Walking 9 miles a day: Who is it for and how to do it?

Walking 9 miles a day is a high-volume exercise that requires significant commitment. On average, it can contain 18,000-22,500 steps and take from 1 hour and 39 minutes to 3 hours to complete.

Like walking for any distance, walking 9 miles a day offers a range of physical and mental health benefits:

• Heart health
• Weight loss
• Endurance
• Improved immunity
• Better mood
• Reduced stress levels
• Stronger muscles, bones, and joints
• Disease prevention
• And others

However, it’s important to note that it can be too much of a commitment for unprepared individuals. If you rush into it, this can result in excessive strain on muscles and joints, overeating, a risk of overuse injuries, and overtraining syndrome.

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It’s well known that everyday physical activity is an essential part of healthy living. It helps support all systems and organs in your body, prevents diseases, and makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week to stay healthy. And walking might be the best way to hit and exceed this goal.

Walking is a go-to type of activity for many reasons. It’s low-impact and doesn’t strain your muscles, bones, or joints too much. On the contrary, it brings a wealth of benefits, from cardiovascular fitness to efficient weight loss. And it doesn’t require much to get started. All you need is a pair of suitable shoes and a daily goal that you will stick to in order to build a habit.

If you are considering starting walking on a daily basis for weight loss and health purposes, you can begin with small milestones like walking 1 mile or 2 miles. However, if you are ready for a challenge, walking 9 miles a day can have a positive impact. In this article, we’ll tell you what benefits it brings, who should consider it, and other important details.

Is Walking 9 Miles a Day Good for You?

Walking 9 miles a day sounds literally like running a marathon to many. And we are not going to sugarcoat it – 9 miles is a lot. If you are just getting started with your weight loss and health journey, this is not your average goal that would be easy to complete. It takes quite a lot of commitment and time. But is walking 9 miles a day healthy? It definitely is!

Just 30 minutes of everyday walking can give you plenty of benefits, such as:

• Cardiovascular fitness
• Stronger bones and joints
• Higher energy levels
• Improved endurance
• Prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc.
• Better mood
• Enhanced cognitive ability
• Improved immunity
• Reduced stress levels and overall mental well-being
• Less body fat and a healthy weight

When you increase your goal, for example, start walking 9 miles a day, every day, you get all these benefits doubled. You burn more fat, become more enduring, and even ensure longevity. But it may not be right for everyone.

The Downsides of Walking 9 Miles a Day

While the cardiovascular benefits amplify, walking 9 miles a day is certainly a lot. For an unprepared person, it can actually have more downsides, such as:

• Excessive time commitment. Not everyone can (or wants to) spend hours a day walking. Often, big goals like 9 miles don’t work well with the busy schedule of a working adult.
• Excessive strain. If you are very active every day or have a solid fitness background, walking 9 miles might not be a problem. However, if you are not used to intense physical activity, it can lead to excessive muscle and joint strain with successive soreness.
• Increased appetite and overeating. If you are walking to burn fat and lose weight, it’s important to remember that high-volume, intense exercise often causes more severe hunger because your body needs calories to recover. And this can cause overeating that eventually cancels out your caloric deficit.
• A risk of overuse injuries. If you don’t typically walk a lot, hitting 9 miles can lead to injuries like blisters, shin splints, knee pain, heel pain, and stress fractures.
• Overtraining syndrome (OTS). An overly high volume or intensity of exercise frequently leads to OTS. This is when overtraining actually harms your body more than it helps. The symptoms can include chronic fatigue, persistent muscle stiffness, higher stress levels, insomnia, recurring illnesses, etc.

All in all, without due preparation, walking 9 miles a day can do more harm than good. By giving you intense strain and other aforementioned downsides, it can eventually lead to a lack of motivation and burnout. So it’s generally recommended to start gradually and build up the distance as you become more confident and comfortable walking.

Who Can Consider Walking 9 Miles a Day?

Given the potential risk, a good question to ask is: Who can actually benefit from walking 9 miles a day? The answer is simple – those who are prepared for this type of high-impact exercise. This might include:

• Highly active people. For example, those who are already used to walking 10,000+ steps a day.
• Experienced athletes. If you have experience with regular, high-volume, and high-impact exercise, walking can be a good alternative.
• People training for sports events. People who are going to participate in marathons or long-distance walking challenges can walk 9 miles a day to train. But it’s still important to build up the distance gradually.

Walking 9 Miles a Day: Everything You Need to Know

Now that you are aware of the possible drawbacks and benefits of walking 9 miles a day, let’s delve deeper into this topic and answer some of the most common questions that might arise.

How Many Steps Is 9 Miles?

There has always been a rule of thumb to take at least 10,000 steps a day to lose weight and stay fit. If you know about it, now, you must be wondering: How many steps is 9 miles? So, let’s start with this question.

It’s considered that a mile of walking at a moderate pace (for an adult) contains about 2,000-2,500 steps. This means that you can take anywhere between 18,000 and 22,500 steps during a 9-mile walk.

Clearly, this greatly exceeds the recommended minimum number of steps for weight loss and general fitness. Not everyone might be ready to take roughly 20,000 steps a day. So this is something worth keeping in mind before you start. Yet, it’s also important to remember that the exact number of steps can vary significantly depending on the terrain, pace, and your stride length.

Low Long Does It Take to Walk 9 Miles?

Now that you know how many steps might be in 9 miles, the next logical question is: Is 9 miles a long walk? Shortly, yes. 9 miles is quite a long walk that requires a significant time commitment. According to general calculations, it can take you the following amount of time:

• Fast walk: 1 hour and 39 minutes
• Moderate walk: 2 hours and 15 minutes
• Easy walk: 3 hours

Of course, the time it takes you to walk 9 miles can vary. It also depends on many factors, including terrain type, stride length, and others. Yet, one way or another, it takes a while, which can make it hard to fit daily walking into your schedule.

The solution? If you are still determined to start walking 9 miles a day despite the time commitment, an easier way to wrap your schedule around it is to divide your walks into smaller chunks.

How Many Calories Does Walking 9 Miles a Day Burn?

If you are particularly interested in walking 9 miles a day weight loss properties, chances are that you want to know how many calories can be burned during such walks. As you can guess, the answer depends a lot on your initial weight, as well as the intensity of exercise.

Based on general calculations, a person who weighs 100 lbs can burn 479 calories during a 9-mile walk at a normal pace. A person who weighs 180 lbs can burn 861. And this number can reach 1,436 calories for a 300-lbs person.

So, can walking 9 miles a day help you lose weight? It definitely can. However, the effectiveness of weight loss depends on many other factors, including what you eat. It’s important to maintain a healthy calorie deficit to burn fat and drop the excess pounds.

FAQ

What are the average walking 9 miles a day for a month results?

Since it’s a high-volume and rather intensive exercise, walking 9 miles a day can lead to significant weight loss. On average, it’s possible to lose between 1.4 and 8 lbs of fat in a month of such exercise. However, the amount of weight you can lose depends directly on your initial body mass index, exercise consistency, and, of course, your diet. Apart from weight loss, you may also notice improved cardiovascular fitness, greater endurance, and stronger muscles.

Is walking 9 miles a day too much?

It may not be “too much” for a healthy, fit, and enduring adult. However, it’s also quite a commitment. Not every person can start walking 9 miles a day without proper preparation and being active previously. On the contrary, starting with such massive goals can lead to adverse effects rather than give you benefits. It’s important to start gradually.

How do I start walking 9 miles a day?

First, keep in mind that walking 9 miles a day isn’t for everyone. If you haven’t been very active before, it’s best to start with a more moderate goal, for example, 4 miles. If you decide to hop on this journey, make sure you have well-cushioned shoes suited for walking and comfy clothes. You may want to invest in a wearable device to track your progress and buy a water bottle to stay hydrated during your walks. Then start your walking journey. And remember to keep an eye on how your body feels to prevent any injury or other issues.

Conclusion

So, is it a good idea to start walking 9 miles a day? Generally, it is, especially if you want to strengthen your heart health, build endurance, and burn fat effectively. However, it’s not suitable for everyone.

9 miles is a long distance that takes time and effort to overcome. For a beginner, it can provide more drawbacks than benefits, which is why it’s always recommended to build a walking routine gradually.

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