Many people underestimate the role of walking in maintaining good health. Walking can make a huge difference to your fitness and overall health. It makes you use all your muscle groups and burn calories as a result. You can maximize its benefits by walking more regularly and gradually increasing your pace.

Just after sticking to your routine for a few days, you will notice some reduction in your waistline, which mainly happens because walking improves your body's response to insulin. What else can walking half an hour a day do to your fitness? Let us find out now!

How Many Calories Can You Burn By Walking 30 Minutes a Day?

Walking is one of the very best low-impact exercises you can do to mobilize fat and change your body composition. It helps you burn calories, the amount of which depends on the duration and intensity of your exercise. Your body weight also has a role to play in determining exactly how many calories you burn by walking 30 minutes a day. For example, a 120-pound person may only burn 80 calories by walking at 2.5mph for 30 minutes, whereas a 150-pound person will burn up to 105 calories for walking the same distance at the same pace.

Here are the estimated calories you burn in 30 minutes by walking depending on your pace and body weight:

Tips to Burn More Calories with Walking

Simply walking 30 minutes a day will help burn quite a few calories, but you can burn even more by making some changes to the way you walk.

1.        Use Your Arms

Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and pump your arms as you move ahead. It will increase your pace and help you burn 15% more calories in every session. Make sure to keep your thumbs close to your waistband as you lower your elbow and never let your hands go pat the middle of your chest as you move your elbows up. Avoid excessive side-to-side motion for better results.

2.        Listen to Your Favorite Music

Walking while listening to your favorite music will help you fight flagging energy. You may be able to cover 20% more distance while walking, which in turn will help you burn more calories. Music produces feelings of vigor and blocks fatigue. It also helps you maintain a rhythm while walking.

3.        Put on More Weight

You will burn more calories when you work with heavier weights. It means you will burn more calories by lifting 20 pounds 5 times than lifting 10 pounds 10 times. It is not about the reps but it is more about the weight you lift. The same holds true in walking. You can find ankle weights or try other ways to increase your body weight and burn more calories in return.

4.        Increase Your Speed

Walking 30 minutes a day can make a difference to your fitness level. If walkingat speed of 3 MPH will burn 99 calories, increasing your pace by 1 mile per hour will help you burn 122 calories. It means you should always look to pick up your pace and you will eventually be losing more calories from every workout.

5.        Find a Walking Buddy

It really helps to walk with a friend. Not only does it keep things interesting, it also makes your workout more competitive in nature. If you would push yourself to beat how much your friend can walk, you will always be able to burn more calories by pushing the limits. You can set a goal like a telephone pole, mailbox, or another landmark and race to it. Opt for different trails and walking paths to make your workout even more challenging.

6.        Hike a Hill

Increasing your walking pace is probably the best way to burn more calories, but if you find it difficult, hike a hill. It is all about making your workout more challenging. The more difficult it is, the higher the number of calories you burn in each workout. You can also walk on an inclined treadmill but do not use its railing for support. Any level of support will reduce resistance, which will have a direct impact on how many calories you burn in a workout session.

Tips to Keep in Mind

Walking 30 minutes a day can work wonders to your fitness, but you need to follow the right technique. It may sound weird but many people maintain a wrong posture while walking and lose all-important benefits of this exercise. Here are a few considerations to make your workout more productive and safe.

• Wear proper shoes. Many people start walking but fail to stay regular because they develop foot pain. This usually happens when you wear ill-fitting shoes. The pair of shoes you wear should offer arch support and be breathable. Talk to a specialist to know what you should wear.
• Make use of interval training. This is especially beneficial for anyone who cannot walk for 30 consecutive minutes. Take the stairs whenever possible, go take a walk during your lunch break, park your car far from your office building, and take other similar steps that would keep you active. Alternatively, you can take short walks of 10 minutes thrice a day instead of walking 30 minutes a day to get similar results.
• Keep track of your progress using a pedometer. This helps keep you motivated and may even help you walk more.
• Maintain a right posture and gait. A slack tummy, tight hips, weak glutes and bad overall posture will affect your performance and make you more susceptible to injuries. Try yoga for strengthening and stretching. Give your feet a pampering massage after your workout or before going to bed to keep things in perfect shape.