To Get a Flat Stomach, Here's How Many Minutes You Need to Walk Each Day

Explore to get a flat stomach.

A brisk walk on the sidewalk or treadmill can have a miraculous effect on both your mental and physical health. Especially if you spend most of your day sitting at work, enjoying a change of scenery and a little exercise can be incredibly relaxing. But before you put on your running shoes, you might ask yourself: " How long should I walk each day to make a real difference?" If your goal is to achieve a toned physique and a slim waist, this article will give you the answer.

How many minutes of walking each day is needed to reduce belly fat?

" Walking is often overlooked because it's not considered a form of exercise, but it can be great for reducing belly fat. However, a leisurely five-minute walk around your neighborhood while scrolling on your phone won't be effective, " explains Amanda Grimm, CPT, running coach at We Run. " If you want to see a noticeable reduction in belly fat, you'll need to put in more effort than that ."

But how much is enough? According to Grimm, for most people, aiming to walk for half an hour to an hour can make a difference. Noticeable changes are expected to be seen within four to eight weeks of consistent walking.

" The exact duration of the walk will depend on other factors including age, diet, and individual metabolism ," Grimm added.

How to build a walking habit for the best results

Add more challenges

If walking is your preferred form of cardio exercise, there are ways to increase the difficulty, such as interval training or uphill climbing.

If you can add some incline or alternate between brisk walking and a more moderate pace, that's even better. This can really help increase the number of calories you burn and speed up the fat loss process.

Combine with other forms of exercise

Walking is much gentler on the joints than high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training, making it an extremely sustainable form of exercise—especially for older adults.

" However, the best results for fat loss and muscle toning usually come from combining walking with another type of exercise ," Grimm shared.

Persist

Overall, persistence is key to everything. Persistence always trumps sudden bursts of exercise, even at higher intensity. Regular daily walking creates a steady calorie deficit, which is essential for fat loss.

Do it correctly

This tip applies to all forms of exercise, regardless of the type you're doing. You must do it correctly to get maximum benefit and avoid injury. Don't walk too slowly, check your posture, and vary the intensity to ensure you're constantly challenging your body if you want to reach your best fat-burning potential from walking.