Calorie burn can be really enhanced if you follow a very simple but effective way to judge if your walking speed is optimum, yet safe.

Your best walking speed can be recognized by certain sure symptoms of exertion during your walk - namely, from your breathing pattern and your ability to talk through the exercise.

If we have, say, a five point scale of least exertion to most exertion, we could measure how briskly we are walking based on how short of breath we are, and how difficult it is to talk.

Your five point scale could be as follows:

Level 1: The kind of exertion you feel if after lying on a couch watching TV, you have to walk, say, to get up and open your front door. Breathing is relaxed and slow.

Level 2: The kind of exertion level when you are pacing about the room deep in thought. Breathing is energetic but still not rapid.

Level 3: The kind of exertion involved in a leisurely walk to the corner store. Breathing is more deep. Takes a bit of time to slow down after the exertion.

Level 4: The kind of exertion involved if you were running very late for an appointment ... or doing some exercise like walking. Breathing would get more rapid. And talking though the exertion would be possible, yet slightly difficult.

Level 5: This is a no-no level. This is where you may overdo it ... exercising too hard, too fast -- and having deep fatigue and extreme discomfort in breathing or speaking.

The golden rule of heart rate, for your fastest calorie burn conditions, should be to try and exercise at about 70 to 80 percent of your maximum ability, so you should try to be at Level 4 on your exertion scale.

At Level 4, your walking speed will be just right for the greatest calorie burn without underdoing or overdoing. As you advance in your walking program, and your metabolism gets "re-trained" for higher calorie burn, your actual walking speed may change.

If you were doing 4 kph. earlier, say, you may find you're able to do 6 kph. now. Does this mean that you experienced less calorie burn at 4 kph. than at the new walking speed of 6 kph.? Absolutely not.

The walking speed improves naturally as you continue with the program, because body weight drops, so even if you are walking faster in terms of walking speed, it need not mean you are exerting at the Level 4!

Your walking speed at Exertion Level 4 is recognized through your breathing feeling more rapid, and talking though the exertion being possible, yet slightly difficult.

Carrying a heavier body weight earlier you may have reached Exertion Level 4 when walking at just 4 kph. Now, when you are lighter, you may be walking at 6 kph. before you feel the same exertion symptoms! Don't get swayed by merely the walking speed.

Remember, it the level of exertion overall that's important, not merely the walking speed, for greater calorie burn!