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Walking 10 Miles A day- Know How To Do It Right!
Walking 10 miles a day or 16.1 km seems too much for a beginner, right? Although it looks daunting at first, walking 10 miles a day is an effective way to add a good exercise routine to your lifestyle with tons of benefits.
While you may have come across plenty of excellent workouts regimens to fit into your schedule, nothing beats walking 10 miles a day when it comes to simplicity. It is simple and achievable, but there’s a low risk of injury and negligible entry barriers for beginners.
You can walk in several different settings, both rural and urban. In general, walking costs nothing compared to regular gym memberships or bringing new gym equipment for home. Finally, you can also adjust the duration and intensity of your walking based on your goals and fitness levels.
When it comes to physical and mental wellness, the need for everyday workouts cannot be overstated. If gym workouts do not seem appealing, you want to change your routine and get outside. Walking 10 miles a day might be simply the best workout for your goals.
You will find tons of benefits of walking 10 miles a day with other important information. Keep reading and stay fit.
Benefits of walking 10 miles a day
Besides its simplicity, walking 10 miles or less can have a powerful effect on your mental and physical health. Studies on walking reveal a range of advantages across many different demographics and age groups. Here are some significant benefits of walking 10 miles a day:
1. Improves mortality
The speed and length with which you walk influence the mortality rate in people. One study on nearly 1239 men revealed that walking at least 1-2 hours each day decreased fatality risk by 70% in people suffering from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or cerebrovascular disease.
It is also important to note that walking for an extended time of more than 2 hours has confirmed no visible benefits for the people involved in this study.
2. Improves memory
Walking 10 miles a day also benefits the strengthening of memory, particularly when we talk about the memory of older patients.
Physical exercise has also been noted to help expand the measurement of the hippocampus, while an inactive lifestyle reduces the hippocampus, adding to the loss of memory.
3. Reduces stress
Walking 10 miles a day, primarily when performed with bath therapy and rest, can serve well to lower stress by enhancing circulation, which in turn presents oxygen and nutrients to the body cells.
It also stimulates the nervous system receptors and reduces the liberation of stress hormones.
4. Uplifts mood
A few research studies have revealed that physical exercise will help decrease depression. Walking is generally advised by doctors and psychiatrists to support uplift mood.
5. Improves gastrointestinal function
Apart from drinking water and keeping wholesome eating habits, it would help to walk 10 miles a day to promote gastrointestinal function.
Studies have revealed that low-intensity workouts play a preventive function in gastrointestinal diseases. Walking 10 miles a day also promotes gastrointestinal motility and blood flow inside your gastrointestinal tract.
6. Increases lung capacity
Walking 10 miles a day will improve your respiratory capacity. When walking outside, you breathe more profound and oxygen than at home or in a stationary position.
This higher-volume interchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen will accommodate in improving lung capacity, exercise efficiency, and increasing endurance.
7. Regulates blood pressure
Walking will also help reduce blood pressure by promoting circulation.
If you cannot achieve the target of 10 miles a day, try to walk for at least 30 minutes each day to retain your blood pressure levels under check.
8. Improves heart health
Walking 10 miles a day will benefit in improving your heart’s health. Many studies have also revealed that walking reduces the risk of cardiovascular struggles by 31%.
As per the American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine, each adult must practice moderate to intensity exercises (like fast walking) for about 30 minutes a day for at least five days a week.
9. Additional Benefits
- Aids in weight loss
- Regulates blood glucose levels in the body
- Strengthens bones
- Boosts immune functioning
Apart from the straight measurable psychological and physiological benefits, walking 10 miles a day or even less provides you the opportunity to travel and explore the local area while working out. In addition to this, you can take a friend to obtain dual benefits from walking- the social occasion of chit-chatting and workout.
To all the people reading this, you might be wondering if walking helps you lose weight or burn calories. Here’s what you need to know.
How many calories you will burn while walking 10 miles a day-
The precise number of calories you will burn while walking 10 miles a day will depend profoundly on your body measurements or weight. Overall, you can assume to burn nearly 700–1,000 calories a day over the time of walking 10 miles a day.
Your speed will matter less regarding the total number of calories burned. However, walking faster will assist you in hitting the 10-mile goal much earlier. So, a more accelerated pace will associate with more calories burned every hour but less summed up walking time.
Let’s talk briefly about the weight loss benefits of walking 10 miles a day in which you are most interested in.
Weight loss effects from walking 10 miles
Walking 10 miles a day is a powerful way to promote weight loss. To shed 1 pound or 0.45 kg, you are required to burn approximately 3,500 calories extra than your consumption over a provided period.
For instance, to shed 1 pound every week, you are required to consume 3,500 fewer calories compared to the calories you burn over that week.
Keeping that in mind, combining four days of walking 10 miles a day with no added food intake will put you at 1 pound of weight loss every week. Pretending your calorie intake and calories expenditure were even ere you began your walking schedule.
Your most reliable bet for weight loss is to connect your walks with dietary adjustments that were ideally suggested by your designated dietician or other certified professional.
It is straightforward to make up for the burned calorie on a 10-mile walk with some extra snacks or more significant portions at your mealtime, so eating wholesome and generous portions is still necessary for making sure you have successful weight loss results from merely walking.
Strategies for walking 10 miles per day
Although walking may sound effortless, reaching your goals of 10 miles a day needs time, particularly if you intend to walk 10 miles each day.
The two top strategies for walking to 10 miles a day are given below:
- Adding a mile each week
- Splitting up your walks
1. Adding a mile each week
Based on your general fitness level, walking for merely a single mile might either be relatively easy or challenging. To begin building up to 10 miles a day, start by walking only one mile. If you can comfortably walk one mile in about 15–20 minutes, add one more mile to your walk.
After you find a distance that seems lightly challenging but not overwhelming, hold that distance for a week or so. Every week, you have to add one more mile to the current walking program.
For instance, if you discover that 3 miles are highly challenging as a beginner, walk 3 miles every day for a week, then knock it to 4 miles every day next week. Further, having 1 to 2 non-consecutive days off from the walking challenge per week is a great plan to prevent overuse or overtraining injuries.
Even if you can complete only a single mile, sticking to this program will allow you to walk the entire 10 miles within ten weeks. This is pretty sensible— you should resume often exercising over the long term to obtain lasting health gains.
Also, if adding one mile each week feels too much, you can add half-mile gains in your walks. On the other hand, if you feel motivated and assertive, you can add 1.5 miles or more to your challenge.
2. Splitting your walks
Splitting up the walks is an excellent strategy if you are on a tight plan or have other important issues. Studies suggest that intermittent walking, indicating breaking up hard to pull or longer walks into 2 to 3 shorter walks, is as efficient as similar to longer endless walks at promoting health measures.
If you do not have enough time to walk 10 miles a day or whatever the set range is at once, you must split it up into 2 or 3 walks across the day.
One of the biggest strengths of walking for exercising is how effortless it is to customize the routine. Adapt your walking program to fit the range into your day.
Although there are two ways to set your goals of walking 10 miles a day, a few people are worried about the downsides or side effects of such a long distance. Here are some downsides you must know before starting.
The downsides of walking 10 miles a day
At this period, you are accustomed to the advantages of walking and the techniques you can apply to include walking into your exercise routine. Still, there are a few downsides to walking 10 miles a day. You must be aware of these before engaging in the program.
The downsides are as follows:
- Walking such a long-distance takes ample time.
- Walking does not grant adequate intensity for higher-level athletic improvements.
- Walking does not incite bone and muscle growth as efficiently as other workout options.
1. Walking requires enough time
Walking is more gradual compared to running. A regular walking speed is 15–20 minutes each mile. To go slightly faster outcomes in running or jogging, which has additional benefits and downsides compared to walking.
It will require you 2–3 hours to complete 10 miles distance at a typical walking speed if you have enough time for this, excellent. You can also listen to podcasts, music, enjoy the outdoor environment, or socialize with your walking partner.
However, consuming 3 hours of walking a day might not be practical for individuals with a hectic schedule. The amount of time needed to cover 10 miles on foot is seemingly the most significant downside of walking.
2. Walking lacks intensity
Science shows that walking will drastically enhance your health compared to a stationary lifestyle. However, if your aim is more significant gains in aerobic strength or fitness, walking does not give enough intensity to push you to these arrangements.
While you might notice improvements initially in aerobic fitness, you will either need to grow your speed until you’re running or combine weights or other resistance training to improve the intensity.
3. Walking may not stimulate bone strength, muscle, and coordination effectively
Once again, as compared with no activity at all, walking is an outstanding physical intervention. However, general fitness exercise needs a little to a higher amount of resistance training for older and younger adults to enhance muscle mass and bone density.
Bone and muscle loss is of particular concern for older people. While walking is more beneficial than not doing anything at all, it solely does not grant the stimulus needed to grow muscle or constantly increase bone density.
In addition to this, including coordination and balance training in a health plan will decrease the chance of falling, which is an essential concern for older people. Keeping this in mind, try walking 10 miles a day. However, try adding weight, balance, and core training for a total fitness program.
Few tips for walking 10 miles a day
Increasing up to 10 miles a day is achievable for most people, provided you begin with the suitable range and gradually build up. Below are just a few extra tips for ensuring you remain consistent and prevent injuries during the walking regimen.
1. Find smooth walking exteriors
Walking on concrete, pavement, or other solid surfaces is more potent than walking on grass, trails, or rubberized track exteriors. Ideally, look for a slightly more lenient character than sidewalk street pavement, especially during earlier stages of the walking schedule.
2. Wear comfortable and supportive walking shoes
The repeated nature of walking can damage the well-being of your knees, ankles, feet, and hips when you do not have the proper support. Try getting a pair of comfy walking shoes with an insert that gives you arch support, depending on your needs.
3. Locate scenic and attractive routes for walks
To guarantee you walk consistently, a great plan to locate scenic or other beautiful outdoor areas to build up the enthusiasm for your walks. Discover your local regions, search nearest parks or other outdoor features, and discover some exciting routes that will keep you thrilled and engaged to walk.
In addition to this, if you can walk outside in nature, the quality of air and overall experience may be better for you than walking out 10 miles on an urban sidewalk.
The bottom line
Walking is an efficient and convenient way to add activity to your life. Walking has various scientifically approved health advantages, and you can modify the distance and intensity based on the current fitness level. Walking 10 miles a day will lead to significant improvements in cardiovascular health and mental well-being.
Additionally, walking will help lose weight, particularly with dietary changes. Ensuring suitable and comfortable footwear with delightful walking routes will assist in reducing the injury rate and enhance the adventure and consistency of your walking routine.
Whether you are currently inactive or seem to add variation to your exercise plan, walking 10 miles per day is an excellent way to enhance your quality of life, well-being, and overall health.
