Walking 7 miles at a regular pace of 3 miles per hour translates to walking for 2 hours and 20 minutes. This is quite a long time to commit to low-intensity exercise, but it actually pays off. Hey, it is one of the primary reasons behind the viral transformation of the Dan + Shay artist Shay Mooney. Mooney lost 50 pounds in 5 months over a consistent routine that included a daily 7-mile walk, among other factors.
walking 7 miles probably burn 500-800 calories. Considering a 2-day break in a week, you too can get 2500-4000 calories burned in a 5-day program. Surprisingly, the 3500 calories burned just happen to be the magic number of calories needed to shed 1 pound of body weight. Keeping your diet the same, you can expect to lose 0.7 pounds to 1.15 pounds of fat a week for 7 miles of walking.
Better still, higher body weight, a brisk pace, and an uphill terrain will increase these numbers.
How Many Calories Burned and Weight Loss walking 7 miles?
However, the exact numbers will depend on your weight, BMI, pace, terrain, and sex. In this case, a heavier person loses more calories than a lighter individual, a person walking briskly burns more calories, and so on.
And while the pace is a significant factor in facilitating fast weight loss, a comfortable pace will still get you to your weight loss goals. A 65-year-old on Quora expressed how a 7-mile walk helped him lose 4 kg(8.8 pounds) in 4 months while walking at a slow to moderate pace, taking up to 2.5 hours.
The simplest method for calculating the number of calories burned and weight loss when walking is to consider your weight and walking speed:
On Flat Surfaces
These calculations assume 7 miles of walking on flat surfaces, such as sidewalks.
Weight lbs or kg | Normal pace 2.5 to 3.5 Mph (Calories Burned) | Brisk pace 3.5 to 4 Mph (Calories Burned) | Faster pace 4.5 Mph (Calories Burned) | Weight loss of Normal pace (Pound) |
100 lbs (45 kg) | 372- 420 cal. | 398 cal. | 445-471 cal. | 0.1202 lbs |
120 lbs (54 kg) | 447-504 | 477 | 535-565 | 0.1443 lbs |
140 lbs (64 kg) | 521-588 | 557 | 624-659 | 0.1683 lbs |
160 lbs (72 kg) | 595-672 | 636 | 713-753 | 0.1924 lbs |
180 lbs (82 kg) | 670-756 | 716 | 802-847 | 0.2164 lbs |
200 lbs (90 kg) | 744-840 | 795 | 891-942 | 0.2405 lbs |
220 lbs (100 kg) | 819-924 | 875 | 980-1036 | 0.2645 lbs |
250 lbs (113 kg) | 931-1050 | 994 | 1114-1177 | 0.3006 lbs |
275 lbs (125 kg) | 1023-1155 | 1094 | 1225-1295 | 0.3307 lbs |
300 lbs (136 kg) | 1117-1260 | 1194 | 1336-1413 | 0.3607 lbs |
Read Also:
- How Long Does It Take to Walk 7 Miles (Outside and Treadmill)?
- How Many Steps to Walk or Run 7 Miles by Height & Gender?
On Uphill Surfaces
The calculations in the chart below are based on walking on uphill surfaces such as hills and treadmill inclines. Walking uphill for 7 miles significantly increases your calorie burn and weight loss:
Weight lbs or kg | The moderate pace of 3.5 Mph (Calories Burned) | Fast pace of 4.5 Mph (Calories Burned) | Weight loss at a moderate pace (Pound) |
100 lbs (45 kg) | 511 cal. | 579 cal. | 0.1463 lbs |
120 lbs (54 kg) | 613 | 695 | 0.1755 lbs |
140 lbs (64 kg) | 715 | 811 | 0.2048 lbs |
160 lbs (72 kg) | 817 | 927 | 0.2340 lbs |
180 lbs (82 kg) | 919 | 1043 | 0.2633 lbs |
200 lbs (90 kg) | 1022 | 1159 | 0.2926 lbs |
220 lbs (100 kg) | 1124 | 1274 | 0.3218 lbs |
250 lbs (113 kg) | 1277 | 1448 | 0.3657 lbs |
275 lbs (125 kg) | 1405 | 1593 | 0.4023 lbs |
300 lbs (136 kg) | 1533 | 1738 | 0.4389 lbs |
Is Walking 7 Miles a Day Good for Weight Loss and How to Help?
Yes, walking 7 miles a day is good for weight loss. It helps burn a significant amount of calories that will help shed body fat and lose weight over time, even without changing the diet or incorporating other weight loss activities. Another Quora user, Miguel, stated that he had undergone 7 heart attacks before taking on a walking schedule. He would walk 7.5 miles daily, which helped him shed 60 pounds and improve his heart health significantly.
However, you can actually add more to your 7-mile daily walk to make weight loss more achievable and at a faster duration. Lauren Giraldo on TikTok posted a viral video on the impact of adding an incline during a walk for weight loss. Without counting calories or taking other precautions, she actually managed to lose 30 pounds of body weight. If you walk outdoors, you might consider an uphill terrain in place of a treadmill incline.
Other than hilly terrain, increasing speed to around 4.5 miles an hour will help with faster weight loss. Another obvious factor to consider is dieting, which includes eating healthy and cutting on calorie intake to create a calorie deficit. Express reports a healthy diet, coupled with moderate-intensity exercise such as a brisk walk, helps largely with weight management.
Last but not least, a fitness tracker that will help record your steps, pace, and calories burned will be the best companion during your 7-mile walks. It helps you realize that you make progress in every single walk, even when the outcome is not evident. And since consistency is key to getting to your weight loss goals, the tracker will get you up for the walk even when it doesn’t seem necessary.
A Side Effect of 7 Miles of Walking a Day
While 7 miles a day is a great way to burn calories and lose weight, it is not recommendable, especially for beginners who had a sedentary life before. It may be low-impact, but the duration taken on the walk is long enough. It may lead to the following:
- Joint Pains and Soreness: 7 miles a day for a beginner will get you joint pains and a sore foot as a result of overtraining. Sadly, these impacts will not only affect your health but also demoralize you from taking more walks in the future.
- Hypoglycemia: If you take a long walk before eating a healthy meal, you may feel lightheaded and weak, which are signs of low glucose in the body. Hypoglycemia may be as bad as causing you to faint, which negatively impacts the walk.
- Muscle injury: Remember that breaks between your 7-mile walks are necessary for the training. For example, take a maximum of 5 days a week to take a walk while taking two days to rest and regain strength. If you don’t take the breaks, you will suffer from the muscle injury that may hinder your training and even affect your health negatively in the long run.
- Hypoxia: Walking uphill is great for burning more calories and weight loss; increased altitude has minimal oxygen, leading to low oxygen intake. Going steep uphill for 7 miles without a break could lead to this problem, scientifically referred to as hypoxia.
- Irritability and depression: when your body gets fatigued, you tend to get anxious and feel more irritable. So, while walking reduces depression and irritability, too much of it could negatively affect emotional health.
Tips to Avoid the Side Effects of 7 miles walking
The good news is that you can avoid the negative impacts of walking 7 miles a day and only reap the benefits:
- Rather than starting at 7 miles at a time, start with a short distance, 1 or 2 miles, depending on your fitness level. Going slow and healthy will be better than messing up your plans even before you start implementing them.
- Get walking shoes that are sufficiently padded to prevent blisters and soreness. Also, ensure the shoes provide breathing space, especially for toes, to prevent further foot injuries. My go-to walking shoes are the Sketchers, with Skechers Men’s Go Walk Max-54601 Sneakers for men and Skechers Women’s Go Joy Walking Shoe Sneakers for women as the top choices.
- Get sufficient rest as part of your walking schedule. You can be less active after the walk. You can also rest during the walk, especially if you feel weak. When going uphill, consider your oxygen intake and take a rest if you feel breathless.
- Walk at the pace your body is comfortable with, regardless of your goals. The aim is to stay healthy and fit in the long run.
- Always consider your walking posture when taking a long 7-mile walk. Walk straight, with your spine neutral and your chin parallel to the ground.
- Eat healthy whole-meal grains for an energy boost before the walk, and hydrate before and during the walk.
Tips for Walking 7 Miles a Day
Do you want to make your 7-mile walk more exciting and comfortable? Here are a few tips you should consider:
- Eat at least 2 hours before the walk, and your meal should contain whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
- Ensure that your clothes are non-chaff to avoid chaffing in your armpits, below the breasts, and at the groin at thigh areas.
- Reflect during the walk to refresh your mind as you work on your physical body.
- Identify new routes you can explore if you are up for outdoor walking.
- Increase your pace to gradually reduce the time spent on the road at a rate your body can accommodate.
- Ensure that you are consistent, if possible, with hours and days as well for a workable program.
- Warm up and cool down with every walk you take.
Conclusion
Walking 7 miles a day is good for burning calories as well as losing weight. On top of that, you find that aerobic activity improves your cardiac health, helping you prevent and manage stroke, hypertension, and thrombosis, among other illnesses.
Also, it is achievable for people of various health conditions, ages, fitness levels, and economic levels, hence worth incorporating into one’s exercise plan.
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