What Speed to Walk at to Burn Fats

Whether you are walking for fitness or weight loss, you should walk fast enough to achieve a fat-burning walking pace. Walking at a brisk pace is a moderate-intensity cardio exercise. But what exactly does it mean to walk briskly? It turns out that the speed of a brisk walk to burn fat is different for each person as it depends on your heart rate, age, and level of fitness.

Your Heart Rate Determines Your Walking Speed

Your heart rate can help you measure the intensity of your exercise. For most people, the heart beats between 60 and 100 times a minute while at rest and it increases during exercise. The harder you exercise, the more your heart rate will increase.

When you work out in your fat-burning heart rate zone, the idea is that your body taps into fat stores for energy instead of using basic sugars and carbohydrates. This leads to fat loss. Other heart rate zones are:

  • resting heart rate
  • moderate heart rate
  • target heart rate
  • maximum heart rate

 

Your fat-burning heart rate is at about 70 percent of your maximum heart rate

Your maximum heart rate is the maximum number of times your heart should beat during activity. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, a 35-year-old woman’s maximum heart rate is 220 minus 35 or 185 beats per minute. To enter the fat-burning zone, she’d want her heart rate to be 70 percent of 185, which is about 130 beats per minute.

What pulse rate matches each zone depends on your age. Use this target heart rate calculator chart to determine your heart rate in four exercise intensity zones. Select your age to find an estimated maximum heart rate and the range of beats per minute in each zone: low intensity, moderate intensity, vigorous intensity and the aerobic zone.

Heart Rate Zone Low Intensity Moderate Intensity Aerobic Zone Vigorous Intensity Maximum
Age 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 75-85% 100%
20 97-116 bpm 116-135 bpm 135-155 bpm 145-164 bpm 194 bpm
25 95-114 114-134 133-152 143-162 190
30 93-112 112-131 131-149 140-159 187
35 92-110 110-128 128-147 138-156 183
40 90-108 108-126 126-144 135-153 180
45 88-106 106-124 124-141 133-150 177
50 87-104 104-121 121-139 130-147 173
55 95-102 102-119 119-136 128-145 170
60 83-100 100-117 117-133 125-142 167
65 82-98 98-114 114-131 123-139 163
70 80-96 96-112 112-128 120-136 160
75 78-94 94-110 110-125 117-133 157
80 77-92 92-107 107-123 115-130 153

 

Calories and Fat Burned in 30 Minutes

At a brisk walking pace, you would burn 100 to 300 calories in 30 minutes (depending on your weight) or 200 to 600 calories in an hour. By walking for 30 minutes or more at a time, some of those calories will be from stored fat.

During the first 30 minutes of exercise, your body is burning sugars stored as fuel. These are used up after about 30 minutes. To keep going, your body releases fat from your fat cells and burns it for fuel. This stored fat is exactly what you want to lose, and it’s a good reason to build up your walking endurance so you can walk for more than 30 minutes at a time.

If you walk at a brisk walking pace for 30 minutes, the distance you will cover would be:

  • 5 to 2.0 miles.
  • 5 to 3.3 kilometers
  • 3,000 to 4,500 pedometer steps.

The Right Shoes

All you need to start walking away your waistline is a comfortable pair of shoes and here are some tips on .

Brooks PureFlow 5 – Women’s Running Shoes – Black/Anthracite/White

Upper

  • Everything above your sole should be shaped like your foot and smooth wherever it touches, not binding or chafing anywhere.

Ankle collar

  • It is the wrap at the top of the shoe opening that holds the heels down in place. Pay attention to whether the heels slip and how the padding interacts with the bone on the sie of your ankles, and whether the curve on the back irritates your Achilles tendon.

Heel Counter

  • A semi-rigid cup layered inside the rearfoot that cradles and supports your heel. Look for a heel that allows comfortable ankle motion.

Mizuno Wave Shadow – Mens Running Shoes – Eclipse/Silver/Red Orange

Forefoot Cushioning

Midsole materials are designed to reduce the impact caused by the largest forces of stride by forefoot loading and push off. When you choose a shoe look for a balance between a firm push off the platform and cushioning comfort.

Mizuno Wave Paradox 4 (D) – Women’s Running Shoes – Griffin/Paradise Pink

 

Sockliner

It is the removable pad of foam that cushions that contours the bottom of your foot. The sock liner is responsible for the “arch support” and gives the shoes initial step in comfort.

So get the right running shoes that fit the comfort and functionality and start running to burn your calories off!

 


Photo Credits: Sportitude and Unsplash

Sportitude

 

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