There is a popularized misconception that weight loss is solely about eating healthy and staying active. While these factors are essential to weight loss, the reality is that weight loss can be challenging, especially in the beginning. Before you know it, you have miles and miles of walking ahead of you, and you’re bound to gain weight once you stop moving. The good news is that you don’t have to. There is an easy method to calculate how many miles you have to walk in order to lose weight. Keep reading for more information.
Simple Math
To determine how many miles you need to walk to lose weight, it’s a simple matter of math. Let’s assume that you have a starting weight of 220 pounds and you want to lose a total of 40 pounds. If you want to lose the 40 pounds in a month, you will need to walk an average of 24.8 miles per day. To put this into perspective, that’s almost one mile for every hour that you spend awake. If this sounds like a huge amount of walking, don’t worry – it isn’t. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to walk about three miles per hour, which means you will need to cover about two miles per hour just to lose weight. This makes it easier to understand where these 24.8 miles per day comes from. It doesn’t take long before you start feeling the benefits of the exercise, and when you do, you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to stay motivated. This is when the true weight loss begins.
Keep in mind that this is an average. This means that if you are naturally a fast walker or a slow walker, you may need to adjust your pace a little bit. Naturally fast walkers will need to walk a little faster to lose the same amount of weight, while naturally slow walkers will need to take it easier. There is no correct or incorrect way to lose weight, just a method that you will need to find that works best for you. Just remember to keep a positive attitude and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle in no time.
The Verdict
Based on the above, you will need to walk about eight to 10 miles per day on the average in order to lose weight. This could fluctuate anywhere between five and 15 miles per day, so it’s very difficult to give a firm number. The main point to keep in mind is that it’s all about the math. Once you have all the basic information, it’s easier to come up with a number that makes sense. This will help you avoid surprises once you start losing weight, and it will help you stay motivated to keep going. You don’t want to lose sight of the fact that you’re making strides just because you’re moving around. Keep this in mind and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle in no time.