Walking for Exercise

A news report in the British media said that Prince Charles was concerned about the state of the nation’s health. He feared that with sedentary lifestyles, not enough exercise and a relatively stable economy, people were getting out more, staying in less, indulging in unhealthy eating habits, and getting more obese by the day.

Research has shown that nearly one in four adults in Britain was dangerously obese. And Prince Charles encouraged walking for exercise as an option for Britain to get trim and fit once again. Not that Prince Charles is the be all and end all of accurate information, but people are nowhere near as fit as we were many years ago.

If that is the scenario in the UK, the USA is much worse. Our census figures show that nearly one in three adults are dangerously obese, with the statistics for children being much worse. America has been, is, and will continue to remain a land of plenty and we take advantage of that. Perhaps to our detriment.

But what is the cost of this bounty? Bad health and increasing per capita medical expenditure. Which is why walking for exercise has become a clarion call for people worldwide. There are several benefits to walking as a form of exercise.

For one thing, it doesn’t cost a cent! You don’t have to pay hefty membership fees or even buy expensive equipment in order to take up walking. Strength training exercises are great, but we all know that after the initial novelty has worn off, the membership card is discarded and the fitness equipment lies in a corner gathering rust and dust. But with walking, you don’t need anything more than two sturdy feet (and some decent shoes.)

In fact, walking is recommended for those patients who are not capable of. or shouldn’t be doing, any other form of exercise, especially weight training exercises. There are some people who are so upper body heavy that more strenuous exercise could prove to be harmful for them. Not to mention possible joint or bone issues.

They need to tone up their bodies first, and reduce the fat through better diet, and by walking, before they can begin other courses of action. Most doctors will advise the same. People need to be capable of properly undertaking exercise in a gym or health center and for those grossly overweight, walking provides them with a means of exercise to get started.  After their condition and endurance start to pick up then they can consider more strenuous exercise routines.

The exercise one gets from walking in itself can do wonders. There are reports nearly every other week in the newspapers about how some people (mostly women!) have managed to take off several pounds and even kept them off purely through walking as their only exercise.

And studies have revealed that walking has more health benefits than was previously thought possible. For one thing, walking is a great way to let your body indulge in a cardio workout. For another, you can determine how brisk or leisurely you want the exercise regimen to be. Third, being a natural activity of the human body, walking for exercise enables one to indulge in it without any noticeably major side effects. And finally, because it is free, easy and doesn’t take too much of your time, it can be easily stuck to, without major modifications to your schedule or lifestyle.

How Many Calories Does Walking Burn?

First off, a general "rule of thumb" is that you should consume nore more calories than you burn off, with all of your daily activies combined. If your weight is stable now, then adding in a walking routine should cause you to lose some weight over time.

For a 200 lb person, walking at 3 mph (a crisp walk) for 30 minutes will burn almost 200 calories. Call it 400 calories per hour. SInce that 400 calories will be burned by covering 3 miles, walking at 3 mph, then we can say that you're burning about 130 calories per mile.

A 120 pound person will burn about 120 calories in that 30 minutes, walking at 3 mph, for about 240 calories per hour. This works out to about 80 calories per mile.

Naturally if you walk faster you will burn more per hour, but your calories per mile will be about the same. Why? You're walking faster and burning more calories per hour, but you're spending less time on each mile.

Walking for Weight Loss?

People tend to eat more to compensate for the exercise. Perhaps because we feel we've earned it, or are now allowed to eat more.

If you keep the calories the same as before and you burn 300 calories per hour by walking, then you will need to walk for 12 hours to burn a pound of fat. It takes about 3600 calories to burn off that pound. Walk faster or engage in more strenuous exercise to burn it off in less time.

Remember that if you eat more, it will be slower. Another thing to remember is that if you keep it up you will get in better shape and you will lose weight.