It’s well known that getting outside for a walk is good for you.
It’s been shown to lower the risk of several chronic diseases from diabetes to heart disease.
And just getting up for a stroll during your lunch break could ward off an early death and lower blood pressure.
This is because with each step you take, you burn calories, reducing the risk of weight gain that could lead to obesity.
However, experts have found that the amount you burn depends on your weight, how fast you’re going, and added challenges like walking up hills.
Walking is an aerobic exercise that has been shown to lower the risk of chronic health issues like heart disease and diabetes
Now experts have created a handy calculator to work out exactly how many calories you’ll burn from a one-mile walk.
Dr Heidi Moawad, a neurologist at Case Western School of Medicine, calculated for VeryWell how many calories adults can expect to burn while walking for one mile, depending on their weight.
The maximum is somewhere in the region of 200 -the equivalent of four Chips Ahoy! cookies, and slightly fewer than a McDonald’s hamburger.
Dr Moawad, whose calculations were also reviewed by a dietitian, estimated calorie burn for adults weighing between 100 and 300 pounds.
This is based on moderate to brisk walking speed, which is about 2.8 to 3.5 miles per hour.
The team found that you could burn 160 calories at once by walking for one mile at a moderate pace – roughly 2.8 to 3.2 miles per hour.
This is how fast you’re going if you’re catching up with a friend or taking your dog for a walk around the neighborhood.
| Weight in pounds | Moderate Walking Pace | Brisk walking pace |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 53 calories | 57 calories |
| 120 | 64 calories | 68 calories |
| 140 | 74 calories | 80 calories |
| 160 | 85 calories | 91 calories |
| 180 | 96 calories | 102 calories |
| 200 | 106 calories | 114 calories |
| 220 | 117 calories | 125 calories |
| 250 | 133 calories | 142 calories |
| 275 | 146 calories | 156 calories |
| 300 | 160 calories | 171 calories |
If you’re following this pace, it should take roughly 20 minutes to walk one mile.
However, if you’re thin or underweight, don’t expect the number to be quite this high.
Depending on height, most adults weighing around 100-120 pounds can expect to burn about about 50 to 65 calories when walking at a moderate pace.
However, the more you weigh, the more calories you’re likely to burn.
This is because the more you weigh, the more energy it takes for your body to function.
This means that someone who is heavier will likely burn more calories than a thinner person doing the same level of exercise.
Men also may see a quicker calorie burn than women due to having naturally higher metabolisms as a result of having more muscle than fat compared to women.
The average American woman weighs about 170 pounds, while the typical man in the US comes in around 200 pounds.
According to Dr Moawad’s calculation, the average US woman will burn about 90 calories during a one-milk walk, while that 200-pound man will burn around 100.
And adults who are between 250 and 300 pounds may burn about 133 to 160 calories during a one-mile walk at a moderate pace.
However, walking briskly could increase these measures.
A brisk walking speed is about 3.5 miles per hour, and it would take about 17 minutes to get to the one-mile mark at this speed.
Walking faster can lead to burning more calories, though the differences are small.
Someone between 100 and 120 pounds can see a slightly higher calorie burn at this rate, with about 57 to 68 calories burned per mile.
Meanwhile, the average man and woman would see about 90 to to 102 calories burned.
And someone weighing 300 pounds and walking briskly can expect to burn 171 calories per mile.
Dr Moawad also noted that adding hills or walking at an incline could lead to more calories burned, potentially taking the total calorie burn up to around 200.
‘You could incorporate walking in hilly areas rather than in flat areas, or you could set your treadmill to a higher degree of incline while you’re walking,’ she wrote.
Walking speed depends on several factors.
A 2020 study, for example, suggested that age, sex, height, weight, and overall fitness level can contribute to how fast you’re going.
Additionally, a study published in the journal PLOS One found that walking pace tends to slow down as you age.
The team found that each year after age 60, most people walk about 1.2 minutes slower.
