Walking Calories Burned Calculator

How Many Calories Do You Burn from a 1-Mile Walk?

Like many people, you might be curious about how many calories you burn during a 1-mile walk and whether your walking speed makes a difference, especially if it's something you do regularly. Two major factors impact the number of calories burned: your weight and the distance you cover. For instance, someone who weighs 180 pounds will burn about 100 calories walking a mile, while someone weighing 120 pounds will burn only about 65 calories for the same distance. Below, you can find a guide showing how many calories you burn over various distances, whether it's a single mile or a full 26.2-mile marathon, depending on your weight and pace.

Most people walk at a comfortable, natural pace, like when you’re out with a friend, your dog, or just taking a casual stroll. Without even thinking about it, you tend to settle into this steady pace. To calculate how many calories you burn, find your weight on the chart and match it with the distance you've walked. This will give you a good idea of how much energy you're using for each mile or longer distances.

Keep in mind that factors like your age, height, weight, the length of your walk, and your pace all play a role in the number of calories you burn. The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn. For example, at a moderate speed (about 2.5 miles per hour), a person weighing 150 pounds will burn around 100 calories per mile, while someone who weighs 120 pounds will burn closer to 85 calories per mile at the same pace. Picking up your speed just a little can also boost your calorie burn. A 120-pound person walking at 3 miles per hour can burn roughly 100 calories per mile, while someone weighing 150 pounds will burn about 115 calories per mile.

How to Boost Your Calorie Burn While Walking

Aside from your weight and pace, other factors can help increase your calorie burn. Try adding some hills to your walking route or using a treadmill with an incline. If maintaining a fast pace for your entire walk is difficult, you could try interval walking, alternating between fast and slow periods. For example, start at a slower pace, say 2.0 mph, then alternate between one minute of walking at 3.5 to 4.0 mph and a slower pace of 2.0 mph for the rest of your walk. As you spend more time walking, you'll naturally burn more calories. However, fitting in longer walks during the week might be tough, so consider longer walks on the weekends.

Activities like hiking or carrying a backpack can also increase your calorie burn. For instance, someone weighing 155 pounds can burn about 267 calories an hour walking at a moderate pace on flat ground. But if that same person walks on more challenging terrain while carrying a weighted backpack, they could burn up to 439 calories per hour. Once you get comfortable with walking, you might even want to mix in some jogging. A walk/jog combo—where you alternate between walking to warm up and jogging for short bursts—can be a great way to burn even more calories.

How Many Calories Does Walking 10,000 Steps Burn?

Walking 10,000 steps burns roughly 500 calories, based on the idea that it takes about 20 steps to burn one calorie. For context, an average woman should consume about 1,800 calories a day, and an average man around 2,200. If you're eating out, it’s easy to exceed these numbers since restaurant meals often contain 700 to 800 calories. To balance this out, try sticking to healthier meals around 500 calories or less and walk regularly to maintain or even lose weight.

How Many Calories Does a 1-Hour Walk Burn?

According to the American Council on Exercise, a person weighing 140 pounds burns about 7.6 calories per minute during a walk. That means they’d burn approximately 456 calories in an hour, though this number can vary depending on their walking speed and incline. Naturally, the longer you walk, the more calories you’ll burn—especially if you’re walking uphill. Your speed and weight will also affect the total calories burned over time.

Here’s a breakdown of calories burned per hour based on walking speed and weight:

Running vs. Walking: Which Burns More Calories?

Both walking and running burn calories, but the rate is different. A person weighing 154 pounds can burn about 280 calories walking at a moderate pace for an hour, while jogging at 5 miles per hour burns about 590 calories in the same time. Running burns calories faster because it requires more energy. For example, a 120-pound person running a mile in 10 minutes burns about 114 calories, while a heavier person weighing 180 pounds would burn around 170 calories for that same mile.

By burning calories through walking and paying attention to what you eat, you can lose weight and improve your overall health. Counting calories will give you insight into how your daily walk contributes to your fitness goals. Plus, as you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you'll start to notice which foods make you feel more energized and how they affect your waistline. Walking is a simple, affordable way to stay active, and when paired with a balanced diet, it can be a great tool for weight loss and better health.