How much should people who are losing weight walk per day?
A 24-week study showed that dividing walking sessions into 25 minutes gave you more weight loss than a 50-minute walk. People who walk in shorter walks lose about 1.6kg more than those who walk continuously.
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week to lose weight. Walking for an hour a day can help achieve this goal while still maintaining lean muscle mass. For beginners, start slowly with 5-15 minutes of walking, two or three times a week at a comfortable pace. The progression should take place gradually, with the elderly gradually increasing their activities every week, every 2-4 weeks to avoid injury.
When weight is reduced, walking intensity must increase because lighter body weight will burn fewer calories during physical activities. A 68kg person burns about 50 calories less per hour when walking at a speed of 4.8km/h than an 81kg person at the same speed.
The effectiveness of walking to lose weight depends on many factors, including walking speed, duration, intensity, frequency, and eating habits. However, walking every day for 50 minutes can be enough to get back in shape and burn excess fat.
Benefits of walking every day
Walking has additional health benefits in addition to weight loss, including improved mood, reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and death in general.
Walking regularly for at least 150 minutes a week can help maintain current weight and prevent typical weight gain in adults of 0.45kg - 0.8kg per year.
Daily walking brings comprehensive benefits, from weight control to reducing the risk of many different diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease and some cancers.
