As of: April 4, 2024, 6:33 p.m
By: Alexandra Grauvogl
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Timing is crucial when walking if you want to burn fat particularly effectively. © IMAGO / YAY Images
Everyday activities like walking can help burn body fat effectively. The timing of the walk plays a crucial role, as studies suggest. A fitness expert explains it in more detail.
It's no secret that walking is a great way to burn calories and reduce body fat, such as your stomach. It is one of the simplest forms of training that can be integrated into everyday life. Due to the low intensity, walking is possible for most people, including those who are overweight - and poses few health risks. With the help of newer scientific findings, walking can be made even more effective in terms of fat loss, as a fitness expert explains. The most important thing is the right timing.
Lose body fat by walking: Pay attention to a calorie deficit
The body requires energy in the form of calories for all the chemical reactions that allow it to move, breathe, think and function. However, the daily calorie requirement varies from person to person and depends on factors such as age, height, weight, gender, genetics and activity level. In addition to the daily basal metabolic rate (calorie requirement that is necessary to maintain functions such as breathing or brain performance when at rest), the performance metabolic rate (activity) determines the daily calorie requirement.
Why is that important? If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume through food - thus creating an energy deficit. People who are more physically active generally find this easier than those who move little, for example because of a job that involves predominantly sedentary work.
Unfortunately, a sedentary lifestyle can not only lead to weight gain, but according to studies it can also increase the risk of chronic diseases (e.g. heart disease, type 2 diabetes). If you try to spend less time sitting and get more exercise into your everyday life by walking, you can burn more calories and minimize these health risks. For example, a study published in 2024 showed that 9,000 to 10,500 steps daily could reduce mortality and the risk of cardiovascular disease by 39 and 21 percent, respectively, due to a sedentary lifestyle.
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This is how many calories you burn while walking
A study that compared the energy expenditure of normal and overweight walkers and runners found that absolute energy expenditure was similar: on average, they burned between 93.9 and 99 over a mile (1.6 kilometer) distance .3 kilocalories. A 3 kilometer walk would consume around 200 calories.
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In a small study of 15 averagely fit women and men, calorie consumption was measured after walking about 1.6 kilometers at a brisk pace of (5.1 km/h) or at a speed of 9.6 km/h had run. The results showed that those who walked at a brisk pace burned an average of 89 calories per mile and the runners burned 112 calories.
You can find various calorie calculators on the Internet that you can use to calculate your average calorie consumption, taking gender, body weight, height and walking pace into account.
Tip: To increase calorie consumption when walking, you can include hills or slight inclines or stairs in your route. Or you can increase the pace every now and then and build in small intervals.
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Study shows positive effects of walking on belly fat
Thomas Delauer is a fitness expert and celebrity trainer from the USA. His YouTube channel has around 3.6 million subscribers. There he explains in a video based on scientific studies how you should optimally time your walk if you want to burn as much fat as possible.
To do this, he first uses a study with overweight subjects to show the positive effects of walking in terms of losing weight and reducing body fat. The study participants had to walk three times a week for 50 to 70 minutes at low intensity over a period of twelve weeks. The result was a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI), subcutaneous abdominal fat and visceral fat, as well as reduced inflammatory markers. These effects were not evident in the inactive control group.
Subcutaneous vs. Visceral Belly Fat
Subcutaneous abdominal fat refers to the subcutaneous fatty tissue that is visible as a “fat pad” or “swimming ring”. It is usually perceived as visually disturbing, but is less of a health problem than the visceral fat that accumulates in the abdominal cavity around organs such as the stomach or liver.
Subcutaneous fat protects the body from cold and stores energy. Visceral fat protects and supports the internal organs. However, too much visceral fat can trigger inflammatory processes and promote serious illness.
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Timing is crucial! When to go to burn fat effectively
Walking therefore has positive effects on reducing weight and belly fat. According to Thomas Delauer, in order to optimize fat burning (or fat oxidation), the timing of walking in relation to meals is crucial. To do this, he uses a study that was published in the “International Journal of Obesity” in 2019.
Twelve male test subjects had to take a brisk 45-minute walk on the treadmill twice - once with breakfast beforehand, once without. According to the analysis of the blood samples, the test subjects had a higher fat utilization after they had completed their walk on an empty stomach than in the test run in which they had breakfast before walking. In this case, it wasn't the fat burning, but rather the utilization of carbohydrates for energy production that was in full swing.
Thomas Delauer advises in summary: “If you strategically plan walking between your meals and are as far away from your meal as possible, that will be the best possible situation for fat loss.” So for example:
in the morning before breakfast
between main meals
always when there is already a slight feeling of hunger
Run 5 kilometers in a row: training plan PDF
Running beginners can download the free 10-week training plan as a PDF from our PDF library.
A one-time registration with our login service USER.ID is necessary, which brings numerous advantages for you.
10-week training plan “Run 5 kilometers in a row” – now as a PDF download © IMAGO / YAY Images
Conclusion
But Delauer also emphasizes that walking immediately after eating also has health benefits. According to studies, blood sugar levels can be significantly reduced compared to sitting after eating.
However, if the goal is to optimally stimulate fat burning, for example to reduce belly fat, you should wait until the food has been digested and more fats are converted instead of carbohydrates before going for a walk.
The author is a former competitive athlete, certified ski instructor and fitness trainer (B license).