The idea persisted and is now a common goal among health-conscious adults because, despite the number’s less than scientific origin, 10,000 steps burns enough calories to provide significant benefits to any adult. They originated in Japan in the 1960s where they were marketed under the name “manpo-kei,” translating to “10,000 steps meter.” There are a few answers to this question:įirst it relates to how pedometers (which count steps) were initially sold. Want to get started on your walking habit? Check out: Walking for Weight Loss: The Ultimate 1-Pound-Per-Week Planīut why do people use 10,000 steps as the “magic number” for your daily walks? The benefits of walking include reduced risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke, preventing or managing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, strengthening bones and muscles, and improving balance, coordination, and mood.

Exactly How Many Calories Does 10,000 Steps Burn?.

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If your primary focus is burning calories, the important thing is hitting a certain distance, not aiming for a certain time or speed. While it is true the person who exerted more effort in a shorter period of time may burn more calories per hour, the individual who exercised for 2 hours will burn more calories in the end because they traveled a further distance. Person A exercises for one hour and burns about 360 calories but Person B exercises for 2 hours traveling at 2mph for 2 hours will burn 480 calories. Let's say time is not a constraint and you have as many hours of the day as you wish to exercise but you can only walk at a maximum pace of 2mph. If you only have one hour to exercise a day, and you're walking pace is 3mph, you will burn around 360 calories each walking session. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of hours in the day so we must make use of them as best we can. This list of calories burned also shows something that most people fail to realize: it is not just about speed, but distance. Observe this list of miles per hour (kilometers per hour) traveled compared to calories burned: The model is quite simple: the faster you walk, the more distance is traveled, leading to more calories burned.

Speed mattersĪ large factor that determines how many calories are burned while walking is the pace at which one is walking. These goals will allow you keep your motivation levels high by giving you something to shoot for. If weight loss is your primary focus, consider creating weight loss goals as part of your exercise program. Walking is a completely underestimated activity when it comes to burning calories. The majority of people are trying to gain an edge in lowering how much is taken in while maximizing how much energy is expended.

In today's fitness world, many people are concerned about how many calories have been consumed and calories burned.

Calories burned walking