How Long Does It Take to Walk a Mile, 5 Miles, or More? (2024)

FAQs

How many minutes is 5 miles walking? ›

While the average 5-mile country walk probably takes around 1 hour and 40 minutes, you may find that this varies. Fast walkers, for instance, typically walk at a pace of around 12 minutes per mile. So, if you walk faster than the average person, a 5-mile walk might take you around one hour.

The average time it takes to walk a mile is about 20 minutes at an easy pace. 1 If you're an American, you probably think in miles when it comes to walking distances, since the United States is one of the only countries that still use miles instead of kilometers.

A 2022 study published in the journal Communications Biology found that people who regularly walked at a pace of at least three miles per hour (the equivalent of a 20-minute mile) had healthier telomeres, the tail ends of our DNA that help prevent aging.

Walking at a brisk walking pace for 30 minutes typically results in a distance walked of 1.5-2 miles or 3,000-4,500 steps. While you can walk more on some days and less on others, the total walking time per week should be at least 150 minutes⁶.

The average person burns about 100 calories for every mile walked. That means you'd burn roughly 500 calories each day and 3,500 calories in a week — the equivalent of one pound of fat. That's ideal, since it's generally considered safe to lose one to two pounds per week.

Can a person lose belly fat by walking? Regular aerobic exercise such as walking may be an effective way to lose belly fat. A 2014 study supports this and concluded that walking could help to burn body fat, including fat around the waist and within the abdominal cavity.

The 10-minute walk metric—equivalent to approximately a half-mile for an able-bodied person—is the average distance most people are willing to walk to reach a destination, a standard that helps us examine the number of opportunities and resources a person has close to home.

Using 2,000 steps in one mile as an average benchmark, 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles.

If walking 30 minutes per day, shooting for a 20 to 30 minute pace, is a good general goal if you're looking to reap the health benefits of walking. Just keep in mind: your biggest mile marker is your own progress.

It's no surprise that walking is a great form of exercise. But did you know that walking faster is even better? Studies have found that people who walk at a faster pace — for about 30 minutes a day — have a significantly reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and death compared with those whose average pace was slower.

What is a good distance to walk everyday? ›

The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. It's a good idea to find out how many steps a day you walk now, as your own baseline. Then you can work up toward the goal of 10,000 steps by aiming to add 1,000 extra steps a day every two weeks.

Conclusions: Total body fat is lost through walking at all speeds, but the change is more rapid, clear, and initially greater with slow walking in overweight subjects. A longer exercise impulse at a lower speed in our study initially produced greater total fat loss than a shorter one with fast walking speed.

Even a few thousand steps a day can help you shed pounds if you're consistent, says Cedric Bryant, Ph. D., the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise. To lose weight, Bryant recommends walking 45 to 60 minutes a day, five or six days a week.

One of the most effective ways to reduce belly fat is to regularly take part in aerobic exercise, such as walking ( 19 , 20 ). In one small study, women with obesity who walked for 50–70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks, on average, reduced their waist circumference and their body fat.

Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

It suggests for most adults to aim for 10,000 steps a day – the equivalent of about 5 miles. The University of Kansas KU Medical Center calls the 10,000 steps recommendation, "the 'magic pill' everyone is seeking" when it comes to positive health outcomes.

Walking 5 miles a day may be enough exercise, depending on your fitness levels and goals. For example, if you're looking to mostly maintain your weight and muscle tone, walking is a great exercise.

A fast walking pace or speed is:

12 minutes per mile (5 miles per hour) 7.5 minutes per kilometre (8 kilometres per hour)