Does Walking Contribute to Weight Loss?

Walking can be a very effective form of exercise for weight loss, especially for people who are just starting to exercise or who have physical limitations that prevent them from engaging in more intense forms of exercise.

When you walk, you burn calories and increase your metabolism, which can help you lose weight. The number of calories you burn while walking depends on a variety of factors, including your weight, the distance you walk, and the speed at which you walk.

How Does Walking Contribute?

Generally, walking at a moderate pace (5-6 km per hour) can burn about 300-400 calories per hour, depending on your body weight. If you walk for an hour each day and don't increase your calorie intake, you could lose up to a 0.5 kg a week.

Walking can also help you build muscle, which can increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories even when you're not exercising. Walking is also a low-impact exercise, which means it is gentler on your joints and can be a good option for people who have joint pain or other physical limitations.

As per Thomas De Lauer, celebrity fitness and nutrition expert, "walking is moving some of the largest muscles in our body - our glutes, quads and hamstrings. These are big muscles and when we move these muscles, something miraculous happens. The simple contraction of these muscles, sucks glucose out of the body without insulin being required". So walking can cleanly reduce blood sugar levels and this reduces the amount of sugar that is converted to fat in the body.

The Bottom Line

However, it's important to remember that weight loss is not just about exercise - it also depends on your diet and lifestyle habits. So, while walking can be a great form of exercise for weight loss, it's important to combine it with a healthy, balanced diet and other lifestyle changes that support your weight loss goals.