Can You Lose Weight By Walking 6 Miles A Day

More ambitious walkers sometimes build up to walking 6 miles a day, which nearly doubles the time commitment, but is still quite feasible for many walkers.

In this article, we will discuss what you can expect from walking 6 miles a day, including how long it takes, the number of calories you will burn, and the physical and mental health benefits of walking 6 miles a day.

Because one mile is equal to 1.609 kilometers, walking 6 miles a day is approximately the same as walking 10k (6.2 miles).

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If you decide to walk 6 miles on a standard 400-meter running track, you will need to walk just over 24 full laps to walk 6 miles.

If you’re maintaining a very brisk 4.0 miles per hour pace (15 minutes per mile), you can walk 6 miles in 90 minutes, while walking 6 miles a day at a more leisurely pace of 3.0 miles per hour (20 minutes per mile) will take 2 hours.

Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, it’s helpful to know how many calories you burn walking 6 miles so that you can plan your fueling strategy and overall nutritional needs.

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The number of calories burned walking 6 miles a day is contingent upon factors such as your body weight, the speed or intensity that you are walking, and whether you are walking on flat terrain or up an incline.

You’ll get a more accurate estimate of the number of calories you burn walking if you wear a heart rate monitor, because your heart rate correlates with your effort level in terms of the percentage of your VO2 max.

However, if you don’t have a heart rate monitor or fitness watch, you can calculate the number of calories burned walking 6 miles a day using the metabolic equivalents (METs) for walking at different speeds.

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Using these METs values, you can calculate the number of calories burned walking 6 miles at various speeds and weights using the following equation to determine energy expenditure:

So, if you are walking 6 miles a day, multiply this calculated value by the number of minutes it takes you to walk those 6 miles.

Below, we’ve created a chart that uses these METs values for common walking speeds and conditions to calculate the approximate number of calories burned walking 6 miles a day for different body weights.

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Studies have shown that consistent walking workouts are an effective way to increase your VO2 max, which is a measure of your aerobic capacity or how well you can effectively and efficiently take in and use oxygen during exercise.

Walking 6 miles a day is a great way to increase the muscular strength and endurance in your lower body and core.

Walking 6 miles a day builds your stamina, conditions your heart and lungs, and strengthens your legs so that you have a good foundation to handle other types of physical activity.

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This is a sizable chunk of time, so if you’re doing your daily walk in a single bout—or even splitting it up into walking 3 miles twice a day—you’re going to develop a really strong

This means that you will have a good level of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity, which will allow you to do other forms of cardio exercise at a similar level of intensity without being completely breathless or exhausted.

For example, if your knee is sore and you want to take a day off from walking, you can probably handle a moderate-intensity 45-60 minute workout on a stationary bike without feeling winded and unable to continue pedaling.

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Many people find that walking is one of the most effective forms of exercise for losing weight because it can help you burn calories without increasing your appetite.

A review of 32 studies found that walking interventions (20-60 minutes per day 2-7 days per week for a mean of 18 weeks) reduced waist circumference (-1.51 cm), weight (-1.37 kg), body fat percentage (-1.22%), and body mass index (-0.53 kg/m2).

However, as long as you walk at a moderate intensity, walking can indeed strengthen your heart and lungs and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

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For example, a review of 17 prospective studies involving over 30, 000 adults found a significant negative association between daily step count and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.

Each 1, 000 daily step count increase at baseline reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 6-36% at follow-up (4-10 years later) and reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 5-21%.

If you find that the impact of running bothers your hips, knees, or ankles, walking 6 miles a day can be a fantastic alternative low-impact exercise.

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Amber Sayer is a Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness Writer and Editor, as well as a UESCA-certified running, endurance nutrition, and triathlon coach. She holds two Masters Degrees—one in Exercise Science and one in Prosthetics and Orthotics. As a Certified Personal Trainer and running coach for 12 years, Amber enjoys staying active and helping others do so as well. In her free time, she likes running, cycling, cooking, and tackling any type of puzzle.

We're passionate about helping others achieve their health and fitness goals - whether running a marathon, eating better, or getting fit in the gym.

Links About Marathon Handbook The Monday Morning Mailer Sponsorship and Advertising Affiliate Disclaimer Privacy Policy + Terms of Use Statement of Independence Sitemap Contact UsBefore the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, I was going to CrossFit Monday through Friday and teaching yoga every Sunday. I went from working out six days a week to not feeling motivated to exercise at all. I was too upset about everything, and forcing myself to do home workouts felt, well, forced. That, coupled with prepping meals and snacks for my kids all day long and having the time to cook elaborate vegan meals and decadent desserts (hello, stress baking!) every day, made me gain a little weight. I know this is normal and I wasn't upset about it — I just didn't feel like me. My energy was low, and I just felt drained and dull, not like my usual vibrant, strong, and confident self. So to get back on track to feel a little bit more like myself, I set a goal.

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It's been six weeks of social distancing where I live, having the kids out of school and trying to juggle homeschooling while working from home — eek! Emotionally, it was really overwhelming, so the first two weeks I didn't do much of anything movement-wise. Weeks three and four, I still didn't feel like pushing myself to do burpees or push-ups, but I did aim to walk three miles a day, which was about 7, 000 steps.

The past two weeks I was finally feeling more inspired to exercise at home. Working out three or four times a week is what I felt ready for, and since walking felt so good, I decided to commit to six miles a day. It was something I knew I could get done every day since I hooked my old treadmill up to my standing desk. Plus, I was going on one or two walks a day with my family.

Walking six miles, which is roughly 15, 000 steps, took me about two to three hours, depending on how I broke it down. A few days in the past two weeks I ran a few miles, which made it take less time, but mostly I just got the distance in throughout the day. When I woke up early to work, I'd aim to get about 1.5 to two miles on my treadmill desk. I walked very slowly while typing, so it took about an hour. Later in the morning, I'd go for a 30-minute walk with the kids, then I'd work more in the afternoon to get another few miles. If I hadn't reached my six miles by dinner, I'd head outside with the family for a before-bed neighborhood stroll.

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Having this little challenge with myself was motivating! I used my FitBit Versa 2 to keep track of my distance, and monitoring my daily miles was the little push I needed to stay active.

It has actually felt really good to slow things down and step away from my super-intense CrossFit workouts. I can focus on just breathing, enjoying the company of my family, and waving to the neighbors (from at least six feet away!). A few times, I headed outside alone or with my dogs, and the solitude of listening to inspiring podcasts or having long talks with friends was so nurturing for my soul. It never felt like a chore, but rather like a gift I could give to myself. Some days I even felt inspired to do more than six miles!

It's only been two weeks, but I already feel leaner having dropped a few pounds. But more importantly, I feel stronger, more energized, and more like myself. I realized that I was using snacking as a coping mechanism when I was feeling stressed, upset, or worried, and heading outside for a quick walk actually made me feel better than reaching for handfuls of nuts or squares

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