On average, walking in place burns 43 calories every 10 minutes. That means if you walk in place for half an hour, you’ll burn 129 calories. It’s a great way to add extra movement and calorie burn into your day.
In this article, we’re looking at the calories burned walking in place and how you can work this into your day. Read on to find out how much extra burn you can get from simply walking in place.
Calories burned Walking in Place Calculator
Does Walking in Place Burn Calories?
Any type of movement burns calories. Your body needs energy to fuel physical movement. The energy comes in the form of calories burned, much like a car burns gasoline to go.
When you walk in place, you move parts of your body. You must lift your legs one at a time while balancing on the other. You may also swing your arms. The more of your body you move, the more calories you’ll burn.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking in Place?
We’re all different. We all burn varied calorie amounts. Several factors, such as body fat, muscle mass, age, gender, and more, affect the number of calories we burn through movement and exercise. You can use the average 43 calories per 10 minutes as a guideline, though.
Some factors that affect calorie burn are controllable. For instance, if you turn up the intensity and speed at which you’re walking in place, you can burn more calories. Pull your legs up further and swing your arms further to increase your calorie burn.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking in Place for 30 Minutes?
Walking in place for 30 minutes burns an average of 129 calories. Of course, this is just a rough estimate. Heavier people burn more calories. Younger people tend to burn more calories. Also, people with a lot of muscle burn more calories.
Is Walking in Place as Good as Going for a Walk?
Generally, no, it’s not. Walking in place doesn’t require as much effort as going for a traditional walk does. You aren’t propelling your body forward. Walking in place doesn’t require the use of as many muscles.
That’s not to say you can’t do things to make walking in place more beneficial. When we exercise to better our health or lose weight, the goal is the same. You must get your heart rate to the desired level.
If you walk in place with high intensity, raising your legs high and swinging your arms hard and fast, you’ll burn as many calories as you will on a moderate traditional walk around the neighborhood. When your heart rate goes up, so does your calorie burn.
You can also walk in place for longer than you would walk outside. The longer you walk in place, the more calories you burn.
Does Walking in Place Burn Belly Fat?
Unfortunately, we don’t get to pick the specific fat on our bodies we want to burn. Physical movement burns fat everywhere when we do it consistently and reach target heart rates.
When we’re trying to burn fat, we want our heart rates to reach the “fat-burning zone” that decreases body fat the quickest. This zone is around 65% of your maximum heart rate.
Here’s how you find your maximum heart rate:
- Subtract your age from 220.
- The answer is your targeted maximum heart rate in beats per minute.
Ex: The maximum heart rate for a 40-year-old.
220 – 40 = 180 bpm
Now, we can find the targeted fat-burning heart rate:
- Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.65.
- The answer is your targeted fat-burning heart rate.
Ex: The fat-burning heart rate for a 40-year-old.
180 x 0.65 = 117 bpm
Though you can’t target just your belly fat, you can get your heart rate into the fat-burning zone to burn fat all over your body. Your belly fat will shrink as everything else does.
Can I Lose Weight by Walking in Place Every Day?
You can lose weight walking in place each day. If you do this on top of eating a good diet and doing other types of exercise during dedicated workout sessions, you’ll lose weight for sure.
Think about it this way. If you walk in place every day for 30 minutes, that’s an average of 129 extra calories burned per day. You’ll burn an extra 903 calories throughout the week just by walking in place. That will certainly help with a weight loss journey.
How to Work in Walking in Place
Let’s look at some ways you can work walking in place into your day. You may feel you don’t have time to do it, but walking in place is an easy activity to do in between other things.
One of the best ways to do it is by standing up and walking in place during all the commercial breaks when you’re watching TV. If you’re watching a football game, that’s three or more hours with commercial breaks throughout. That’s a lot of extra calories burned.
When you take a break at work, stand up and walk in place. Some of us sit the entire day at our jobs. That makes it even more beneficial for us to get up and walk in place.
Ever been caught standing in a long line for something? We all have. Don’t just stand there. Walk in place while you wait. It’s good for your calorie burn and it may even make your wait seem shorter.
How Do You Walk in Place Properly?
The most important piece to walking in place properly is your posture.
First, make sure you’re standing up straight. Keep your shoulders back, your core tight, and your hips tucked enough to keep your lower back straight.
Then, lift one leg at a time. Lift the other when you put the first one down.
You can also swing your arms back and forth for added movement.
The Bottom Line
You can burn some extra calories just by walking in place between other activities. It’s a great way to add more movement to your day and help you shed the fat you want to get rid of.
