the starting position.
Repeat 3-5 times.
Lunges
Lunges are another great exercise for toning your legs and buttocks while burning calories. To do a lunge, start by standing with your feet together, then take a large step forward with one leg and lower your body down until both knees are at 90-degree angles.
Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Aim for 10-15 reps per leg.
Burpees
A challenging full-body exercise, burpees are great for getting your heart rate up and burning calories quickly.
To do a burpee, start from standing then lower your body down into a squatting position with your hands on the ground in front of you. Kick both feet back so you end up in a push-up position then return to squatting position and jump up into the air with both arms overhead before repeating the entire sequence again.
Aim for 5-10 reps.
Neat - daily habits that burn calories without exercise
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, is all the physical movement that we do during the day. These movements can be potent calorie burners
Even fidgeting can be surprisingly effective. According to one study, fidgeting could burn up to 350 calories a day.
However, despite how common this type of activity is in our daily lives, most people don’t think about how many calories they could be burning by doing things like using the stairs instead of the elevator, taking a walk at lunchtime, or cleaning the house.
Luckily, it’s actually quite easy to harness the power of NEAT and burn more calories without even realizing it. By making simple adjustments like riding your bike to work instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of an elevator, or even fidgeting while you’re sitting down, you can boost your non-exercise activity and burn more fat than ever before.
So if you’re looking to lose weight or just live a healthier lifestyle, be sure to start incorporating more NEAT into your everyday routine!
Conclusion
Walking is a great way to get some exercise and improve your health. And if you walk 5 miles per day for a month, you can expect to lose around 3 – 5 pounds — though this number will vary depending on your diet and other factors.
In particular, a calorie deficit is vital for weight loss – if you’re eating more calories than you burn, you won’t lose weight, regardless of how much walking you do.
And if you want to make walking more effective for weight loss, pump your arms, walk uphill, and pick up the pace. These simple tweaks can make a big difference in how many calories you burn during your walk—and how much closer you get to your weight loss goals.
And if you get bored of walking, why not add a few bodyweight resistance exercises to your workout regimen?
But the most important thing is to just get started. If you’re having second thoughts about walking 5 miles a day, don’t worry. Start small, perhaps as little as a mile a day, and gradually work your way up