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<\/p>\nNearly every smartwatch is pre-programmed for a 10,000-step goal, so it might seem like that\u2019s what we need to aim for every day. But if you\u2019re walking for weight loss, you might wonder, How many calories does 10,000 steps burn? <\/p>\n
And how many miles is 10,000 steps equivalent to? And is this really enough exercise to lose weight? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n
A person weighing 150 pounds will burn around 358 calories walking at a moderate pace on flat ground for 90 minutes (the time it\u2019d take to walk 4.5 miles, or the approximate distance of 10,000 steps).*<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, providing anything other than a very rough average is difficult because the exact amount of calories a person burns walking 10,000 will vary wildly. \u201cCalorie burn is highly individualized,\u201d says Thieme.<\/p>\n
The number of calories you might burn in 10,000 steps (and energy expenditure in general) depends on four key factors:<\/p>\n
For example, a mostly-sedentary overweight person will likely burn more calories walking than a similarly sedentary \u201chealthy weight\u201d individual of equal height, due to the extra effort required to move their greater mass.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, you\u2019ll burn more calories climbing a mountain than you will strolling along a paved beach path at the same pace for the same number of steps.<\/p>\n
But no matter where you\u2019re walking, the faster you go, the more calories (and fat) you\u2019ll ultimately burn. In short, power walking beats strolling when it comes to weight loss.<\/p>\n
As your body adapts to walking, you\u2019ll burn fewer calories \u2014 unless you pick up the pace or otherwise increase (you guessed it) the intensity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are easy ways to continue to make walking a challenge, like adding incline (e.g., hills), stairs, or speed,\u201d says Hodges.<\/p>\n
Just as some people build muscle faster than others, calorie burn varies from person to person.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut regardless of how quickly or slowly you\u2019re able to lose weight, you can lose it,\u201d says Thieme. \u201cThe key is to exercise consistently in a way that challenges you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 10,000-steps-a-day recommendation \u2014 which adds up to nearly 4.5 miles if you\u2019re 5\u20197\u2033 \u2014 dates back to 1960s Japan when a pedometer called the manpo-kei (roughly translated to \u201c10,000 steps meter\u201d) was released.<\/p>\n
In other words, the 10,000-step goal originated as more of a marketing tactic than a science-based recommendation.<\/p>\n
Still, adding any amount of walking to your daily routine can increase your overall activity level, which is key to weight loss no matter how much you have to lose.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you\u2019re not seriously overweight, walking 10,000 steps a day won\u2019t be enough on its own for you to achieve your weight loss goal,\u201d says Thieme. \u201cYou\u2019ll also need to dial in your diet and perform high-intensity workouts consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Short answer: Yes.<\/p>\n
Completing 10,000 steps a day at a brisk pace \u2014 at least 3 mph \u2014 is enough for basic upkeep.<\/p>\n
(The CDC recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week to maintain or improve your overall health.)<\/p>\n
But it probably shouldn\u2019t be your only form of exercise during the week.<\/p>\n
Unless you\u2019re severely overweight, walking 10,000 steps a day is something you should do in addition to a workout program.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people should do both [work out and walk 10,000 steps] each day,\u201d says Thieme. \u201cAnd if you can, walk more than 10,000 steps a day \u2014 it\u2019s a good starting point, but the more active you are, the healthier and leaner you\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t have a wearable fitness tracker to count your steps? Timing them also works.<\/p>\n
One small study found that walking for 50 to 70 minutes three times a week helped reduce waist circumference in obese women.<\/p>\n
Another study found that participants who followed a reduced-calorie diet and took an hour-long walk five times a week lost more weight and body fat than those who only cut calories.<\/p>\n
Walking is a cheap and easy way to improve your overall fitness, especially if you\u2019re just getting started or have a lot of pounds to lose.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re extremely overweight, walking can be a hugely effective way to begin your weight loss journey, helping you burn calories and fat, build your endurance, and increase your energy levels,\u201d says Thieme.<\/p>\n
It can also improve your health and contribute to a healthy lifestyle in other ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalking is a weight-bearing exercise, so it can help prevent bone loss as we age,\u201d says Linda Hodges, an Iowa-based doctor of osteopathic medicine and author of Weight Loss That Works.<\/p>\n
Even better: Physical activity like walking is shown to help alleviate stress and improve overall mood.<\/p>\n
*Calorie values calculated by running data from the Compendium of Physical Activities\u00a0through Cornell University\u2019s\u00a0METs (metabolic equivalents) to Calories Calculator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nearly every smartwatch is pre-programmed for a 10,000-step goal, so it might seem like that\u2019s what we need to aim for every day. But if you\u2019re walking for weight loss, you might wonder, How many calories does 10,000 steps burn? And how many miles is 10,000 steps equivalent to? And is this really enough exercise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-2685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","tag-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2687,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685\/revisions\/2687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}