Walking Doesn’t Merit a Burger & Fries

It seems to me that a lot of people think walking burns way more calories than it actually does. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been out shopping or sightseeing with someone and after walking for 45 minutes they’re in the mood to sit down to a HUGE lunch because they’re exhausted and we’ve burned so many calories.

According to the Calorie Counter on HealthStatus.com, someone my weight (130 lbs.) burns just 304 calories per hour of walking, if they’re walking at 4 mph. I can only speak for myself, but I generally don’t zip around at 4 mph unless I’m very late or on a treadmill, so that’s a generous estimate.

300 calories is about the equivalent of:

42 raw almonds

Three 4 oz. glasses of red wine

2 apples

2 beers

Etc…

Nutrition.About.Com actually has a gallery devoted to pictures of 300 calorie sized servings interestingly enough. My point is, walking for an hour (and we’re still assuming you were walking at a pretty decent speed for leisure activities and not stopping for rest) doesn’t merit sitting down and guzzling 1,000 calories (which a restaurant can easily add up to).

Maybe I’m tired, maybe my feet are sore, but the fact is I really haven’t burned that many calories walking for an hour.

Links:

Calorie Count
http://caloriecount.about.com

About.com: Wine
http://wine.about.com/od/wineandhealth/f/How-Many-Calories-In-Red-Wine.htm