Can 10,000 steps a day help you lose weight?

Ever since WeChat had the WeChat Sports function that allows users to view the number of exercise steps, many people have been checking their friends’ circles every day to see who has taken the most steps, and even comparing steps after walking. People may simply think that if they walk more, they can lose weight, and that if they have exercised 10,000 steps, they have achieved their exercise goal and burned a lot of fat. So, can 10,000 steps a day really help you lose weight?

The number of steps alone does not mean anything. Aerobic exercise that promotes health needs to reach a certain intensity.

In addition to your normal daily walking, add an extra 30 minutes of brisk walking time. Continuing for 30 minutes is to help muscles, joints and blood circulation adapt. From the perspective of body energy conversion, brisk walking initially consumes blood sugar and glycogen mainly. After 15 to 20 minutes, the proportion of fat burning gradually increases. Only when it is continued for 30 minutes will the effect of fat burning be better.

In terms of speed, brisk walking at a speed of 4.5 kilometers per hour can achieve the purpose of fitness, but it also depends on age. For young people, it usually takes 7 to 10 minutes to walk 1 kilometer, with a stride length of about 0.75 meters. But when you are in your forties or fifties, it probably takes more than 10 minutes to walk 1 kilometer.

From the perspective of weight loss, running is better than walking. A 2004 study showed that running a mile (1.6 kilometers) requires 50% more calories than walking the same distance. It can be said that if you want to burn the same calories as running, you have to spend 1.5 times as much time walking and the distance will be twice as long as running.

The reason is that when walking, one leg is always in contact with the ground as a support point to maintain balance, and both legs are basically straight. The center of gravity of the whole body moves smoothly along a horizontal line. This stable state makes the physical energy consumption relatively less.

How to lose weight by walking?

1. Walk faster and walk faster

Increasing the speed and intensity when walking can increase calorie consumption and improve lung capacity, which can have a weight loss effect to a certain extent. What is the effect of starting with a slow walk? The average walking speed of people is 4 kilometers per hour. Only when you speed up to more than 6 kilometers per hour can you burn more fat.

2. Swing your arms

The force generated by swinging your arms when walking can propel you forward, help you burn more calories, and strengthen your upper body. Swinging your arms more while walking will expand your chest cavity, maintaining the best posture and maximizing your walking efficiency.

3. Combine with other strength exercises

Although walking can help you lose weight, it will cause muscle loss. In order to maintain muscle mass and metabolism, you need to incorporate strength training into your daily life. After walking for a while, do a few push-ups, squats, air squats, or other strength exercises, then continue walking to complete the cycle.

4. Keep exercising

Generally speaking, if you want to maintain your figure, exercising 2-3 times a week for 10 to 20 minutes each time is enough. However, if you want to lose excess fat, you need to increase the amount of exercise and exercise at least 3-4 times a week for more than 45 minutes each time.

Choose some easy, gentle exercises that you can stick to for a long time, such as jogging on the spot, brisk walking, climbing stairs, etc. These are all must-do exercises for weight loss.