How Many Calories Do You Burn by Walking for 45 Minutes?

Whether your goal is weight loss, gain or maintenance, a 45-minute walk is a great way to burn calories and improve your overall health. The calories burned walking 4 mph for 45 minutes will vary from person to person based on your weight and the intensity of your walk. Use your existing weight to calculate how many calories a 45-minute walk burns and identify your daily caloric needs to meet your goals.

Calories burned walking 4 mph, a moderately fast pace, depend on your weight. The more pounds you're carrying around, the more energy, or calories, you'll need to complete a 45-minute walk.

For example, a 160-pound person burns 324 calories per hour by walking a 15-minute mile, according to a calories-burned walking calculator from the University of Rochester Medical Center. That means a 45-minute walk burns 243 calories for someone of this size. For a 110-pound person, the calories burned walking 4 mph drops down to 216 calories per hour, or 162 calories per 45 minutes.

Input your own information into the calorie calculator to see how many calories a 45-minute walk burns. You can then use that information to suit your own health needs. Whether you want to lose, gain or maintain weight, you can walk more or fewer minutes to meet your goals. Note that the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking.

Read more: Will You Lose Weight From 40 Minutes of Cardio Five Days a Week?

If you're walking for weight loss, you will need to burn about 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound of fat. Walking 45 minutes a day will help you reach your goals over time, but you can also increase the intensity of your walks for quicker results.

Walking on an incline or adding in short bursts of running may help you burn more calories in the same amount of time. For example, a 125-pound person can burn 135 calories walking 4 miles per hour. That same person can burn 300 calories running 6 miles per hour, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

You may also wish to add in strength training to your regular routine for even greater results. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, meaning you'll even be burning calories at rest when you have more muscle mass. Even two days a week of strength training will help you build stronger bones and improve muscular strength and endurance. You might even notice your walking becomes more effortless when you have a strong body supporting your strides!

Read more: Recommended Amount of Cardio Exercise

Aside from the calories burned walking 4 miles per hour, walking 30 to 45 minutes a day offers several benefits. As with other forms of aerobic exercise, walking helps your heart, lungs and blood vessels function more efficiently. Your heart will be better able to pump blood and oxygen throughout your body, giving you greater stamina. Lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, better sleep and an improved mood are just a few of the other benefits of aerobic exercise.

Along with a regular walking routine, a healthy diet will help you create sustainable weight-loss results. By adjusting your diet, you may be able to reach your health goals even faster.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines recommends eating mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, with minimal fats and sugars. According to the guidelines, eating this way may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and obesity — as well as some neurocognitive disorders and congenital abnormalities.