Calories burned when walking

plasticart

Does walking really do anything? I just synced my step count with MFP and it allowed me 90 calories for 13,000 steps...is that right? am i truly this clueless? thanks ~~

glovepuppet

Seems low.

A popular theory is that one of the main reasons for evolving bipedal walking is that it uses fewer calories. Maybe we should start crawling for health.

zebasschick

i lost lots of weight, developed bigger thigh and calf muscles from walking. and years ago, when i was younger, i loved to walk around town, walk to the beach or across town, and i stayed in good shape. a friend took me to my first gym and they offered me a job as an aerobics instructor including training me, so yes, walking works.

of course, all walking is not equal. it's good to walk without stopping, and going at a fair pace - not really fast but not super slow, either, is good; i find it more effective to walk for a longer time but with less intensity than for walking for a short time faster. walking on level ground works well for me, but walking uphill and downhill burns more calories and probably strengthens muscles more.

how effective walking is depends on your fitness level. if you can run a marathon, walking at an average, steady pace is going to do less for you than it will for someone of average fitness or in poor shape. you want to increase your heart rate some but you don't want your heart pounding or to become short of breath.

btw, after i started losing weight and rehabbing some injuries, i started to walk wearing a heart rate monitor so i could keep my heart rate where i needed it to be.

NorthCascades

If your activity level is something like very active, the system expects you to walk something like 12,000 steps per day, and those calories are built into your base goal. You only get credit for exercise above and beyond your stated activity level. To avoid double counting.

My HRM tells me I burned 9,000 calories walking last weekend. To answer the question in the title. Mind you that was 50,000 steps and took me 23 hours. But it was walking. (Not that HR has much to do with calories.). So my answer from personal experience is yes walking does a lot. It's also pleasant and low impact, can take you places, and has you more connected to your surroundings than when you're in a car.

WSwalknLAC9000

Hey Plasticart,

Walking is all about intensity, try taking a walk & get an interval clock. Then set a timer at your goals (usually set it to be difficult so your goals are challenging). For instance I cannot jog or run (@ a brisk pace) for more that 2-3mins without my chest burning. But I can walk for 5-10 miles at a brisk pace with ease. So when you set the timer try to set it so you can run for short distances then switch to a brisk walk, & alternate. But try short time periods to start off. I have a timer that last for 24 minutes including rest time, but the workout times are only 45s-1min long. That helps me a lot with only being able to run for short distances.

Good luck,
Dennis

neugebauer52

Walking has a mental and a health component. It certainly helps with my depression and at the same time burns some calories but my daily meal plan together with the MFP calculations makes me to lose weight. I have a basic idea how far / how long I have to walk to "earn" a cappuccino / some small treat and it is my aim to walk about 4 to 5 times a week for about an hour each time.

sijomial

That's not a calorie estimate for your steps - it's an adjustment between what your tracker knows you have done that day and what you input into MyFitnessPal as your daily goal.

Bodyweight in lbs X efficiency ratio of 0.3 X miles walked at normal walking pace on level ground will give you a decent estimate of actual net calories burned.