Walking 5 miles a day seems like a daunting task, doesn’t it? Especially when up to this moment you have led a sedentary lifestyle and your movement was limited from couch to the kitchen, and sometimes to the door to receive that goddamn pizza!

But walking regularly, even if you chip the 5 miles distance into two to three parts, has immense health benefits, and believe us, you want to reap them. From a healthy heart to a less puffed-up face, walking 5 miles a day will be the best decision you ever made.

And in this article we will cover all the ways walking helps you lead a healthier and much more balanced life and how to approach this new routine.

And first, let’s talk about the distance you can expect to cover in 5 miles.

How far is 5 miles?

If you decide to make walking 5 miles per day your habit, you’ll essentially be covering around 1600m or 8 km per day.

Don’t faint on us yet! Because it only seems like a lot. But once you begin, your body will soon warm up enough to turn this into a cakewalk. Then, after a few weeks, you’ll begin to look forward to this part of your day.

But if it still seems like a lot, you can break the distance into two parts and complete half the distance in the morning and the other half at night. This will also help your body get into the habit of moving. And since it’s a good thing to go for a post-dinner walk for a healthy body, this routine will help you a lot in the long run.

Now that this is out of the way, let’s dive straight into the host of benefits that walking 5 miles a day brings with it.

Benefits of walking 5 miles a day for weight loss.

There are a lot of ways walking 5 miles a day can help you lead a healthier and happier life. And some of those amazing benefits include:

Walking 5 miles a day reduces the risk of heart disease.

Walking at a brisk pace, and swinging your hands from side to side, promotes blood flow to your body organs, pushing the heart to pump more blood, thus strengthening its walls and decreasing the risk of a heart attack.

It also helps keep blood pressure in check, reducing the risk and symptoms of hypertension in young and old people alike.

It enhances your mood.

If you suffer from frequent mood swings, you should try walking 5 miles a day. Why this distance? Because it’s far enough to give your body a good workout, especially at a fast pace, which in turn releases the ‘feel-good’ hormones that boost your mood.

Walking is also a great exercise for anyone suffering from depression and anxiety because it keeps the body moving and the mind occupied. And coupled with a healthier level of hormone secretion, it helps manage your mental health.

It helps manage your weight.

Walking at a leisurely pace is a very good recreational exercise but if you want to reap the fat loss benefits from walking, you can try walking at a fast pace. It helps you burn a lot of calories. Also, brisk walking, especially early in the morning before breakfast. boosts your metabolism and keeps it up throughout the day, ensuring an increased caloric burn.

Walking 5 miles a day strengthens your lungs.

Walking 5 miles a day is the perfect way to strengthen your lungs. At a time like this, when the pandemic was especially threatening to the lungs, it’s essential that you make walking 5 miles a day a lifestyle. Because it not only imparts strength to your lungs but also keeps them healthy and prevents you from going out of breath during exercise or while walking up a flight of stairs.

It is less stressful on your joints.

Anyone suffering from arthritis or weakness knows how much of a struggle it is to find an activity that doesn’t threaten to break your knee joints or elbows! But unlike other exercises like squats and push-ups, walking is relatively easier on your joints.

It doesn’t overwork your bones and poses no threat even to people suffering from osteoporosis. In fact, walking at a normal pace for 4-5 miles every day is known to significantly reduce inflammation around joints and help strengthen your bones.

To conclude

Walking 5 miles a day should be a lifestyle, not just something to try for a few days. Because your body is made for movement and walking is the most basic yet the most beneficial movement out there. So it doesn’t matter how fast your pace is because as long as you stick to the routine and keep going, you can lose weight by walking 5 miles a day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to walk 5 miles a day?

The time it will take to complete the 5-mile walk will depend on your pace but you can expect to complete the activity within 30-40 mins if you walk at a normal pace and don’t dawdle!

How many calories does walking 5 miles a day burn?

Caloric burn from any activity depends largely on the weight of the individual and the intensity of the exercise. But if you walk at an average pace, you can expect to burn around 350-400 calories per day from walking 5 miles a day.

Is walking 5 miles a day enough to lose weight?

Yes, walking 5 miles a day is enough to lose weight. But if the primary reason you want to embark on this 5-mile journey is to lose weight, then you must check your speed and intensity as well. Walk briskly and without breaks in the middle. This will help you get the most caloric burn from walking.