Walking for exercise is inexpensive, accessible, and easy on the body. But if you’ve tried to research the number of calories burned walking a mile, you’ve probably found it’s not easy to land on a consensus number.
So is that after-lunch stroll really helping move the needle toward your fitness goals?
In short: it can, but how much depends on a few factors. Your weight, the terrain, and speed all play a role in calories burned walking.
For example, a person weighing 180 pounds will burn around 100 calories per mile* on flat ground at average walking speed.
A person weighing 120 pounds will burn roughly 65 calories per mile at that same speed.
Walking faster doesn’t make much difference in the number of calories burned per mile, but it does allow you to log more distance — and therefore, burn more calories — in the same amount of time.
If, however, that same 180-pound person were to walk that same speed uphill at just a 6 percent grade, they could burn twice as many calories per mile.
So if you really want to accelerate the number of calories burned, hills and stairs are the way to go. But as with anything, when it comes to walking, sometimes less is more.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, it may be better at least at first to maintain a moderate pace for a longer period of time than to go all-out, says Rocky Snyder, CSCS.
“It’s the story of the tortoise and the hare. Walking faster can bring about greater degrees of stress to the body and may increase the likelihood of future injuries [if you’re not ready for it].”
Calories Burned Walking Charts*
Average walking speed (2.8 to 3.2 mph), level surface:
| Weight (lbs) | 100 | 125 | 150 | 175 | 200 | 225 | 250 |
| Cals/mile | 53 | 66 | 80 | 93 | 106 | 119 | 133 |
Average to brisk walking speed (2.9 to 3.5 mph), uphill (6% to 15% grade):
| Weight (lbs) | 100 | 125 | 150 | 175 | 200 | 225 | 250 |
| Cals/mile | 115 | 144 | 173 | 202 | 230 | 259 | 288 |
*Calorie values tabulated by running data from the Compendium of Physical Activities through Cornell University’s METs to Calories Calculator.
This simple change to your walking routine can have you torching more calories in no time.
Whether you're casually strolling home from work or regularly taking multi-mile powerwalks with friends, walking is an undeniably great way to get in some exercise no matter where your day takes you.
However, many people find themselves disinclined to treat walking as their regular workout—but rather, an accompaniment to it—due to the relatively low calorie burn they typically get out of those aimless ambles. According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound person walking at a pace of four miles per hour can expect to burn just 175 calories over a 30-minute walk.
Luckily, there's a way to significantly boost—or even double—your calorie burn during every walk, experts say.
RELATED: 10 Ways to Burn More Calories During Every Walk, Trainers Say
"Try interval training during your walk. Walk at a casual pace for a minute, then powerwalk as quickly and efficiently as you can for 30 seconds. Continue to complete these intervals for the entirety of your workout," suggests Danielle Gray, a NASM-certified personal trainer, Pn1-certified nutritionist, and founder of Train Like A Gymnast.
"Interval training helps push your body outside its comfort zone to extend caloric burn even after you are finished exercising through an effect called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption to return to your resting state," Gray explains.
RELATED: For the latest health and fitness tips delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter!
Supporting Gray's assertion, a 2013 study published in Physiological Reports found that short bursts of high-intensity exercise can significantly increase your calorie burn.
Researchers from the American Physiological Society found that exercisers can torch 200 calories in just 2.5 minutes during periods of high-intensity exercise, provided that they bookend these demanding intervals with more prolonged periods of lower-intensity exercise.
However, if interval training isn't your speed, you may be able to significantly boost your calorie burn in yet another way: By adding resistance.
"You can hold weights to increase resistance with arm swings on every step. Just a little extra resistance can do wonders," says Gray. "You can also do curls or overhead presses while you walk with weights, which will help you strength train and stabilize your core at the same time … When you use more energy to complete a task, you burn more calories."
For more great ways to supercharge your daily strolls, check out Walk Your Way to a Lean Body With This 20-Minute Walking Workout!
Read this next:
- Major Mistakes You Should Never Make While Walking, Say Experts
- What Walking for Just 20 Minutes Does to Your Body, Says Science
- The 30-Second Trick for Losing More Weight While Walking
Sarah Crow
Sarah Crow is a senior editor at Eat This, Not That!, where she focuses on celebrity news and health coverage. Read more about Sarah