How Many Calories Does a A 5-Mile-a-Day Walk Burn?

Don't get discouraged when you're on your daily walk and get passed by faster-moving joggers and cyclists. Although they're burning calories quicker than you, your walk is burning calories to help you keep in shape -- and is especially ideal if walking perfectly suits your fitness level. The calories you burn during a walk depend on such factors as your speed and weight.

  1. Speed Considerations

    • If two people of the same weight take their 5-mile walk at different speeds, they won't burn the same number of calories, despite traveling the same distance. You'll burn more calories if you walk faster, notes Harvard Medical School. A 185-pound person who walks at 4 mph will burn 200 calories in 30 minutes, while the same person will burn 355 calories while moving at 5 mph for 30 minutes. The quicker you can finish your 5-mile walk, the more calories you'll burn.

    Weight Considerations

    • The heavier you are, the faster you'll burn calories during your 5-mile walk. A 185-pound person might burn 355 calories during a half-hour walk at 5 mph, but people who weigh 125 and 155 pounds will burn fewer calories during the same length of walk at the same speed. A 125-pound person will burn 240 calories during the walk, while a 155-pound person will burn 298 calories.

    Treadmill Walking

    • If you enjoy working out indoors, you can customize your 5-mile walk on a treadmill to burn more calories than outdoors. Many treadmills allow you to adjust the incline, which doesn't change your pace but can dramatically boost the intensity of the exercise. Setting the treadmill to a 1 percent incline makes the workout equivalent to exercising outdoors; any incline above 1 percent boosts your rate of burning calories, although this rate varies according to your speed and weight.

    Walking Benefits

    • Walking might not burn calories as quickly as several other types of aerobic exercise, but don't discount this simple workout. MayoClinic.com notes walking is an ideal way to maintain a healthy weight, strengthen your bones, boost your coordination and balance, improve your emotional well-being and defend yourself against such serious health issues as high blood pressure. The Better Health Channel advises walking for 30 minutes per day -- if you can't walk for 30 minutes continuously, break the workout into three 10-minute blocks.