What Is the Easiest Aerobic Exercise to Lose a Pound?

Losing weight is far from easy, but designing a weight loss program around the most basic and simple aerobic exercise of all -- walking -- helps make it a bit simpler. It seems like an ineffective weight loss strategy, but walking can actually help you burn fat and promote cardiovascular health, no matter your fitness level. By following the right routine, walking can help you lose a pound of bodyweight within as little as two weeks, especially if you eat healthily.

Walking as an Exercise

When using walking as a way to lose weight, it’s important to increase the intensity a bit. A good walking speed to target is between 3 and 4 mph. At this pace, you’ll be able to increase your heart rate, speed up your metabolism and burn an increased number of calories. A 160-pound person burns about 317 calories per hour walking at 3 mph or 374 calories walking at 4 mph. The best part about using walking as a weight loss strategy is that it’s an aerobic exercise that just about anyone can do.

Weight Loss by the Numbers

Your body naturally burns calories throughout the day, even while at rest. This is known as your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. The key to losing weight is to decrease your caloric intake and/or burn an increased number of calories to create a BMR calorie deficit. For example, if your BMR is 2,000 calories, anything below that figure would create a calorie deficit and promote weight loss. To lose one pound, you have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories and walking can help you achieve this goal over a period of weeks. A goal of burning 350 calories per day through walking can get you to 3,500 calories within just 10 days.

Fat Burning Zone

The so-called fat burning zone is a way to describe an exercise intensity level that promotes the highest percentage of fat burning vs. carbohydrate calorie burning. Walking falls right into the fat burning zone. To ensure you’re walking at the right intensity to burn the highest percentage of fat, you should monitor your heart rate while you walk. It should fall between 60 and 75 percent of your maximum heart rate, or MHR. Your MHR is 220 minus your age in years. For example, a 35-year-old’s MHR is 185 beats per minute, or BPM. His fat-burning zone would then be 111 BPM to 139 BPM.

Walking Schedule

Walking is an easy aerobic exercise that doesn’t put an excessive amount of stress on muscles for most people, so it’s a workout that you can use five to seven days per week as part of a weight loss plan. The more you exercise, the quicker you can reach your one-pound weight loss goal. Try to set aside 60 minutes for each workout and make it part of your daily routine. If you feel pain in your joints, feet or muscles, take a day off. Also be sure to use comfortable walking shoes, and always stretch for a few minutes before going out for a walk.
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