Does Walking the same distance but at different speeds burn roughly the same amount of calories?

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According to a walking calorie calculator I used-

Weight 172lbs Distance walked 1 mile

Pace Duration Calories

Slow (2.5mph) 24 minutes 98

Normal (3mph) 20 minutes 96

Fast (3.5mph) 17 minutes 100

Very Fast (4mph) 15 minutes 102

Even though you burn more calories per minute the quicker you walk, walking slower takes a longer amount of time to travel the same distance so it equals roughly the same amount of calories burned?

Edit: thanks for your responses! I was aware running burns more calories per mile than walking the same distance due placing greater demands on the body/being far less efficient, I was specifically interested in walking speeds alone over the same distances?

Personal anecdote; I’ve managed to lose a significant amount of weight over the past 6 months walking 5 miles daily at a very brisk pace (4-4.5 mph average), today due to fatigue I took it easy, walked a lot slower at 3-3.5mph, felt less fatiguing but obviously took longer amount of time, a good trade off if it means I can walk at a more leisurely pace some days and burn roughly the same amount of calories over the same distance. 🙂

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28 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

They are technically the same as others have said. You’ll burn more calories per minute running but you can walk much longer than you can run. If overall calorie burn is the goal, running is more time efficient BUT the human body is amazingly well adapted to walking long distances with virtually no fatigue. So although you may burn more calories on a run, you’ll also be wiped out after vs the same amount of calories on a longer walk. Once you get used to long walks, you can burn tons of calories walking and will be left with virtually no fatigue.

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