How Many Steps Do You Need to Walk Every Day to Lose Weight?

I told you the other day that I started to increase my walking steps this month. Yay. We all know that walking is a great form of exercise for a many reasons. For one, you don’t need any equipment other than a great pair of shoes. Two, you can do it just about anywhere.

These two reasons alone make it a great type of exercise to do when anytime, even while traveling, since you don’t have to tote around a bunch of equipment. You don’t have to worry about getting to a gym. And it is great to do with a friend.

If the weather is nice, walking outside is the best choice. You will get your vitamin D from the sun and enjoy the fresh air. If the weather is cold or not so good, take your walk inside by using walking DVD’s, heading to a mall or perhaps a fitness center.

Most of us do not walk nearly enough due to our sedentary lifestyle. People want to know “How many steps do I need to walk every day to lose weight?” I wanted to know this too.

How Many Steps Do You Need to Walk Every Day to Lose Weight?

In America, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.

According to the UK’s National Health Service, most Brits walk on average between 3,000 and 4,000 steps per day; it is even worse in the U.S. – about 2,300 to 3,000 steps per day is the average. Yikes. That is nothing in the scheme of health and wellness

Walking for an hour at 5 mph a total of 5 miles or 9 kilometers equates to approximately 10,000 steps, depending on your stride. Do this for five days and you’ll burn off enough calories to lose a pound during that week – provided you ate healthy and watched your calorie intake. You can’t out exercise a bad calorie-laden diet. Increase the intensity by walking faster, swinging your arms, etc. and you’ll burn even more calories.

But unless you measure out a 5-mile route and time your walk, how do you know you are walking at least 10,000 steps? This is where a step-measuring device can help you. They range from a simple pedometer that only measures the number of steps taken to the new fitness trackers that not only measures steps, but the number of calories burned, calories eaten, and a whole host of other data.

One common excuse many people use is they don’t have the time to walk for an hour. The good news is you don’t have to walk it all at once to get the health benefits.

There are some “tricks” used by many people to get in their steps without having to expend much more time.

If you drive to work, park at the far end of the parking lot and walk in to work. If you take public transportation, get off a stop or two early and walk the rest of the way.
Once in your office building, take the stairs for a few flights instead of the elevator.
During your lunch break, strap on your walking shoes and take a walk, leaving just enough time to eat your healthy brown bag.

If you are wearing a pedometer or fitness tracker, you’ll see how these tactics add to your daily step count. Finish off your 10,000 steps with a walk after the evening meal.

There are so many healthy reasons to walk besides losing weight that you are doing yourself a disservice if you are not getting in your daily number of steps. Hit your goal each day and you will reap the advantages of walking.