Walking could help you lose weight in your stomach -- if you also enlist a low calorie diet and a weekly strength training program. It’s not so much the type of exercise you do, it’s how many calories you burn from the exercise. To lose weight in your stomach, you must burn more calories daily than you consume. Walking briskly or speed walking will burn the most calories in comparison to leisurely walking.
The stomach is a common place to gain excess fat. Stomach fat can be a greater health risk than fat in other parts of the body. According to MayoClinic.com, stomach fat can affect your internal organs and lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, stroke and some cancers. You can't spot reduce, but you can lose fatty tissue around your abdomen by decreasing overall body fat. Walking can help you burn more calories daily to achieve this goal.
Walking to Burn Calories
If you’re trying to lose stomach fat by walking, figure out how many calories you’re consuming in a day. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Burn 500 more calories daily to lose 1 pound a week. If you weigh around 240 pounds, walking briskly at about 3.5 mph will burn about 469 calories in an hour, according to MayoClinic.com. The most accurate method of maintaining your pace is to use a treadmill with a meter demonstrating how fast you’re walking.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends doing a strength training routine at least twice a week. Abdominal strength training exercises such as crunches, situps and leg lifts will not specifically reduce the fat in your stomach, but will increase your muscle mass, making you appear more streamlined and defined as your weight decreases. Do not exclusively work out your abdominal muscles without strengthening the other muscle groups, such as the back, legs, chest, arms and hips.
To lose belly fat faster, run instead of walking. Running will burn significantly more calories. For the average person weighing around 240 pounds, running at 5 mph will burn 905 calories in an hour. The same person will use 1,286 calories running 8 mph.
If you are leading a sedentary lifestyle, begin exercising with walking for 30 minutes daily. Over time, replace some of the walking with light jogging or running. Take your time until you're able to run for 30 minutes comfortably. Do not begin an exercise routine without first talking with your physician if you have health problems.
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