Fast walking vs. slow jogging: Which is better for weight loss? (2024)

FAQs

Fast walking vs. slow jogging: Which is better for weight loss? ›

Fast walking won't burn quite as many calories as slow jogging, but it will still help you achieve your weight loss goals and improve your overall fitness.

On a rough average, it is possible to burn about 500 to 700 calories by jogging 10,000 steps. As for walking, it is relatively lesser than jogging. The average is about 350 to 500 calories. Both these physical activities can contribute to weight loss as long as your caloric intake is less than caloric expenditure.

Conclusions: Total body fat is lost through walking at all speeds, but the change is more rapid, clear, and initially greater with slow walking in overweight subjects. A longer exercise impulse at a lower speed in our study initially produced greater total fat loss than a shorter one with fast walking speed.

Go long and slow

To begin with, slow low-intensity runs, generally over 30 minutes in duration, are likely to send your body into burning fat stores as fuel rather than carbohydrates.

The bottom line is: the harder you work, the more calories you'll burn. And the more calories you burn, the easier it will be for you to achieve a calorie deficit and lose weight. Running and jogging burn more calories per minute than walking, so you can speed up your weight loss efforts by learning to love running.

Is it better to run 30 minutes or walk an hour? Running for 30 minutes is more time-efficient for calorie burning and cardiovascular benefits, but walking for an hour can be more sustainable and offers a lower injury risk.

One study found that regular aerobic exercises, such as walking, reduced belly fat and helped people manage obesity. Walking and running help burn calories in the body, but they also help reduce belly fat, depending on the intensity of the exercise. However, running may help reduce belly fat more effectively.

Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily habits, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you'll burn.

Speed Matters When Walking for Fitness

If you're walking for your health, a pace of about 3 miles per hour (or about 120 steps per minute) is about right. That's a 20-minute mile. To walk for weight loss, you'll have to pick up the pace to 4 miles per hour (or 135 steps per minute), a 15-minute mile.

Can a person lose belly fat by walking? Regular aerobic exercise such as walking may be an effective way to lose belly fat. A 2014 study supports this and concluded that walking could help to burn body fat, including fat around the waist and within the abdominal cavity.

Does slow jogging burn belly fat? ›

Many studies show that: Moderate-intensity jogging (including short or long distances), high-intensity running (variable running, uphill running, sprinting or HIIT combined with running) are remarkably effective. significantly in reducing belly fat, even without changing the diet.

“The demands on the body are much higher, the risk of injury is much higher the faster you go,” notes Dr. Singh. “Slow running will help you stay healthy for longer. There's a place for fast efforts and a place for learning how to run fast and how to train your muscles to run fast.

Interval running is the best way to lose fat, as it requires a lot of energy. The "afterburn effect" of intense interval training sessions means that your muscles require a lot of energy even after the training session, leading to increased fat burning.

If you're just trying to promote a base level of health and fitness, then walking will do the job just as well. Running delivers more health benefits more efficiently than walking. This study showed that five minutes of running delivers the same health benefits as 15 minutes of walking.

Among the best workouts to lose belly fat, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) stands out as a highly effective exercise regimen.

For example, power walking at 4.5 mph for one hour would burn the same as jogging at 4.5 mph for one hour. For an effective workout, try pace training. Increase your speed for two minutes at a time, then slow back down. Speed walking doesn't burn calories as fast as running.

Yes, running slowly can help you lose weight. “You burn more calories over time by staying in the fat-burning zone for longer when you keep up a steady pace.

It's more about being strategic with your training. You want to have a good mix of intensity — most runs should be slow, while other runs should be where you push yourself to run fast. A good rule of thumb? About 80% of your runs should be slow running and the other 20% should be faster.

Running can burn up to 671 calories in 30 minutes if the right conditions are met. Aerobic cardiovascular exercises, like running, have many physical and mental advantages. One of them is weight control. There's scientific evidence that less than three hours of cardio a week can help you maintain your weight.