How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking Compared to Running? Exploring Two Great Cardio Choices

Walking is often overlooked as just a casual activity, but it’s actually a powerful way to exercise, even when running seems like a faster option. Many people wonder if simply walking really counts as a legitimate workout, especially when they have the option to run instead.

The good news is that walking absolutely qualifies as exercise. When done at a brisk pace, walking strengthens your heart, improves your lung capacity, helps burn calories, and boosts your mood by releasing feel-good hormones like endorphins. This means walking can be just as beneficial for your cardiovascular system and mental health as other forms of aerobic activity.

However, not all walking is the same. There’s a clear difference between a slow, relaxed stroll and walking with purpose and intensity. Your speed and the way you approach your walk will significantly influence the workout benefits you get from it.

Many factors affect how many calories you burn while walking, such as your body weight, metabolism, how fast you walk, and whether you’re going uphill or on flat terrain. On average, walking briskly can torch about 100 calories per mile. This means if you cover a mile at a good pace, you’re already burning a decent amount of energy.

If you want to increase that burn, try walking up stairs or using a stair climber at the gym. This kind of incline dramatically ups the intensity, and you can roughly double your calorie burn to about 200 calories per mile when going upstairs, making it a fantastic way to boost your workout without running.

So picture this: walking one mile at a steady pace burns around 100 calories, and if you’re able to fit in a longer walk of five to eight miles, you could burn 500 to 800 calories. This calorie range is quite comparable to what you might burn during an hour of running or cycling, showing just how effective walking can be when done right.

While walking definitely helps you burn calories, running can torch more in less time, making it a popular choice for quick weight loss. Running is generally considered a higher-intensity workout. So, while walking will contribute to weight loss, running usually delivers faster and greater calorie burn.

The exact number of calories burned depends on many things, including your metabolism, weight, speed, and effort level. For example, a woman weighing around 135 pounds may burn approximately 100 to 115 calories during a 30-minute walk, but running for the same duration may burn between 250 and 270 calories, roughly double the calorie expenditure.

Increasing your walk or run intensity—such as adding an incline—can also raise your calorie burn. Running at a moderate incline of about 5 percent might burn around 128 calories per mile, while running or jogging up stairs for nine minutes can burn around 154 calories, highlighting how terrain and effort level matter.

Speed impacts your calorie burn as well. For example, if that same woman walks at a speed of 3.0 miles per hour, she might burn about 70 calories per mile. If she picks up her pace to 4.0 miles per hour, she could burn roughly 10 more calories per mile. Adding an incline could then boost this number by three to five additional calories per minute, potentially increasing her total calorie burn per mile by 50 to 60 percent.

In summary, running generally burns more calories than walking during the same timeframe. However, increasing your pace, distance, or walking/running on inclines will enhance the number of calories you burn in either form of exercise.

If you’re just starting or not at your desired fitness level yet, walking is an excellent way to begin. It offers a gentle but effective introduction to cardio exercise and helps you build a solid foundation for more intense workouts in the future. Walking counts as cardio because it raises your heart rate above resting levels, which is the key marker of aerobic exercise.

Walking is also incredibly accessible—no special equipment or preparation is needed, and you can do it anywhere at any time. For those who want to lose weight but are hesitant to jump into high-impact activities like running, walking allows for gradual fat loss and improved fitness without the stress on your body.

That said, the benefit you get from walking depends heavily on where you're starting from. If you’re already quite active and fit, simply adding walking may not push your fitness much further. But if you've been mostly inactive, incorporating regular walks can make a significant difference. Over time, you can increase your walking duration and pace to keep progressing.

Your choice between walking and running should also factor in your physical health, goals, and available time for exercise. If maximizing calorie burn quickly is important and you can handle the impact, running is a strong option. But if you’re recovering from injury or want to avoid excessive muscle strain, walking is a safer alternative since it puts less stress on your legs and joints.

Keep in mind that while walking subjects your body to about 1.5 times your body weight in impact, running requires your muscles and joints to absorb close to three times your weight. This means running demands more from your muscles, so walking provides a way to burn calories with less muscular stress.

For those new to exercise or recovering from injuries, walking is generally recommended five to six days a week. Walking can be done longer and more frequently since it elevates your heart rate without overly taxing your muscles, making it easier to maintain consistency in your routine.

Running, being more demanding, calls for less frequent sessions—typically about three to four times a week—with rest or cross-training days in between. Running creates faster fatigue in your body, so adequate recovery is crucial to avoid burnout or injuries.

The right pace for your walking or running is closely tied to your heart rate, which determines how long you can sustain the activity. Slower speeds allow for longer duration, while faster paces increase calorie burn but can't be maintained as long.

Monitoring your heart rate during exercise can guide you in knowing when to push harder or dial back. When walking starts to feel too easy and you’re healthy enough, adding short bursts of jogging can be a great next step to enhance your fitness and calorie burn.

Ultimately, walking is a practical and effective cardio workout that burns calories and supports weight loss, especially for beginners or those seeking lower-impact exercise. Running, on the other hand, is an excellent option for those wanting to maximize calorie burn within a shorter timeframe.