Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. It's low-impact, easy to start, and we all do it every day. (Well, sometimes.) But just how many calories do you burn when you take your morning stroll around the block?

Let’s break it down step by step: What a calorie actually is, how your body uses them, and exactly how many you can burn with each lap through the neighborhood.

What Is a Calorie, Really?

We talk about calories all the time, especially when it comes to food or diets, but what exactly are calories?

In simple terms, a calorie is a unit of energy. In more complex terms, it's the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. But when it comes to your body, think of calories as fuel! They give you the energy you need to breathe, move, sleep, digest food, think, regret, cry, sob, try to get him back, and smile when you finally do. (Sorry, we’ve been on a rom-com kick lately…)

You consume calories through food and beverages, and your body burns them throughout the day just to stay alive and function. Everything you do throughout the day? It all requires calories.

How Many Calories Do You Need Per Day?

This depends on several factors, including age, sex, body type, activity level, and your overall health goals. But there are some general guidelines to help you understand what’s considered normal:

• Women typically need between 1,800 to 2,200 calories per day to maintain their weight.
• Men usually need about 2,200 to 2,800 calories per day to maintain their weight.

How Do You Burn Calories?

Your body burns calories all day long, even when you're not moving. This is why we eat every day, to replenish our bodies with the calories it needs. Well, that, and also because the occasional chicken pot pie is just too delicious to pass up sometimes.

In addition to this, regular activity also burns calories throughout the day. Therefore, if you're highly active and workout often, your calorie intake should be higher. On the flip side, if you have a more sedentary lifestyle, your body might require fewer calories to maintain its weight.

The more you are active, the more calories you will burn. This includes everything from intense workouts to walking the dog, or climbing that same set of stairs because you forgot the stapler in the kitchen again. This means that physical activity is the most varied part of your daily calorie burn, and you can easily burn calories faster as you increase your amount of exercise, especially by walking.

So, How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking a Mile?

Finally, what we came to see! The number of calories burned per mile depends on several things: your weight, walking speed, and even terrain. But here are some general estimates based on average an average walking speed of around 3–4 mph on flat ground:

• A person weighing 120 pounds will burn 65 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 130 pounds will burn 69 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 140 pounds will burn 74 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 150 pounds will burn 80 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 160 pounds will burn 85 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 170 pounds will burn 90 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 180 pounds will burn 96 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 190 pounds will burn 101 calories per mile.
• A person weighing 200 pounds will burn 106 calories per mile.

So, if you're 150 pounds and you walk a mile, you're burning around 80 calories. And if you walk five miles, that’s 400 calories and you would officially need another slice of pepperoni pizza to counteract that!

More Calorie Burn Conversions

Let’s take a closer look at what your daily steps and walking distances actually translate to in terms of calories burned. We'll use the example of someone weighing 150 lbs, walking at a moderate pace.

• Walking 1 mile burns about 80 calories.
• Walking 2 miles burns about 160 calories.
• Walking 3 miles burns about 240 calories.
• Walking 5 miles burns about 400 calories.
• Walking 10 miles adds up to a serious 800 calories burned.

And now let’s take a look at some average step counts:

• Walking 1,000 steps burns about 40 calories.
• Walking 2,000 steps burns about 80 calories.
• Walking 3,000 steps burns about 120 calories.
• Walking 4,000 steps burns about 160 calories.
• Walking 5,000 steps burns about 200 calories.
• Walking 6,000 steps burns about 240 calories.
• Walking 7,000 steps burns about 280 calories.
• Walking 8,000 steps burns about 320 calories.
• Walking 9,000 steps burns about 360 calories.
• Walking 10,000 steps burns about 400 calories.
• Walking 11,000 steps burns about 440 calories.
• Walking 12,000 steps burns about 480 calories.
• Walking 13,000 steps burns about 520 calories.
• Walking 14,000 steps burns about 560 calories.
• Walking 15,000 steps burns about 600 calories.

Of course, if you weigh more, you’ll burn more per mile or step, and if you weigh less, slightly fewer. Walking on inclines or at a faster pace will also increase the burn, just in case you were wondering why anyone would ever touch that setting on a treadmill. Not for me, but to each their own! 

Why Walking Works

Walking might seem too simple to make a big difference, but don’t underestimate it. It’s a sustainable, low-impact way to increase your calorie burn and support your long-term goals. You don’t need special equipment, a gym, or even a ton of room on your schedule. So, just lace up your shoes, and you’ll start feeling the burn in no time.