You may be familiar with the recommendation to walk at least 10,000 steps each day. Walking is the best exercise out there with a list of benefits and low-danger risks. It’s effortless and a great way for people of all backgrounds and ages to exercise. It is a great form of exercise that can help you reach your fitness and weight loss objectives. In addition to aiding in calorie burning and being beneficial for cardiovascular health, it is also forbidden in a relatively small number of diseases and health problems.
For many people, a daily exercise regimen entails walking a predetermined amount of steps or completing a predetermined distance. Even more, experts endorse walking as a great way to maintain weight, calorie intake, and BMI. That demonstrates how crucial walking is to your health.
Before getting to our primary topic, let’s first define BMI.
What is BMI, (Body mass index) and how do we calculate it?
To describe it easily, a person’s BMI is a numerical representation of their weight in relation to their height. Its main use is in the medical industry, where it determines a patient’s weight objectively. If your BMI is:
- Between 20 and 22, it’s a healthy weight
- Between 22 and 30, Overweight
- Is over 30, significantly overweight
- Is over 40, dangerously overweight
How to calculate your Body Mass Index?
As mentioned above, a person’s body mass index is measured by dividing their weight in pounds by height in inches, the same goes for adults and children. The formula is as follows:
BMI = Weight in kilograms/height squared in meters. Now that we know what BMI is ad how we calculate it, let’s move to how much should we walk according to our Body Mass Index (BMI). Your walking program might last up to 60-90 minutes, or longer if you fall lower on the BMI Chart. This about reaches the 10,000-step threshold. Some people may even be walking 5-7 miles per day, or more than 10,000 steps, each day. Your individual medical history, exercise routine, nutrition, and lifestyle all play a role in this. You can estimate how much you should walk each day based on your BMI and background.
How much to walk according to your Body Mass Index (BMI)
Walking offers several health advantages, especially in terms of reducing body fat. It is also among the simplest and most affordable forms of exercise that someone can do. Walking every day could be a great way for many people to become more active. How much walking is, therefore, necessary to reduce weight and get a healthy BMI? Find out your current BMI and how much weight you need to lose to reach your goal BMI to get started. The suggested weight-loss target is to walk 5 miles per day; this will burn around 3,500 calories per week or one pound of fat.
It’s not an obligation to walk five miles in one sitting. You can also divide your walk into two to three times a day. Increase your daily walking distance to 5 miles gradually. If you have a high BMI, you will burn much more calories.
How many miles should you walk each day to lose weight?
Brisk walking every day for at least 30 to 60 minutes helps to burn excess calories. Depending on the day, you can walk for longer or shorter amounts of time, but your weekly total should be at least two and a half hours. Keep your workout at a reasonable degree of exertion and remember to walk quickly. Even though you can break up your walking time into 10-minute segments, after warming up, walking continuously for more than 30 minutes has the added benefit of burning calories. If you’re just starting, try shorter walks at a leisurely pace and gradually extend your walking time. At first, you might choose to occasionally take longer walks.
It’s better to not miss walking consecutively. Stability and persistence are beneficial to lose calories, helps with metabolic improvements, and developing new behaviors. Hopefully, then the ideal weight goal can be reached.
Health Benefits of walking according to BMI
Walking can be a real deal other than losing weight too. Let’s look at some benefits:
1- Helps you lose body fat and burns a lot of calories
Walking is the best option to burn calories. How quickly, how far, and where you walk will all affect how many calories you burn, as will your body weight. For instance, burning 150 calories when walking quickly for 30 minutes.
2- Helps to lift your mood
One of the psychological benefits of exercise is that it triggers the body to release endogenous opioids, which are naturally produced and relieve pain. Studies show it is really good for your mental health. Similar to other cardiovascular activities, walking can help reduce feelings of dread, hopelessness, and general discomfort.
3- Reduces blood sugar level
Even quick strolls could have a big influence. For instance, a study found that walking for 20 minutes every mealtime was more efficient at lowering blood sugar levels than a single 45-minute stroll! That’s wonderful news for those who are constantly on the move.
4- Improvement of Heart
Walking strengthens your heart, as we already know. A daily walk of at least 30 minutes is good for your heart. One 2009 study recommended that walking be “given” to prevent coronary heart disease because it is so beneficial. Risks were reduced by 20% or so!
5- Makes your legs stronger
Do you desire additional muscle and strength in your legs? Start by walking, then pick up the speed or choose a steep path to maximize the benefits of gaining strength. If you pump your forearms while walking, walking strengthens your forearms, abdominal muscles, and legs.
6- Relieves joint pain
Walking helps the muscles that surround your joints by keeping them lubricated and strong. So if you don’t like running, walking can be a good alternative.
To conclude, it’s still advised to seek medical and professional advice before starting the walking workout. You should work to increase the frequency of your walking as well as the distance you cover or the number of steps you take each day. You can include brisk walking or walking up hills a couple of times per week to exert more effort.
So why are you still waiting? Get ready to walk by donning some walking shoes!