Does walking burn more fat?
William Howard
Published May 24, 2026
"For walking, where your heart rate stays a much lower rate and therefore has the time to access energy from fat, a longer walking workout will be considered more fat burning," she says. Cedric Bryant, Ph. D., FACSM, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, agrees.
Do you burn more fat when walking?
For example, if you have 30 minutes to exercise, you will burn 187 calories walking (7km per hour) versus 365 calories running (9km per hour). Walking may burn more fat for fuel, but running burns more total calories, which will contribute to greater weight loss in total.Is walking best for losing belly fat?
One of the most effective ways to reduce belly fat is to regularly take part in aerobic exercise, such as walking ( 19 , 20 ). In one small study, women with obesity who walked for 50–70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks, on average, reduced their waist circumference and their body fat.Why does walking burn so much fat?
It burns off stored blood sugar and depletes the ready energy stores in your muscles. This signals your body that you are going to be doing a longer exercise session. As a result, your body gets ready to start burning stored fat. Speed up until you are in the fitness zone (heart rate of 60% to 70% of your maximum).How much walking does it take to burn fat?
Popular fitness trackers and pedometers encourage people to take 10,000 steps per day, and one 2016 study agrees that 10,000 steps are ideal. This works out to roughly 5 miles of walking. People interested in walking for weight loss should consistently hit at least 10,000 steps each day.Walking for Fat Loss
How soon will I see results from walking?
After 3-4 days of walking: you will notice the “better fit” or more room in your clothes! After 7 days of walking: real changes are happening! You have used body fat as energy (fat burning!) Muscles feel more toned!Is it better to walk faster or farther?
A large meta-analysis found that, on average, walking 1 to 3 miles at about a 20-minute-mile pace results in a reduction in death risk of about 10 percent. Many of these studies do not separate out speed and duration, but to the extent they do, it seems like walking faster may be better than walking slower.Is walking 1 hour enough to lose weight?
Walking can help you lose weightWalking 1 hour each day can help you burn calories and, in turn, lose weight. In one study, 11 moderate-weight women lost an average of 17 pounds (7.7 kg), or 10% of their initial body weight, after 6 months of brisk daily walking ( 3 ).