THERE ARE LOTS of great reasons to get walking beyond the need to get from one place to another. From improved energy and better sleep to reduced health risks and weight loss, you might be surprised at just how beneficial a walk can be. Any of these can be great motivation – but there's one very commonly cited goal for daily walks that is sometimes misunderstood.
This common motivator is calorie burn. You've probably heard someone talk about getting steps to 'burn off' whatever they just ate at dinner. But just how many calories someone can actually expend during a bout of exercise is dependent on multiple factors that vary from person to person (more on that below). That said, knowing that it can be difficult to pin down your exact calorie expenditure shouldn't deter you from getting your steps on the regular. 'Walking is a great option for adding increased physical activity into your daily routine and can be a great option for burning more calories throughout the day,' says Chris Gagliardi, ACE-CPT, C.S.C.S., and group fitness instructor who also holds degrees in kinesiology.
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If you’re looking for an estimate on how many calories you might burn from walking, read on to learn more about what factors contribute to that figure, how to calculate your expected calorie burn, and why it’s helpful to think beyond the numbers when committing to a fitness routine.
Why Calories Are Important
Calories are a measure of the energy your body uses to fuel both everyday functions (i.e. moving nutrients through the digestive system) and exercise (a daily walk to work). That’s why calorie loss is called energy expenditure, or, essentially how much stored energy you’re using to perform an activity.
'When thinking about estimated energy expenditure there are many variables that come into play, such as the intensity and duration of the activity, the distance covered, terrain, changes in elevation, and your body weight,' says Gagliardi. 'All of these factors influence the intensity at which you can perform an activity. The higher the intensity of the activity, the more calories you will burn over a given amount of time.'
The body stores calories as carbs and fat, so beyond just the number of calories burned, where those calories come from can vary, too. 'While you’re always using a combination of fuel sources, the intensity of the activity will determine if you’re utilising a greater percentage of fat or carbohydrate during an activity,' explains Gagliardi. Generally, lower intensity activities, such as casually walking, burns more fat, but as intensity increases (think, brisk walking vs. jogging vs. running) carbs become the main fuel source.
How You Can Estimate Calorie Burn
To calculate energy expenditure, you must first understand METs (or metabolic equivalents of a task), which is a measure of how much energy you use (based on oxygen used) during physical activity compared to energy used at rest. It’s estimated that the average person will use 3.5 millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, says Gagliardi.
One MET is how much energy is used or how many calories are burned just sitting still, so an activity that takes 2 METs would be something that burns double that. As intensity increases, so do the METs, he says. You can find a list of METs per activity here. Once you know the METs of a given activity, you can use this standard formula to calculate calorie burn: METS x 3.5 x body weight in kg / 200 = estimated calorie burn per minute.
How Many Calories You Can Burn Walking
A brisk walk at roughly 4 mph is equal to 5 METs, says Gagliardi. So, for a 200-pound adult man (the average weight, according to the CDC), that looks like: 5 METs x 3.5 x 90.7kg / 200 = 7.9 calories burned per minute. If this same man walks at the same brisk pace for 30 minutes, he’s estimated to burn 237 calories. It’s important to remember that 'this is definitely an estimate and does not solve for all possible factors,' says Gagliardi.
If that doesn’t seem like much, there are ways you can increase the intensity, and therefore calorie burn of your walking habit or workouts, says Gagliardi. Try:
- walking faster
- walking uphill
- walking at intervals of slowing and faster speeds
- pumping the arms while walking
- walking in shallow water
- walking in sand
- walking while wearing a weighted vest
- walking more frequently
- walking further distances
- adding lower-body exercises throughout the walk, such as lunges or squats
Why You Should Think Beyond Calorie Burn
Burning calories is considered an extrinsic motivator, which can help get you out the door for a walk initially, but may not be as useful in the long term if your hope is to stick with an exercise routine, says Gagliardi. Extrinsic goals (or, an external motivation) mean that something outside of your immediate needs is driving your actions. In this case, you might want to walk to burn calories to lose weight so that you look a certain way.
'Most people exercise for both extrinsic and intrinsic reasons, and over time, it’s important for people to shift from primarily external sources of motivation to more intrinsic motivation, such as participating in a physical activity because it feels good and because they enjoy it,' he says.
So, if you enjoy walking, your strolls can be a great option to not just burn some calories, but also to stay active throughout life.
Alyssa Sparacino is an ACE-certified personal trainer, former Shape editorial director, as well as an editor, and writer with a focus on fitness, health, and wellness. Her work has been published online and in print for brands including Shape, Health, Fortune, What to Expect, Men’s Journal, Ask Men, Travel & Leisure, Chewy, and more. When she’s not writing or lifting weights, you can find her hiking, exploring, and eating with her husband and rescue dog.
