Calories Burned Walking – Introduction
How Many Calories Does Walking 30 Minutes Burn?
Walking is an easy way to transform your body from obese to fit.
If you are overweight, you might overlook walking as a tool for weight loss because you think you would rather lose weight with no exercise at all.
Do not make that mistake.
Here is why:
- Walking will tone and condition your entire body
- Also, walking activates the largest muscle groups of your body, your legs
- Making your leg muscles receptive to insulin
- Reversing insulin resistance, where your muscles do not accept blood glucose, can help you reverse type 2 diabetes
- A consistent walking plan will help you look younger, feel better, and even improve your mood
Forget about dieting with no exercise.
Sitting Disease is an Epidemic
Excessive sitting is a problem even for people who exercise, and certainly for those who do not¹.
If you combine walking 20 minutes to 30 minutes a day with resistance training like:
- squats,
- pushups, or
- deadlifts,
you can lose up to 75 pounds over six months.
Once you get used to taking your body for a walk and see the results, you will not stop the walking habit.
How to Calculate the Number of Calories Burned Walking
To calculate the number of calories burned walking, use the following three simple steps:
(Note that this article is for informational purposes only and not medical advice.)
Step 1. Find the MET for walking
MET stands for the Metabolic Equivalent of a Task.
The MET will tell you how many calories you burn per hour of exercise per one kilogram of body weight.
According to the Compendium of Physical Activities, the codes and MET of brisk walking at 3.5 mph for exercise are 17200 and 4.3. ²
17200 | 4.0 | 17200 | 3.8 | 17200 | 4.3 | walking, 3.5 mph, level, brisk, firm surface, walking for exercise |
Step 2. Calculate your body weight in kg
The second step is to step on a body composition scale and find your body weight in kilograms.
Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2.
For example, if you weigh 195.7 pounds, the average weight of a man in the US, divide this number by 2.2, which equals 88.95 kilograms. ³
Step 3. The METs formula
The METs formula is:
- Calories burned walking = the type of walk depending on your body weight and exercise time, or METs x weight in kg x time in hours.
Express time walked as:
- the number 1 represents walking for 1 hour
- .5 is for a 30-minute walk
- .25 stands for 15 minutes
Using the example of a 195.7 pound (88.95kg) man, you can plug in the following numbers to the formula:
- Calories burned = METs of 4.3 for walking x 88.95kg x time (1 hour or .5 for 30 minutes or .25 for 15 minutes)
- 4.3 x 88.95 x 1 = 380 calories burned walking (assuming an hour-long brisk walk at 3.5 mph).
- If you went for a walk of 30 minutes, then your formula would be 4.3 x 88.95 x .5 = 190 calories burned walking.
Therefore, the average calories burned walking briskly for an hour by a 195.7-pound man is 380 calories or 6.3425 calories per minute.
In summary, for the average 195.7-pound man:
- a 1-hour walk at a walking speed of 3.5 mph burns 380 calories
- 45 minutes = 285 calories
- a 30-minute brisk walk = 190 walking calories burned
- and a short 15-minute walk has an energy cost of 95 calories
Calories Burned Calculator for Walking – Wrapping Up
Start walking today to look and feel better than ever.
What’s Next
To lose weight, you only need three things:
- a body composition scale to use daily
- the Simplest Guide On Earth to Lose 20 Pounds in 3 Months
- a pair of great walking shoes
The secret to body transformation is not only about calculating calories.
The keys are:
- eat quality food
- weigh yourself daily
- stick to a 30-minute walking plan at least five times a week.
- start a resistance training program focused on the big compound exercises like squats and deadlifts that burn more calories than you thought possible.
Related “Calories Burned” Posts
- Walking for Weight Loss Plan – Advantages, Benefits + How-To
- How Many Calories Are Burned Deadlifting in One Workout?
- 1 Rep Max Deadlift Calculator + Squat, Bench in 5 Easy Steps
- Calories Burned Squats Calculator in 3 Easy Steps
- How Many Calories Burned By Jumping Jacks 5 Minutes a Day
- Calories Burned Calculator for Lifting Weights
- How Many Calories Are Burned Rucking in a One-Hour Workout?
Footnotes
¹ The importance of walking to public health – Science in Sports – Lee & Buchner
² The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide – Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, Meckes N, Bassett Jr DR, Tudor-Locke C, Greer JL, Vezina J, Whitt-Glover MC, Leon AS.
³ Is There An Average Weight for Men? – Medical News Today