Exercise and diet are the ideal combination when it comes to losing weightand it is not enough to eat healthy, it is also important to get moving to eliminate fat deposits, accelerate our metabolism and ensure the health of our heart . And at the moment of doing so, walking is the alternative that many prefer.

But it is not enough to do it for a few minutes, at a light step or without putting effort in the task of activating the body, to get lose weight you have to walk properly and taking into account some recommendations. Do you wonder how much you should walk to lose weight ? In this Green Health Tips article we explain in detail.

At least 30 minutes a day 5 times a week

Surely you have read or heard many times that to maintain a healthy heart we must walk at least 30 minutes a day. This statement is true, but it is not enough to do it a couple of days a week when the goal is also to lose weight.

To lose weight walking specialists say that you must walk at least 150 minutes a week , that is at least 30 minutes 5 times a week. Of course this is just the minimum quotaand that the results will depend on factors mentioned later as the speed and intensity of activity, as well as the movement we apply to other areas of the body, such as the arms.

The ideal if we want to see better results would be to spend a little more time on this activity and walk between 40 and 60 minutes 4 times a week, so that we could get over the 150 minutes minimally recommended weekly and ensure our body stays on the move , receiving the benefits of exercise and effectively burning fat deposits.

Never spend less than 20 minutes on physical activity because you will hardly heat your body and burn some calories, mostly sugar deposits, but you will hardly burn fat and therefore you will not lose weight. Although this activity is great for the heart, do not forget that we also talk about losing weight.

The speed, better if it is above 5 km / h

The speed at which we walk is essential when determining how much you should walk to lose weight. In the previous step we have already explained that you need to do at least 30 minutes of walking 5 times a week, but it is not worth doing at any intensity, your pulsations should be between 60 and 80% of the maximum heart rate and to achieve the speed with walking and exercise intensity are basic.

It is recommended to walk at least 5 km / h to get our pulsations increase and burn, as well as calories, also fat. An average speed of between 5 and 7 km / h will allow you to obtain excellent results, but of course that as you gain resistance you can increase the cadence of your route and get better results.

Using a pedometer or one of the sports watches that are on sale in the market is a great way to time not only the time and distance we travel, but also our average speed and the calories we burn. If we want to opt for a simpler device that measures just the distance traveled and the time, we can calculate the calories consumed in a 5 km / h path with the following formula:

0.029 X body weight X 2.2 X minutes of exercise = amount of calories burned (approx)

This means that if a person weighs 75 kilos and a 45-minute walk at 5 km / h would obtain the following result:

0.029 X 75 kg X 2.2 X 45 minutes = 215.32 calories burned approximately.

Toggle intensity to lose weight

The excess oxygen consumed post exercise or COPD by its acronym, refers to the oxygen that our muscles need to recover after physical activity. The more oxygen you need after exercise, the more calories you will get from fat you will have to burn our body in order to ensure proper recovery. After a good physical training the body can spend minutes and even hours burning calories to recover, which favors effective weight loss.

In order to increase COPD and also accelerate basal metabolism , alternating the intensity of cardiovascular exercise is the best option. For this reason it is recommended that during the walk we vary the intensity of the route to increase the caloric expenditure, you can for example:

• Warm up for 5 minutes at 5 km / h.
• Accelerate the passage for 2 minutes at 7 km / h or more.
• Return to 5 km / h for 3 minutes and then do again 2 minutes of intense travel and so on.
• Finish the course at a rate of 5 km / h to make the body cool down, then stretch and finish the training.

If you have heart problems, leg joints or any chronic illness, it is essential that you see your doctor before doing this training.

The technique also matters

As long as there are more muscles involved in the walk, you will lose weight by walking , so it is important not only to move your legs but also your hips and arms, emulating the movement you would make when running, in this way you will burn more calories. If you walk in the gym, the elliptical is an excellent alternative because thanks to it we can also move our arms as we walk in a gentle way, contributing to the caloric loss.

It is also important that your steps are fluid and not too long strides, or the movement could be affected and thus also the effectiveness of the exercise.

Clothing and footwear help improve results

It is not the same to walk with some heels than with a pair of sport shoes that are suitable for exercise, just as it is not the same to walk in jeans or jeans with a mesh that facilitates sweating and guarantees comfort. Sportswear has been invented to boost people’s performance and wearing it is important to make your walks more comfortable and to achieve greater distance as you go through your workouts.

A suitable sports footwear will help you to cushion the foot, to protect the joints and to be able to move faster. On the other hand the clothes will facilitate a better movement, will help to keep you cool during the activity and to be more comfortable. With all this walking at good intensity will become very easy and therefore you can lose more.

And of course, do not forget to take care of what you eat

To the question of how much you have to walk to lose weight and we have given answer: at least 150 minutes a week at least 5 km / h speed, preferably alternating the intensity for a better result.

But if you do physical activity and continue to overeat or if, even worse, “compensate” the calories you lose with exercise by eating even more, it is clear that you will not lose weight . To understand how important diet is in weight loss you can not miss our article how much exercise do you have to do to burn junk food? The answer will surprise you.

Watch what you eat, perform physical activity and see how you achieve your goal of losing weight effectively.

This article is for information only, in Green Health Tips we have no power to prescribe medical treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to go to a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

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