Most people lead primarily sedentary lifestyles these days. So if you’re not at your ideal body weight, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are several things you can do to change this. Walking is the easiest exercise for people who want to lose weight and get healthier. Here we are going to learn how much should I walk according to my bmi.
You don’t need to spend money on equipment or a fancy gym membership. You don’t need to go anywhere or get an instructor. All it takes is a pair of walking shoes and 30 minutes out of your day!
Walking is also the perfect low-intensity workout for people who are overweight and want to get rid of excess body fat. You can make a walking plan according to the BMI calculator and start working towards your fitness goals today!
How Often do You Need to Walk for Weight Loss?
The good thing about weight loss is that the more you weigh the easier it is for you to lose fat. So people who are overweight will begin to notice immediate results after a week or two of regular walking.
The specific values for calorie burning depend on a variety of factors like your age, sex, height, weight, and pace. But for the average person, one hour of walking burns anywhere between 210 and 360 calories. At a brisk pace, you can cover around 3 miles during this time. It may not seem like a lot but add up an hour over 5 days and you’ll end up burning around 1050 to 1800 calories.
A single pound of fat has nearly 3500 calories, which means with regular walking you can lose half a pound a week. That’s 2 pounds over a month, with no dietary change and just an hour out of your day. Now if you could cover 5 miles a day after the first month then you would start burning 3500 calories a week.
Add that up and you could lose 4 pounds in your second month of walking. That’s 10 pounds in 3 months!
How to Decide Your Fitness Goals
The abstract goal of losing weight is all well and good, but not having specific weight loss goals can have a negative effect on some people. For example, if you don’t have a realistic image of how much weight you can lose over 3 months then you’ll be disappointed no matter the outcome.
Before you start exercise make sure you know what your end goal is and how you’re going to get there. By using a BMI calculator you can figure out what weight range you fall into. There are 4 general categories on the BMI scale.
- 18.5 or below which signifies that you are underweight
- Above 18.5 and below 24.9 which is the healthy weight range
- Above 25 but below 29.9 which means you are overweight
- Above 30 which signifies obesity
If you are above a BMI of 25 then you need to start taking immediate steps to improve your health and fitness levels. Set your weight loss goals and figure out how much body fat you want to lose. Use the above guide to help you figure out how soon you can accomplish that.
Planning an Exercise Regimen
When you’re planning your exercise regimen there are several routes you can take. For example, walking for 1 hour, 5 days a week will let you lose half a pound. But so will walking an hour and a half, 3 days a week. There is no fixed exercise program you need to follow.
You can walk the entire 1 hour altogether, early in the morning. Or break it down into 20 minutes increments spread out over the entire day. Better yet you can go to the park on a Saturday and walk an hour and a half straight. It all depends on what works best for you.
Walking is an incredibly low effort exercise because you don’t need to pay for a monthly gym membership, or be restricted by the availability of equipment. Keep your running shoes in your car and put in 20 to 30 minutes wherever you can find the time in your busy schedule. Take a stroll around the neighborhood if you don’t want to waste time driving to a park.
Weight management is a continuous process. As long as you’re making room for exercise in your daily routine you’ll have no trouble reaching a healthy BMI. Just make sure you’re consistent with your efforts and aren’t stressing out over the details. As long as you keep at it, you’ll start seeing visible results in 3 months.
Should You Change Your Diet?
Keeping in mind all that we’ve just discussed, it is important to note that the daily recommended calorie intake for men and women is 2500 and 2000 daily. In order to see the same weight loss effects as one week of walking you would need to cut out 3500 calories a week. That would mean reducing your daily calorie intake by 500, a fourth of what is medically required.
Not only is this unsustainable; it’s dangerous. When we talk about dietary changes to help achieve optimum BMI we are almost always referring to excess calories that you get from excess sugars, fizzy drinks, desserts, or alcohol. Removing these from your diet can definitely boost your weight loss rate because you’re not gorging on unhealthy fats and sugars your body doesn’t need.
Under no circumstances should an overweight person consume less than the daily required calorie intake of 2000-2500. When you start walking you’ll notice that you get a lot hungrier during the day. That’s because your new, active lifestyle requires energy.
Keep track of how many calories you’re consuming every day and energize yourself by creating a diet that relies on whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, and lean protein. Snack on items like nuts and granola throughout the day, and ensure you’re well hydrated. Never forget to take a water bottle with you when you go for a walk.
How Much Should You Walk According to Your BMI?
If you have a sedentary lifestyle and want to change that brisk walking is a great way to get into shape. When you’re starting out, any amount of activity is a good thing because it’ll help you burn calories. Any health professional will tell you that when you’re creating a weight loss program you have to start slow and gradually build your way up.
One Mile a Day
In the beginning, walking one mile a day is more than enough. It won’t take you more than 15 to 20 minutes. At this stage, your goal is to introduce walking into your daily routine and turn it into a habit. You can’t hope to sustain an exercise regimen you don’t enjoy. If you push yourself to walk an hour and a half in the first week you’ll quickly start dreading it, which defeats the purpose of the entire activity.
Walking one mile a day will burn around 100 calories. A 15-minute walk, 5 days a week will add up to 2000 calories a month, which means you’ll burn more than half a pound. Not bad for a beginner!
3 Miles a Day
Once you’ve gotten used to walking daily you can increase your distance to 3 miles. You’ll likely be able to cover this distance in an hour of brisk walking and will burn 210 to 360 calories in the process. At this rate, you’ll burn around 1800 calories or lose half a pound of fat each week.
Keep this going and you’ll lose 2 pounds every month. That’s 10 kg by the end of the year, which may just help you meet your weight loss goal!
5 Miles a Day
Of course, if you really want to push yourself you can try and fit 5 miles of brisk walking into your daily routine. Set an hour apart to go to the park in the morning or after work. Add two 15-minute walking sessions at opportune times during the day, perhaps during your lunch break or when you go for a grocery run.
An hour and a half of total walking time is more than enough to cover 5 miles at a brisk pace. At this rate you’ll burn 3500 calories a week, losing 4 pounds of body fat each month.
Customize
The best part about walking is that you can customize your routine. Go for longer walks over the weekend and cover shorter distances during the week. Mix and match, and try new exercise routines till you find the one that suits your lifestyle perfectly. Don’t be afraid to move things around if they aren’t working!
Bottom Line
The body mass index gives you a solid base to start from. Once you figure out what your ideal weight is you can introduce a daily exercise regimen with brisk walking, cardio exercise, and strength training. Once you have a clear picture of the ideal weight you want to reach it’s easy to answer the question “how much should I walk?”
It isn’t just about burning calories for weight loss either. Daily moderate exercise improves your overall physical fitness, helps you avoid issues like heart disease, and high blood pressure, and improves your overall cardiovascular health.
