Does Walking Ten Thousand Steps A Day Help You Lose Weight? Let’s Find Out Whether it’s a Myth or a Fact!

Walk more to lose weight. We have heard this for the longest time, but unfortunately, the sedentary lifestyle we are leading now stops us from reaching our weight loss goals. Countless studies have shown us that 10,000 steps per day can help us go a long way in losing the extra flab. But is it a myth or fact? This 10,000 steps a day rose to fame in Japan. However, it did not have the baking of science initially.

However, recently there have been many studies done on the same fact. Is it a magic number? Walking more steps can make you thinner, help influence your BMI, (Body Mass Index), and help keep lifestyle diseases at bay. So, how can you get 10,000 steps in a day? Is walking for one hour a day enough? Let us find that out and more here.

All About the 10,000 Steps a Day Workout

Walking for 10,000 steps a day can help clock in five miles per hour. Unless you are always on your feet, it may not be easy to clock in those many steps a day. Someone who has a largely sedentary lifestyle may clock in 3000 steps or less.

Most people can reach their goals of 10,000 steps a day by either going for walks or runs, and it may amount to thirty or sixty minutes a day. That equates to the minimum exercise recommendation for a day, thirty minutes, or sixty minutes of walking a day.

Track Your Steps

If you’d like to improve your health and fitness, you can start by figuring out your baseline. You can do so, by logging into a simple pedometer, activity tracker, or you can even use a smartphone app. Don’t worry. You do not have to achieve 10,000 steps in one day. It will take time to reach 10,000 steps from, say, 3000 steps a day. Start by increasing 2000 to 2500 steps per day. Walking a mile can burn about eighty calories for a person who weighs about 150-pounds. As you get more comfortable with those many steps, you can slowly, increase the steps further.

Focus On Burning Calories

Most fitness pundits will recommend burning over 200 to 300 calories per day to lose weight. And to achieve that, you will do moderate to vigorous exercise. Also, the number of calories one person burns may not be the same for another person. It primarily depends on your weight and speed.

Everyone burns a certain amount of calories by just sitting and breathing. But that’s not enough to lose weight! You may end up burning more if you get up and walk, and even more if you run! Clocking in more than 10,000 steps can help you burn about 250 to 600 calories. Some pedometers can help estimate the calorie burn by counting your steps. Of course, if you feel like counting your steps with a mobile app, it is not easy. You can always try various activity bands and other advanced pedometers such as Fitbit. This will also help you track how fast you are walking or running.

Understand Your Body’s Needs

If you are already clocking in 10,000 steps a day, but cannot reach your weight loss goals, you need to change your routine. As your body is different from everyone else, your fitness needs could be different too. Also, 10,000 is a generalized number. It may work for your neighbor, your friend, but it may not work for you. You may need another 2000 steps extra! Sad state of affairs, right?

But that’s the way it is. Also, find excuses to get up and walk more and down the stairs instead of the escalator. You can even try walking a little faster for two minutes and then slow down and then pick up the pace again. Even if you are trying to add more steps, don’t forget to clock in a few minutes read thirty minutes minimum of exercise most days of the week.

However, no matter how much you walk, if your nutrition isn’t on point. You cannot reach your weight loss goals like ever. Keep a food and exercise diary to mark your inputs, read your improvements. Sitting is the new smoking! And you ought to incorporate the right lifestyle change. Read more walking and less sitting to beat lifestyle diseases! Get up every hour to walk around, 10,000 is a good goal to have. Remember to start small and eventually increase the number to reach your fitness routine and weight loss goal.