Sam Wood: Is walking enough for weight loss?

This is something I am asked often and I think the uncertainty stems from the age-old belief that running is the best form of exercise to do if you’re trying to lose weight.

This isn’t a simple yes and no question, so let’s take a closer look at whether walking is enough when weight loss is the goal.

When it comes to weight loss, walking can certainly be a great form of exercise to help you on your way. Walking for an extended period of time at a sufficient pace (I’m not talking about a leisurely stroll here), can definitely burn calories and have you working up a sweat.

If you’re trying to lose weight, the key thing to consider is that throughout your day you need to make sure you are burning more energy than you are consuming.

You can certainly burn calories through walking and there are definitely times when I think walking is the perfect workout choice such as:

• When you need low impact. Walking is gentle on the joints.

• You’re just starting your fitness journey. Walking is a great foundation to build your fitness

• You’re trying to add incidental exercise into your day. Walking is a great way to ramp up the exercise without even needing to break a sweat. You can simply park further away from your destination or take the stairs instead of the escalator.

So whilst I’m definitely a fan of upping your step count, walking isn’t the most effective workout. This is especially true when it comes to getting bang for your buck.

To get the same calorie burn as a run or a HIIT workout, you’re going to need to walk for at least double the time it would take you to complete either of those types of exercise.

To lose weight you have to burn fat and when it comes to fat burning, walking ranks lower than other forms of exercise.

My suggestion?

If you’re not restricted by injury or just beginning your journey, use walks as a compliment to your workout routine or as a form of active recovery on the weekends.

Variety is the spice of life, so mix up your workouts with a combination of cardio, HIIT and resistance training for optimum results.

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