I am currently walking 5-6 days a week after I get home from work this is just my 2nd week. The walk is 20 minutes and includes flat surfaces and hills. I am attempting to build up to at least 45 minutes. I also use weights every other day. I am performing upper body workout with the weights right now because I do not have a weight bench, yet.

I drink at 6-8, 8oz bottle of water, daily, this is my 4th week with that and I haven't had my beloved Coke-a-Cola in 4 weeks...I know it doesn't sound like much but for me it's a miracle, 4 weeks and no soda! I did a couple of times have a diet coke and I simply couldn't drink it...I don't care for the taste at all.

My question is I walk 20 minutes, as I stated 5-6 days a week and I walk pretty fast, not speed walking, but fast, how long should I walk to actually start burning fat??

More than 20 minutes! In order to burn fat (which is tricky to isolate) you have to maintain an elevated heart rate for over 20min-before that you are using up the energy stores in your muscles from consumed carbs. Adding hills is a great idea, picking up the pace is also good. Just do as much as you can and don't worry about "burning fat," try to get fitter and then the fat will take care of itself. Good luck!

Yeah they say at 20 is where it starts off so try to go 20 but not over 1 hour. If u can cut the workout into two workouts if u are going longer or u can even cut it into two 30 min workouts. It may make u go harder since u are not gonna be so tired at the end of a single longer workout. I am also building up but i am forcing myself to go min 20 to 30 right now. I do two a day and min. do it 5 days a week. Once I get in good enough shape I will likely lift weights then do cardio right after for 30 of so min. unless I am lifting in a manner that elevates and keeps my heart rate up. Good luck. By the way, my mom also walks at the mall for over 20 she goes by distance. I think it's a total of a mile each time u circle the nearby mall, and she does it three times at a decent pace. I went with her twice and the first time I had trouble keeping up with her, but I really kicked up the last lap with longer strides and a faster pace, cause I feel far behind. I did pass her and I did get a great workout by kicking up hte last lap. I was already hurting by the second lap. My legs hurt bad but I knew I had to kick it up and I really really pushed myself. In truth I worked out through the pain, that was not an injury but just pain from working out, and I felt better by the last half mile, the pain went away. Good luck again.

Ummm...so you're saying not to walk for more than an hour?

Dunno...methinks limiting walking to a mere hour would negate any type of activity such as hiking and so on (if there's anyone out there who can hike the John Muir Trail from Happy Isles to Nevada Falls...in an hour...let me know )

Or perhaps you mean work UP to an hour, gradually...which is a good idea - you don't want to overdo right from the getgo.

But don't feel that you need to cut off exercise after an hour!

Good point, MrsJ! I recently read that our bodies are evolutionarily adapted to walking 10 - 20 miles per day (from the days when we were hunting and gathering), so I doubt that walking more than an hour would be harmful. Interestingly, the article also noted that obesity was unheard of 40,000 years ago - back when we all were walking those 10 - 20 miles per day. Hmmm ...

This question always makes me feel uncomfortable.
Remember 'eat less and move more'? The simple answer is .... if 20 minutes is MORE then it's good for starters.
Hiking is a wonderful way of getting out there. You won't even realise how long you've been!

No disrespect intended for you awesome and knowledgeable folks. It's just simple me with a simple answer.

At my peak weight loss the last time (yo yo NO MORE) I lost the very best while walking 4 1/2 miles 5 days a week. It was wonderful. I mixed that with lifting. Cardio had to go because I was showing some severe over training signs (cold sores, eye twitching, acne, etc...) I moved (which is the excuse I used to yo yo) and now there is no good walking area so I can only do indoor cardio (evileptical and step videos). When I walked, I walked well over an hour and I also hiked a lot. I took on hills with gusto. I'd trade this cardio for walking again in a heart beat!

Karma

Wow! You went 4 weeks without Coca-Cola! Congrats! I have cut down on my Coca-Cola intake, but, I hope that I can cut it out completely.

Ive cut out the Cokes completely too. Havent had one since the 3rd of Jan.

All of you guys are GREAT! You all are sooo supportive...Thanks again, from the heart.

Chiarij