The Research Says: Walk Away From Your Desk!
It seems for years that we have generalized the health risks of living a sedentary lifestyle—but we’ve never really pinpointed exactly how many hours a day of being sedentary would be needed to induce health risks, specifically heart disease. The key is to get up and walk.
Is It Possible to Walk Away Your Body Fat?
Walking can be a beneficial component of a weight loss or fat loss plan, but it’s essential to understand that the effectiveness of walking for fat loss depends on various factors, including your overall diet, metabolism, and the intensity and duration of your walks.
Walking is a form of aerobic exercise, which can contribute to burning calories and promoting weight loss. Here are some points to consider:
- Caloric Expenditure: Walking burns calories, and if you consistently burn more calories than you consume, you may lose weight, including body fat. The key is to create a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume.
- Intensity and Duration: The intensity and duration of your walks play a role. While walking at a moderate pace is beneficial for overall health, more intense forms of exercise, such as brisk walking or interval training, can increase calorie expenditure and potentially enhance fat loss.
- Consistency: Consistency is crucial. Regular, consistent exercise, combined with a healthy diet, is more likely to lead to sustainable fat loss over time.
- Diet Matters: While exercise, including walking, is important for overall health, weight loss is often more strongly influenced by diet. It’s essential to maintain a balanced, calorie-controlled diet to see significant changes in body composition.
- Individual Variability: Different people may respond differently to exercise, and genetics can play a role in how and where your body stores fat. Some individuals may find that walking is effective for them, while others might need a combination of different exercises.
Remember that spot reduction (losing fat from specific areas by exercising those areas) is a myth. While walking can contribute to overall fat loss, you can’t selectively lose fat from specific parts of your body just by walking.
How Many Calories Can You Burn Walking?
The number of calories burned while walking depends on several factors, including your weight, walking speed, duration, and overall fitness level. Here’s a general estimate based on a 155-pound person:
- Walking at 2 mph (slow pace): Approximately 149 calories per hour.
- Walking at 3.5 mph (moderate pace): Approximately 298 calories per hour.
- Walking at 4.5 mph (brisk pace): Approximately 372 calories per hour.
Keep in mind that these are rough estimates, and the actual calorie burn can vary. If you weigh more than 155 pounds, you will likely burn more calories, and if you weigh less, you’ll burn fewer calories.
Additionally, factors like terrain (walking uphill burns more calories than walking on a flat surface), your overall fitness level, and whether you incorporate intervals or inclines into your walk can impact the calorie burn.
To get a more accurate estimate of the calories burned during your walk, you can use fitness trackers or apps that take into account your weight, walking speed, and duration.
Remember, weight loss and calorie burn are part of a larger equation that includes diet, overall activity level, and other factors. It’s also important to focus on overall health and fitness rather than just calorie counting. Always consult with a healthcare or fitness professional for personalized advice based on your individual needs and goals.
Don’t Sit at Your Desk All Day… Get Up and WALK Away!
Researchers have now released data that explains at what point people need to worry about their lifestyle choices and consider changing them. According to their research, being sedentary for more than 10 hours a day shows an increased risk of stroke, heart attacks, and heart disease. This data was pulled from nine different studies consisting of over 700,000 individuals. They specifically looked at long-term studies (half of the studies followed individuals for over 11 years) and analyzed at what point the individuals were having health issues and exactly how sedentary they were each day.
With being sedentary for 10 hours a day, you’re increasing the likelihood of heart disease and other heart-related issues by 8%. When you bumped it up to 12 hours per day (this includes sitting, driving, low-activity), the percentage increased to 14%. These figures also do not take into account the person’s current weight, daily physical activity levels, and body mass index (BMI).
The researchers mentioned that there definitely needs to be more research done before they can put together actual guidelines for people to follow. However, for the time being, they are recommending that people do no stay sedentary for more than 10 hours a day. They also recommend that everyone should get some sort of exercise in every day and to stay active such as a walk. By doing so, they mention it lowers the risks associated with cardiovascular disease. No surprise there!
If you want to lower your risks, consider going to for a walk during your lunch break. Or rather than sitting at your desk and emailing all day, walk down the hall and speak to an associate rather than picking up the phone or sending an email.
Click here to continue reading…
*Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links or ads, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. These commissions help support the operation and maintenance of our website, allowing us to continue producing free valuable content. Your support is genuinely appreciated, whether you choose to use our links or not. Thank you for being a part of our community and enjoying our content.
PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP OTHERS LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. SIMPLY CLICK BELOW!
