Walking is a simple, accessible, and free form of exercise that offers numerous health benefits. Regular walking is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. It's also an effective strategy for weight loss and weight management. This article explores the benefits of walking 2 miles a day for your health and weight loss goals.
The Benefits of Walking 2 Miles a Day
Walking 2 miles a day can significantly impact your overall well-being. Here are some of the key advantages:
Calorie Burning and Weight Loss
Walking burns calories, which can help you lose weight and keep it off. Walking just one mile can burn approximately 100 calories. A 2021 study measured the number of calories regular walkers or runners burned after walking 1 mile. Results showed that walkers and runners burned, on average, 107 calories. This number varies depending on your weight, sex, and ethnicity. Walking 2 miles a day can contribute to a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss over time.
Muscle Preservation
When you cut calories to lose weight, you often lose some muscle in addition to body fat. This can be counterproductive, as muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Exercise, including walking, can help counter this effect by preserving lean muscle when you lose weight. Preserving lean muscle helps reduce the drop in metabolic rate that often occurs with weight loss, making your results easier to maintain. Regular exercise can also reduce age-related muscle loss, helping you retain more of your muscle strength and function in later years.
Reduced Belly Fat
Storing a lot of fat around your midsection (abdominal fat) has been linked to an increased risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Men with a waist circumference greater than 40 inches (102 cm) and women with a waist circumference greater than 35 inches (88 cm) are considered to have abdominal obesity, which is considered a health risk. Regularly taking part in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise like walking is associated with lower levels of belly fat. A 2021 systematic review found that at least moderate aerobic activity was beneficial for reducing visceral adipose tissue. Additionally, exercising 3 times per week for 12-16 weeks and performing 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity reduced visceral adipose tissue.
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Improved Mood
Exercise is known to boost your mood. Physical activity has been associated with improved mood, decreased feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety, and increased energy levels. It does this by making your brain more sensitive to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine. These hormones relieve feelings of depression and stimulate the release of endorphins, which make you feel happy. Experiencing an improvement in mood when you walk regularly might also make the habit easier to keep up with than if you walk less frequently.
Weight Loss Maintenance
Many people who try weight loss programs end up gaining allor some of their weight back. Regular exercise plays an important role in helping you maintain weight loss. You must continuously engage in physical activity if your goal is to keep off weight that you’ve already lost. Studies have found that people who exercise the most are usually more successful at losing a greater amount of weight, whereas people who exercise the least are more likely to regain weight. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 94% of people who have successfully maintained a loss of at least 30 pounds for 1 year or more report increasing physical activity, mainly by walking.
Stronger Bones and Joints
Walking is a low-impact exercise that can increase blood flow and circulation and improve overall mobility around your joints, especially in your lower body. Walking is also a weight-bearing exercise that improves bone strength and the surrounding joints through a process called bone loading. Research shows that walking could improve symptoms of arthritis.
Boosted Creativity
According to a Stanford University study, walking could improve creativity by up to 60%. Aerobic exercise improves and protects cognitive function, but non-aerobic walking could still stimulate creativity more than sitting. In this study, outdoor walking doubled results.
Reduced Risk of Developing Health Conditions
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), walking for 30 minutes per day could lower your blood glucose and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Other markers you could expect to improve include lower blood pressure and cholesterol and a healthier heart and set of lungs. This could also improve your endurance and how efficiently your body uses oxygen.
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Walking 2 Miles a Day: The Details
Here are some common questions and considerations regarding walking 2 miles a day:
How Long Does It Take to Walk 2 Miles?
It depends on how fast you walk and your current fitness level, but a two-mile walk should roughly take 30 to 45 minutes for the average person walking at an average pace. If you’re walking on a treadmill incline or hilly terrain outdoors, you could also expect this to take slightly longer, but averaging 15 minute-miles is considered a brisk walk for most. A speed of three miles per hour (mph) would set a pace of 20 minute miles, which should take 40 minutes to complete a two-mile walk.
How Many Steps Are in 2 Miles?
For women with an average stride length of 2.2 feet, 5,000 steps make up just over 2 miles (2.1 miles), whereas a man with an average stride of 2.5 feet would rack up slightly more at 2.4 miles in 5,000 steps.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 2 Miles a Day?
Calorie burn depends on various factors, including sex, weight, fitness level, stress, sleep, exercise intensity, and duration. If you walk for longer or at a faster pace, you could expect to burn more calories than if you walk slower for short durations. You can expect to burn more calories if you weigh more, too. A female weighing 54 kilograms (119 pounds) and walking two miles at a 1% incline at an average of 3 mph would expect to burn roughly 153 calories. A 70-kilogram (154 pound) male walking at the same pace and incline for two miles could expect to burn more calories - roughly 200.
Is Walking 2 Miles Enough Exercise?
According to the WHO, adults aged 18 to 64 should achieve a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous activity per week. To improve your health further, 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise should be a priority. By walking 2 miles a day, you achieve approximately 280 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, which almost hits the optimum recommended number of 300 minutes per week.
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Tips to Enhance Your Walking Routine
Here are some tips to make your walking routine more effective and enjoyable:
- Track your progress: Use a fitness tracker or a walking app on your smartphone to monitor your steps, distance, and calories burned. Many apps have a GPS feature to help you track how far you’ve walked.
- Increase the intensity: Walk at a brisker pace (3 mph or more) to burn more calories and body fat. Find a location where you can walk uphill or up stairs to add an extra challenge. You could also walk on a treadmill set at an incline.
- Add resistance: Try wearing wrist or ankle weights on your walk. You can also add circuit-training exercises like push-ups, squats, or lunges during your walks to increase your calorie burn.
- Make it enjoyable: Listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks to boost your mood and motivation. Walk with a friend or family member to make it a social activity. Explore new and challenging routes to keep your walks interesting.
- Stay hydrated: Carry a water bottle with you and drink plenty of water before, during, and after your walk. Consider adding a Nuun tablet to your water for electrolytes.
- Invest in good shoes: Look for a pair of supportive walking sneakers that offer cushion just above your heel to avoid blistering.
- Be consistent: Aim to walk 2 miles every day. If you can't do it every day, try to walk at least 5 days a week.
- Combine with other healthy habits: You will see greater results if you combine walking with other lifestyle changes, such as eating a balanced diet, getting proper sleep, reducing stress, and managing underlying health conditions that could lead to weight gain.
Integrating Walking into Your Daily Life
There are many ways to increase the amount of walking you do and achieve your daily activity goals:
- Make a habit of taking a brisk walk on your lunch break and/or after dinner.
- Ask a friend to join you for an evening walk.
- Go for a walk with family and kids.
- Walk your dog every day or join a friend on their dog walks.
- Take a walking meeting with a colleague or take work calls while walking, instead of at your desk.
- Do errands, like going to the grocery store, and any shopping on foot and in person instead of curbside pick-up or online shopping.
- Walk to work. If it’s too far, park your car further away or get off your bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way.
- Join a walking group.