Exercising regularly is important to maintain a healthy body weight. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people must aim to achieve 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week, which can include walking too. The other recommendation for this is walking 10,000 steps a day.
So, if a person weighing 68 kilograms walks on a flat surface at a pace of 3 mph, using around 3.5 METs, he would burn around 4 calories per minute, which means 400 calories per hour.
People nowadays use smartwatches and different apps to calculate their steps and calories burned, but it's always better to cross-check the number with the equation given above.
The first step to losing weight is creating a calorie deficit, which means burning more calories than you consume. Most people need a calorie deficit of around 500 calories per day to lose half a kilo per week. Thus, people aiming to lose weight should exercise for at least 150-200 minutes per week and walk 10,000 steps per day to achieve their weight loss goals.
According to a 2018 study, people who walked 10,000 steps a day lost more weight than people who walked 3500 steps per day.
Walking is one of the safest and easiest exercises. But if you are someone who does not do any exercise, starting with 10,000 a day can be difficult.
It's best to stay as active as possible before trying to achieve the target of 10,000 steps per day. Elderly and overweight people should gradually increase their steps, aiming for extra 1,000 steps per day each week until they reach their goals.
On the other hand, when people constantly achieve their goal of walking 10,000 steps per day, they should swap walking activity with a higher MET, like jogging or swimming to burn more calories.
Walking 10,000 steps was just a market slogan and not science-backed. As per studies, more movement, which can be measured by more steps or any other physical activity is important for good health. Overall, adopting a healthy lifestyle and staying active every day is the best way to lose weight healthily.
BDST: 1240 HRS, JAN 26, 2021
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