One of the great aspects of being active in the mountains is that it allows us to stay in shape, whether that be walking or running on the trails. That raises the question about burning calories. Do we burn more calories from walking or running on the trails?
When viewed as calories burned per minute, running burns over double the calories compared to walking. However, when we look at calories per mile, then running only burns 24% more calories. When we run we need to take rest days so it is possible to burn more calories per week by walking every day.
Let’s study the comparison between walking and running on the trails so that we can understand which activity burns more calories and why.
Running Vs Walking What Burns More Calories
If any of us were asked in the street whether running or walking burns more calories, a snap answer would obviously be that running burns more calories than walking. However, the answer isn’t quite as simple as it first appears.
For our example, we will look at a person who weighs 160 lbs. If that person were to walk at a pace of 3.5 mph for 30 minutes they will burn approximately 156 calories. Should that same 160-lb person run at a speed of 6 mph they will burn about 356 calories over the same 30-minute period.
This is where the mathematics of our experiment gets interesting. You will notice that walking at a pace of 3.5 mph for 30 minutes means that you will cover a distance of 1.75 miles while running at a speed of 6 mph for 30 minutes means that you will have covered a distance of 3 miles.
If you burn 156 calories during a 1.75-mile walk it gives you a calorie burn rate of 89 calories per mile. Now if we look at the running equation will see that 3 miles of running burning 356 calories give us a calorie burn rate of 118 calories per mile. Well, this equation still shows that running burns more calories than walking but the difference is far less significant than we would initially think.
Our first glance at the numbers would indicate that running burns more than double the number of calories per minute than walking. However, when we look at the calorie burn rate per mile that difference drops from more than double down to just 24%.
If someone is overweight and just starting out on their path to fitness they will find it far easier to walk for 30 minutes than to run continuously, non-stop, for 30 minutes. In addition, an unfit person will be able to walk for 30 minutes and be able to recover sufficiently to do the same again the following day.
However, if a completely unfit person attempts to run for 30 minutes, non-stop, they will usually need two or three days of recovery before being able to do the same type of run again. That is if they are able to complete the 30-minute run without stopping.
So, getting back to our earlier calorie burn calculation it is possible for an unfit person to walk for 30 minutes on seven consecutive days with a calorie burn rate of 156 calories per day, giving us a total of 1092 calories per week.
If the same unfit person has taken up a running program that requires two rest days after each run day they will have only completed three runs during the week which equates to 1068 calories for the week.
Here we can already see that an unfit person walking 30 minutes every day for a week will burn more calories than running 3 days a week. If that person is really stiff and sore after any one of those runs, they may need to take 3 days off instead of 2. That will cut the weekly total down to 2 runs and 712 calories burned.
Do You Lose More Belly Fat Running Or Walking?
I remember during my University days at the University of Cape Town, being part of a sports-science study that was looking at the relative fat-burning effects of running vs. walking. It was found that for people who are trying to manage obesity, walking is an aerobic form of exercise while running at any speed will be more anaerobic.
When exercising anaerobically the body will be burning black glycogen and simple sugars for energy. It is not possible to burn body fat for fuel in an efficient manner while having an anaerobic level of exertion.
Walking, on the other hand, is an aerobic activity at an intensity level that allows the body to burn fat for fuel and do so for a longer period of time.
So, if your goal is to burn belly fat and you are relatively unfit, you will do far better by choosing a program of walking than running. You will also be able to keep walking for far longer than you can run. Another great thing when you start with a walking program is that you can do it daily and that keeps your calorie burn rate far higher over the course of the week than you would be able to do by running every third or fourth day.
I can remember when I used to do many hiking trails during my summer vacations. I would return from a week-long hiking trail at least 5 lb lighter than I started.
Can You Lose Weight Just By Walking And Running?
It is definitely possible to lose weight just by walking and running. This needs to be balanced by keeping a handle on your daily nutrition. Because no matter whether you are walking or running, if you keep eating junk you will not be able to drop the pounds.
Getting back to my earlier example of where I used to go on week-long hiking trails. I needed to carry all of my planned food for the week in my backpack. The more food I packed, the heavy on my backpack would be.
So, what I would inevitably do is only pack the absolute necessities that I needed for energy in a healthy nutrition plan. There were no stores along the way that I could drop into and pick up crisps, cookies, and other snacks I had to make do with what I had with me in my backpack.
This meant that I was carrying the equivalent of 1500 calories of nutrition as a daily ration. Five hours of hiking burns just over 1500 calories, so when I add my basal metabolic burn rate it was enough of a calorie deficit to lose 5 lbs in a week.
How Much Should I Walk Or Run A Day To Lose Weight?
According to the information put out by the US Department of Health and Human Services you need to do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises every week to be able to lose weight. This would equate to doing a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise 5 days per week.
I know that from experience if I choose walking as my form of exercise I will be able to do 60 minutes of walking every day of the week. However, when it comes to running it will take me, as a novice runner, approximately 2 to 3 months before I have developed the necessary strength in my ligaments and tendons to be able to run for 60 minutes every single day. I did try this before as an unfit runner and landed up with a knee ligament injury which sidelined me for longer than I had been running. Not exactly the ideal situation for losing weight.
What Is The Best Time To Walk To Lose Weight?
When it comes to choosing a time for some exercise to lose weight, I will say that the best time of day will be the time of day that you can get out of the door and do you walk with any degree of consistency. Me, personally, I prefer to do my walking early in the morning, catch the sunrise, and listen to the birds’ twitter at the start of the day. I returned from my walk feeling good. I like the sense of achievement of finishing my daily exercise while those around me we still asleep.
But that is just what works best for me. Maybe an evening walk will be one that works better for you. Generally speaking, if you’re able to take a short walk after each meal it will help with your digestive process so that may well be an option to consider. That is probably why doing hiking trails is so effective because you would stop for a meal shoulder your backpack and then keep walking.
Can Walking Reduce Thigh Fat?
Walking is an aerobic exercise that is at the intensity level that allows us to burn fat for fuel. The fat that we burn during a walk will come from all over our body including our thighs. If your goal is to be burning fat then walking is an excellent option.
Can Walking Slim Your Legs?
The act of walking exercises both your front and back thigh muscles while at the same time helping you to burn fat from your thighs. So the overall effect will be to slim your thighs down.
Over time walking will gradually firm up your thighs and glutes while at the same time trimming and slimming them down. So, if your goal is to get nice slim legs walking is definitely an excellent adoption for you as you start your exercise and healthy lifestyle journey.