The Benefits of Walking 5 Miles at a Time and What to Expect

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How long does it take to walk 5 miles?

Time taken to cover 5 miles, by walking at 3.5 mph pace will take approx. 86 minutes for a 5 feet 10 inches person weighing 140 lbs. And the total time taken will change according to a person’s height, weight, terrain, and age.

Which means there are different factors which decide how much it will take to walk 5 miles?

Walking has been shown to improve many health issues like-

  • Reduces risk of cancer
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Aids in weight also
  • Improves mood
  • Strengthen lower body

It doesn’t matter whether you have already started walking or not, start walking now to see how it improves your overall health!

So, if you are more interested in how walking for longer distances affects your health?

Then this article is just for you!

Is walking 5 miles in an hour good?

how long does it take to walk 5 miles

In this technological world where everything we do depends on technology, machines and we are surrounded by it.

Even for the basic day- to day activities we are dependent on smartphones and other gadgets.

It’s important to give your body and mind some kind of physical activity like walking, running, or meditation.

If you love walking then it can help you stay fit, lose weight, burn calories and live a healthy life.

You can incorporate walking into your workout to start improving your health gradually.

It’s important to start slowly, consistently, and then eventually you can start walking long distances per day.

But how long should it take you to walk 5 miles?

Even the average person can cover 5 miles in one hour and twenty-six minutes if he walks at a constant speed, i.e 3.5 miles per hour.

How do I calculate my walking time?

These days it’s very to calculate your walking time by simply using any smartphone, pedometer or health tracker app, or fitness band.

Here is a basic 4 step process you can follow –

  1. Start the timer on your phone before you start walking.
  2. Use your phone or any fitness band for it.
  3. As soon you are about to stop walking, stop your timer.
  4. In some cases, you can set walking duration before you start walking, let’s just say for 15 min, 20 min, or 30 min walk.

Calculating walking time is very simple these days, you can even check your walking speed, distance, and everything using any app or fitness band.

One can also calculate it using the formula–

Time= Distance/Speed

So how long does it take to walk 5 miles?

For example, the time taken to cover a 5-mile distance at a walking speed of 4 mph will be approx. 75 minutes.

Factors That Affect The Walking Time & Speed

Your walking speed & time depends on many factors and you can very easily calculate them.

Some of the important factors that affect walking speed and time are-

  • The surface of the road
  • Weight of person
  • Age, fitness level of the person
  • Your Height

Your surroundings and the food you consume all play a major role in how fast you can cover a distance walking.

Some other environmental factors like temperature, elevation, and windchill also affect your walking time.

Walking speed is influenced by several factors–

For example, 

  • a person’s height, 
  • stride length, 
  • body weight, 
  • age, 
  • and obesity level can all make him or her move faster or slower than someone else.

How many calories burned walking 5 miles?

How many calories burned walking 5 miles

The number of calories burned walking 4 miles varies and depends on the person–

  • weight, 
  • height, 
  • age, 
  • gender, 
  • and speed.

Calories are a measure of energy that we use to describe how much energy we use in a day or week.

The most important factor which determines how many calories you burn is your weight and the distance you walked.

An average person very easily can burn around 50-100 calories per mile.

So, how many calories were burned walking 5 miles?

If a 140 lbs person walks at a speed of 3.5 mph then it will 86 minutes to complete a 5 miles distance and will burn 417 Kcal.

Derived from Calories burned calculator use this calculator to find how many calories you can burn walking at 3 miles, 5 miles, and more distance.

Similarly, here is a tool calories burned walking calculator by which you can calculate how many calories you burned walking at 4 mph–

Weight(lbs)Walking(minutes)Walking Speed(mph)Calories Burned
140304167
160304191
180304214
200304238
220304262

How to increase your walking speed?

There are many reasons why people might want to increase their walking speed and how they do this depends on the reason for wanting to walk faster.

So, how long should it take a person to walk 5 miles depends on your walking speed also.

Increase your walking speed by applying these tips:

  • First and foremost make sure that you are wearing the right shoes. 
  • This is because the wrong shoes can affect your walking speed.
  • One way that you can make your walking more efficient is by having good posture when you walk. 
  • This will allow you to walk faster, with less effort and a better sense of balance.
  • Find Your Unique Rhythm–we all have different types of steps that we walk with, most of the time it speeds up naturally.
  • Because as I would imagine, you would have more anticipation over things to come without that ever-present doubt and are likely more contented with a set pace. 
  • This can help increase walking at a higher speed for some.
  • Shorten Your Steps–shortening the distance between each step does not increase the actual speed but makes it seem faster.
  • Because it takes less effort to take a short (brief) stride forward, unlike larger ones which require more invested effort before another movement forward might be possible. 
  • It also helps avoid overstriding which puts too much strain on your ankle and knees.

How many steps is 5 miles?

The exact steps will be different for everyone and it depends on a lot of other factors like-

  • Age
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Physical fitness
  • Walking speed

The average person takes about 2,000 steps in a mile, so 5 miles would be about 10,000 steps or more.

You can any fitness tracker app or pedometer app on your phone to count the steps.

The app will automatically start calculating the total steps you start walking daily.

Below is a table where we have derived how many steps you can take in 5 miles for males and females–

GenderHeight (Ft/inch)Walking Speed (mph)Distance (miles)Total Steps
Male5.103mph510985
Male63mph510844
Female5.63mph511432
Female5.83mph511291
Source: Thecalculatorsite.com

Tips for Walking More Miles

Tips for Walking More Miles

Walking has always been a great way to stay healthy, but it can be difficult to find the time. 

If you love walking then these tips will help you walk more miles in less time.

1. Start by walking your dog for an hour a day.

2. Get up and go outside at lunchtime and take a 10-minute walk.

3. Park at the back of the parking lot when you go grocery shopping, and then walk around the store before you head home with your groceries.

4. Park far away from work, and then use the stairs instead of taking an elevator or escalator when you get there or leave for the day.

Why Walking is One of the Best Physical Activities Humans Can do

What’s amazing about walking is that you don’t require any fancy equipment or some other stuff for walking, just a pair of shoes and some clothes are enough!

Over the years research has proven that walking has many health benefits like –

  • Improves your mood
  • Reduce the risk of diabetes
  • Controls high blood pressure
  • Minimizes stroke
  • Even reduces the risk of developing cancer
  • It also takes the edge off stress levels

Walking is a form of simple, low-impact exercise that everyone can enjoy. 

If you’re new to the activity and feel like it’s too difficult, start out at a slow pace and gradually increase your speed over time. 

And if you have already started walking then you are already on your way to a healthy life.

Is it better to walk longer or faster?

Walking has always been a great physical activity and it can help us–

  • reduce stress levels, 
  • Improves the mood, 
  • and also boost energy levels. 

Although walking is awesome in many ways, there are many factors that come into play, such as the distance you are walking and what you are trying to achieve by walking.

Always try to find a pace that suits your body and it’s best to start slow walking and then increase your speed as you go along.

If you walk too fast at first, you may exhaust yourself before the end of your walk.

  • Walking at a faster pace may be better for some people.
  • Also walking at a slower pace may be better for others. 
  • It also depends on your physical state and stamina level.
  • The best solution is to try walking at different speeds.
  • And then you will understand whether walking longer or faster is best for you or not.

How much walking is safe?

In a world where people are finding it hard to maintain physical and mental health, walking is the best possible way to reduce stress, and anxiety to improve your overall health.

So, how much walking is safe?

Well, it depends on lots of factors, like-

  • Your age
  • Bodyweight
  • How fit you are?
  • Type of shoes you use etc.

According to Harvard Health,” You should be walking or performing any physical activity 150 minutes per week, i.e 21 minutes per day can reduce chances of heart disease by 30%”.

In addition to that, it can also-

  • Reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer.
  • Lower blood pressure.
  • Helps to reduce cholesterol levels.
  • Improves mental sharpness.

We spend most of our time sitting down and the lack of physical activity is a huge health hazard.

However, one thing is clear: if you want to live a healthy life, it’s important to get enough exercise each day.

Final Thoughts

I hope now you got the idea– how long does it take to walk 5 miles?

Because people are always looking for a shortcut to a healthier lifestyle because it takes too long to lose weight and be healthy.

Walking is a great form of exercise, and it can be a lot of fun with some friends– and very easily you can 4-5 miles.

Hence, if you like to ask something feel free to comment!

Cheers!

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