World Health Day 2026: Not losing weight despite daily walks? Here’s what you might be doing wrong #FitIndiaHitIndia

#FitIndiaHitIndia: Walking is effective in enhancing your overall health although in some cases it might not result into weight loss often due to some errors. Expert shares how you can modify your routine and add healthy lifestyle habits to it.

Walking is considered one of the least complicated and most effective exercises due to its accessibility and low-impact workout to keep the body healthy. However many people are finding difficulty in keeping the weight off even after doing some daily walks. Interestingly experts believe that the problem might not be the activity itself but rather the way it is being carried out.

Do you think walking is enough to lose weight?

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults should strive to attain physical activities of moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes per week as a prerequisite to being healthy. As much as walking would help in the aforementioned target weight loss is a matter of creating a calorie deficit which is burning more calories than you are eating. Experts also note that walking can be used to help lose weight but such aspects as the speed, duration and routines are of great importance when it comes to the outcome.

Here's what you might be doing wrong

1. Walking too slowly: A walk will not raise your heart rate to the point where it can burn significant calories. According to healthcare professionals it is better to walk briskly where you can talk but not sing because this is an effective way to burn fat.
2. Not walking long enough: Brisk walks cannot be effective in losing weight as the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that greater and more vigorous physical activity enhances health results such as weight control.
3. Ignoring diet: Even the best routine of walking can fail to bring about weight loss when there is a high level of calorie consumption. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that diet and exercise should go side by side in order to implement sustainable weight loss.
4. Lack of consistency: It is important to note that walking once or twice a week is not enough to lose weight. Exercising on a regular basis can help you maintain metabolism and fat loss.
5. Not pushing your body: Experts also believe that doing the same routine every day can hold you back from losing weight. Multiple studies recommend introducing variations including inclines, intervals or walking longer distance to burn more calories.
6. Overestimating calories burned: Most individuals believe that they consume a lot of calories than they consume which might results in overeating. Therefore it is essential to monitor of your activity and diet to allow yourself to have a realistic perspective of progress.
7. Skipping strength training: More studies have shown that walking alone is not sufficient to build muscle which is critical in increasing metabolism.

Tips to get more out of your walk

Here are some tips suggested by Dr. Manish Shetty, Consultant Physician, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mumbai, A Fortis Associate to make the most of walking:

1. Raising your walking speed to a vigorous one
2. A minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of walking on most days
3. Add inclines or intervals
4. Combine walking with low calorie diet
5. Stay on track and monitor your progress

(World Health Day is observed every year on April 7 to highlight the importance of global health awareness. World Health Day 2026 will be observed under the theme 'Together for health. Stand with science'.)

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