Is Walking 2 Miles A Day Enough For Weight Loss?

Do you feel reluctant to work out in the gym or go for a run? Do you want to improve your fitness level but can’t overcome the fear of beginners? Then we can offer you a good and pleasant alternative to strenuous workouts – walking several miles a day! What can be better than a friendly chit-chat while losing weight? We offer to get acquainted with all the benefits of walking two miles a day weight loss program.

What Are The Benefits Of Walking 2 Miles A Day?

You may think, “Such a simple and ordinary exercise can’t be effective for weight loss.” But you’re mistaken on that. Walking, along with being a pleasant way to spend your time, plays a crucial role in regulating your body performance and weight loss. If you’re at the beginning of your way, two miles daily walk will be a good option. Not too long and not too short, and the results won’t go unnoticed. Let’s get deeper into the benefits of daily walks.

• Can Ease Depression Symptoms

It’s a scientifically proven fact that people who experience depression symptoms are recommended to take daily walks at a moderate walking pace. While outside, we get more fresh air, get distracted from problems, and as a result, lower stress levels.

•  Relieve Stress And Improve Mood

Walking 2 miles a day benefits your psychological health. A combination of light activity and nature-watching will definitely elevate your mood. If you have a chance to walk in the park near your home or work, do it. It will help you to get down to work with more energy and unwind your mind after an exhausting day.

• Can Improve Balance And Posture

Movement is the basis of life. It helps your whole body perform better; all the bones and joints have a necessary workout. While walking, keep your back straight, and this way, you will train your spine muscles, which, therefore, will improve your posture.

• Improved Lung Function

Moderate or brisk walking is the type of aerobic exercise. It enriches your body with oxygen; moreover, the lungs adapt to absorb more oxygen, and the muscles become more efficient at using oxygen. 

• Can Help Ease Chronic Pain

Centers for disease control and prevention conducted various researches on the topic and concluded that walking could help ease chronic pain. Besides, psychologically people get more relaxed, and their thoughts are not focused just on pain.

• Weight Loss

As any other cardio exercise, walking reduces your weight and helps you burn excess calories, creating a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss. You’ll notice the health benefits of increasing your daily walking time.

Walking 2 Miles A Day Weight Loss Tools To Get You Started

You’ll be deeply disappointed if you expect to lose all the extra weight in a week or a month. It’s neither healthy nor effective, and to tell the truth, pretty unreachable. Despite being quite an easy type of exercise, you may need to use some equipment to make it more efficient and pleasant.

1. The Right Footwear

Don’t save money on your health. Wearing the right shoes is an essential part of your workout. You won’t go running on the heels, will you? Because you’re aware of the upsetting results for your back.

Same with walking. It’s a cardio exercise and puts pressure on your muscles and bones. The impact your body has to absorb with every stride is up to eight times your body weight. Running shoes help to absorb and soften some of this shock. The soles of walking shoes help support the plantar fascia, the tissue that connects the foot’s bottom. Be sure to choose shoes with enough toe space. 

2. Exercise Clothes

Clothes are as important as shoes. You should feel comfortable in any weather conditions, anywhere you go, in any rhythm, you’re going to take. The best way to do this is to follow a layering system.

To put it simply, dress in layers so that you can adjust your temperature by putting on or taking off garments. The two essential layers are the base layer (next to the skin) and the outer shell. The base layer quickly transports sweat away from the skin, and the outer layer keeps out rain and wind, allowing moisture vapor to escape.

3. A Foam Roller

A foam roller is a type of soft tissue that can help alleviate muscle pain and tension caused by adhesions that can form between your muscle and your fascia. Muscle recovery can take time, and a foam roller can help relieve it sooner. 

4. Water Bottle

It’s a “must-have.” Water balance is essential for your well-being and functioning. While walking, you can lose a lot of water, and you need to refill your tank constantly; otherwise, the feeling of dizziness and fatigue will accompany you all the way.

Be very attentive while walking in summer. Lack of water can cause a heat stroke.

5. A Fitness Tracker

It’s not something you must have, of course, but a nice detail if you want to know your results or compare the distance and speed. You don’t have to buy a super expensive watch; the simplest ones will do. The majority of fitness bands measure your heart rate, the distance you walked, speed, and lost pounds per week or month. All the data is sent to your phone application, allowing you to trace your progress.

As a bonus, you can take photos while walking and attach them to each training. This way, you will not only burn calories but will create memories.

6. Earbuds/Earphones

Music is good company. It can give you the rhythm and just fill your head with pleasant melodies. You can opt for audiobooks, podcasts, educational audios, whatever makes you feel better.

If you have a chance to go for a walk in the forest, the music of nature can be a better option. It’s nice to break from the digital world for some time, a kind of digital detox.

How To Lose Weight Walking 2 Miles A Day

The very first thing to do – is to get out of the couch and go outside. Really, it’s the most difficult. Walking itself is a pleasant routine, but putting on your sneakers and going out of the room – that’s something that requires a great deal of inner fight. 2 miles a day can help you feel better, get rid of belly fat, lose weight and cheer up.

What can make your walking two miles a day results better? Let’s look at some tips:

1. Increase your pace – start with slow speed, it is obvious. However, increase the intensity of your steps after your body gets used to the pace. The faster you go, the faster your heartbeat is, and the more fat you burn.
2. Walk on an incline – if you live in a hilly area, then your walking two miles a day benefits will increase. Such a walk makes you put more energy into the workout, which will help you lose weight quicker, have lean leg muscles, and improve your cardiovascular health. 
3. Change your diet – you can’t lose a kilo if you don’t burn more calories than you consume. Your daily walking routine is just one part of a change. The other part depends on your diet plan. Don’t go to extremes limiting all the food you eat. It’s nice to have a piece of cake from time to time with a cup of hot chocolate as a treat. Alternatively, give preference to a wide range of vegetables and fruit, cereals, and protein; your stomach will say “thank you” for that. If you are looking for changes, alter your lifestyle. 
4. Enjoy what you do – apparently, you want to see the results as soon as possible. But concentrating only on the outcome and calories you burn will make you super anxious, and you will miss on a fun part. Isn’t it nice to see the trees, nature, and people around? Isn’t it enjoyable to listen to your favorite pieces of music while having a steady 2 mile walk when everyone around is rushing somewhere? Our life is worth observing. Enjoy what you do, and the results will come.

So, if you are looking to lose weight, aim for a daily walking routine of at least 30 minutes, and be sure to supplement your walk with other healthy lifestyle changes.

 Can You Lose Weight By Walking 2 Miles A Day On A Treadmill?

Some people may have limited possibilities to go for a walk outside due to different reasons. Also, cold autumn and winter days are great demotivators. That’s why our era of technologies took care of that – treadmills are quite a good substitution. It’s not just a way to lose weight but an excellent option to improve your cardiovascular health while staying home. What Affects The Efficiency Of Walking 2 Miles On A Treadmill To Lose Weight?

Is walking 2 miles a day on a treadmill as effective as walking outside?

Certainly. Generally, it is the same type of exercise, with the same fat and calories burned. It will also help you to create a calorie deficit. Reaching the best results for you can depend on various factors. Let’s dig deeper.

• Speed 

That’s an obvious plus compared to a simple walk outside. You can set the speed. The faster you walk, the more chances you’ll see in the long run. Of course, you may start setting 1 mph and see how you deal with this pace. If it’s acceptable, go higher – 2 mph and then 3, 4, and 5 mph. It’s a good idea to change the intensity during the workout – go slower-faster-slower-faster. This way, you will be burning more fat, and each step will bring you closer to your goals.

•  Inclination

Another benefit of treadmills – is inclination resistance. The belly gets slightly elevated, making it harder for you to run or walk faster. You can also add several minutes of walking with weights. Adding resistance to exercise routines, you help your body to burn calories better and get a healthy and toned-up body.

• Fat-Burning Zone

Typically there’s an option “fat-burning zone.” But keep in mind – burning fat isn’t the same as losing weight.

The Bottom Line: Is Walking 2 Miles A Day Good For My Health?

Walking is always a good idea. If you feel exhausted or depressed, go for a walk. Make it your daily routine, and you will notice how every mile improves you. Plan walking 2 miles a day for 30 days to make it your habit. Every day will help you reach your goal if you stick to your schedule.

Don’t count how many calories you burn walking every day; relax and enjoy your healthy lifestyle. 60 minutes of the walk, including a friendly chat, will bring you into high spirits because of the higher level of oxytocin. 

A meal plan is an integral part of your program. Be sure to consume enough protein, greeneries, and the right amount of water. Your diet should consist of healthy foods to affect your body positively. 

There are millions of ways of getting rid of belly fat and losing fat, but the main rule is to be active and eat when needed; it means not to follow emotional hunger.

FAQ

🏃‍♂️How Much Weight Can You Lose Walking 2 Miles A Day❓

🏃‍♂️It's very individual; of course, you expect to walk 2 miles and lose as much as possible but the numbers get tricky. If you walk 2 miles at 3 miles per hour and your weight is 45-50 kilos, you'll burn 80-100 calories depending on your speed; at the same time, a person weighing 120 kgs would burn about 250 calories. If your meal plan contains healthy food, then you'll probably create a calorie deficit and consequently start losing weight. However, if you had a heavy meal with sugary drinks, don't wait for changes just by walking 2 miles a day.

🏃‍♂️How Much Weight Can You Lose Walking 2 Miles A Day For 3 Months❓

🏃‍♂️As mentioned above, due to multiple factors weight loss can be between 1 to 2 pounds a week (half a kg to 1 kg), which is the healthiest approach. With that in mind, we can have between 12 and 24 pounds in 3 months. Be attentive if you have found an article offering you to lose more; extreme types of diets will cause harm to your health, and some problems can become irreversible. Another way of seeing perfect numbers on the scales - is water loss. But it's dangerous, and the calories will return as soon as you return to your routine.