Is walking good exercise

fitnessqueen91

I spoke to this girl at work and she worked as a apprentice at the gym to train to be a PT. I said I walk a lot and she said walking isn't exercise. I know walking is not as intense as other forms of sport but I thought walking was good for you. Most days I walk to and from work for half an hour each way. Is walking beneficial and a waste of time?

fitnessqueen91

I always thought that walking was good for you and can help to loose weight.

Jruzer

Walking is beneficial and is not a waste of time. It is not as intense as other forms of exercise, but it burns calories and has other benefits. It can help you lose weight insofar as it burns calories.

dbanks80

Sounds like she's preparing you to buy some PT sessions from her.

Machka9

Walking is great! Especially brisk walking, or walking up hill, or walking up stairs, or walking on sand ...

But any sort of walking is good, both mentally and physically.

zorahgail

@innerfatty91 yes, walking absolutely is great for you, not just for weight loss. Walking is how I started, and continues to be part of my regular routine now (maintaining a weight loss of 85-90 lbs.).

lemmie177

Walking is definitely good for you. IMO, the human body was meant to spend most of its time walking. It's one of those activities that can be very therapeutic and leave you feeling more energized than when you started.

That being said, I, personally, would not log it as exercise and don't bother recording it. For someone who finds it significantly strenuous or is otherwise very sedentary, I would expect them to deal with it differently.

It really depends on your perspective to consider it a waste of time. If your goal is to burn as many calories as possible per minute or to increase leg strength, and time is limiting, then I'd consider walking incredibly inefficient. But if we're talking about 30min spent walking where you'd otherwise just be sitting on your butt, then of course its not a waste of time.

PinkyPan1

I not only lost 22 lbs walking but I also regained my health. I had a heart attack almost 2 years ago and I am fit and healthy. My doctor told me to lose 10 lbs and walk a mile per day. I have now power walked 2524.17 MILES as of today. These are not steps but miles have walk daily. Keep on walking.

kar328

Most of my exercise has been walking. I usually run 2, then walk 3-4. My walking time is now 4 mph or a bit over, and according to my Fitbit, burns about 110 calories for each of those miles (15 mins/mile). There are ways to burn more and quicker, but walking is great therapy for me, I go outside, even in not so great weather, listen to music and let my brain wander. When I work 2-3 twelve hour shifts in a row and don't get out there in the middle of them, I can definitely feel a difference in my mood.

Machka9

I am up to 950 km of walking so far this year ... and I have been logging it.

I've also lost 54 lbs in that time ... several factors went into that, but walking was one of them.

fitnessqueen91

PinkyPan1 wrote: »

I not only lost 22 lbs walking but I also regained my health. I had a heart attack almost 2 years ago and I am fit and healthy. My doctor told me to lose 10 lbs and walk a mile per day. I have now power walked 2524.17 MILES as of today. These are not steps but miles have walk daily. Keep on walking.

Well done for losing 22 pounds and on getting better! My mum also had a heart attack recently but hasn't been able to walk much as she has stomach problems that prevent her from walking much but she really misses walking. I hope she gets better soon so she can go on her walks.

That's an awful lot of miles! Again well done. I will keep on walking. It makes me feel like I'm more active and I love fresh air as opposed to cramped transport and it gives me time to think and relax.

fitnessqueen91

zorahgail wrote: »

@innerfatty91 yes, walking absolutely is great for you, not just for weight loss. Walking is how I started, and continues to be part of my regular routine now (maintaining a weight loss of 85-90 lbs.).

Well done on your weight loss!! Same, walking for me is routine.

fitnessqueen91

dbanks80 wrote: »

Sounds like she's preparing you to buy some PT sessions from her.

Very likely. I can't stand all these PTs and people who work at the gym. Most of them don't know very much, well I guess most of them are apprentices and still learning.

Pawsforme

I'm down 21 pounds in the past four months, and brisk walking is my main exercise. I have no plans (and see no need) to change that. It works for me physically and mentally.

GiddyupTim

To echo what all the others have said.
Yes, walking burns calories. I don't know exactly, but I am going to venture a guess that the number of calories burned during an hour of walking is roughly the same as the number burned during an hour in the gym, because there is no resting when you are walking.
Also, walking is great for your heart and your health. Just a little, regular walking -- I think it is half an hour a day -- greatly improves cholesterol and triglyceride levels and helps you maintain healthy insulin sensitivity!

scolaris

I walk a lot!
I think walking fulfills one of three basic exercise 'macros'... just like the food macros, there are different kinds of exercise and they do different things for us. Walking is a great recovery activity between heavier work outs. It's great for stress relief. It helps get the body ready to sleep well at night. An average size adult will burn about 200 calories walking three 20-minute miles in an hour. Speed things up or add a good grade and you'll get more burn. I think of my walking as a sort of active rest.
The other exercise 'macros' are high intensity intervals and lifting heavy things. You can run or peddle HIIT intervals, or dance, or swim or whatever you like but you will be sweaty and fatigued when you're done. And you can use body weight, weight machines, free weights or crazy cross fit props to fulfill your lifting need.
Your gym bunny sounds undereducated. Walking is definitely a form of exercise. And it is the perfect 'gateway' exercise for people who may think they don't like to work out. I love trying new things and pushing past former limitations, but walking will always be a solid part of my life. Between September 29 and October 27 I walked 250 miles... Crazy right?
I love walking!

scolaris

@PinkyPan1 your story is impressive... Bravo!

brianpperkins

Walking is good exercise but it is far from the most intense calorie burner per unit of time or distance.

arditarose

It's better than nothing.

tcarp8

If the other option is sitting, I think it's pretty good exercise

lorrpb

Walking is wonderful and had helped many people, including me, get started on their journey to health & fitness. 18 months ago I couldn't walk more than 1/4 mile without excruciating foot knee and hip pain and rest stops. Now I walk 4-5 miles every single day, plus other workouts too and have lost 118 lbs in the process.

mollylayton

Walking is good exercise. Sure, it might not have the effect of other types of exercise, but it does work. Just ask people who spend most of their days doing it.

With walking, I tend not to log the usual walking that I do, but if I need to go somewhere that's not part of my routine, I'll track it.

LKArgh

innerfatty91 wrote: »

I spoke to this girl at work and she worked as a apprentice at the gym to train to be a PT. I said I walk a lot and she said walking isn't exercise. I know walking is not as intense as other forms of sport but I thought walking was good for you. Most days I walk to and from work for half an hour each way. Is walking beneficial and a waste of time?

Walking is probably the single best exercise you can do, if you have to choose just one. Anyone telling you otherwise and that it does not count as exercise, they no nothing about fitness. Hope this girl is still early in her apprenticeship, or she will make an awful personal trainer.

Orphia

dbanks80 wrote: »

Sounds like she's preparing you to buy some PT sessions from her.

Spot on!

This apprentice won't earn any money from you walking.

One of the many benefits of walking!

ninerbuff

innerfatty91 wrote: »

I spoke to this girl at work and she worked as a apprentice at the gym to train to be a PT. I said I walk a lot and she said walking isn't exercise. I know walking is not as intense as other forms of sport but I thought walking was good for you. Most days I walk to and from work for half an hour each way. Is walking beneficial and a waste of time?

EXPERIENCED PT here will tell you that if walking isn't exercise, than neither is a moderate bike ride, yoga, or golf (with no cart).

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

blankiefinder

Walking is great exercise for losing weight. If you had been telling her that you wanted to build muscle, then the comment would make more sense, but from a calorie burning perspective, it won't be the fastest hourly burn, but if that's what you enjoy, go for it. I do tons of walking. 7 miles today.

mbaker566

walking is great exercise. there are people who have lost weight solely by walking

FitGirl0123

Walking is underrated. It is a great exercise! If you are capable of a little more intense exercise, medically, you can certainly try to up the intensity once in a while. Walking at a good pace, at an incline, is an excellent exercise though.

thereshegoesagain

I'm a swimmer and typically swim about 10 miles a week. My weight loss had stalled for about a month, but I kept on, knowing I would break the plateau. Then the pool heater broke and it has been 3 weeks , waiting for a new heater to be ordered and installed.
In the meantime I have been going to the high school track and began walk I ng about 5 miles, 5 days a week. Guess what? That plateau broke and I am now down 4 lbs.
I'm still waiting for the beloved pool to open but now plan on including 2 days of walking and cutting back on swimming.

kthompson601

Walking is fantastic! When I started losing weight, walking was pretty much the only exercise I was doing, as I have had previous injuries to my hips. Plus, I weighed 290, and walking was about all I could do at the time! Now I do a lot of different exercises--yoga, jogging, weight lifting, cycling, and swimming--but I still enjoy long walks wandering around the many trails in my area. Walking definitely helped improve my fitness when I started my weight loss journey, and now I just do it for pure pleasure!

VisofSer

It depends on how you define exercise. I would not class the walking anyone does to get about on a day to day basis as exercise. I would call that living normally and part of what makes up your activity level.

Choosing to walk an extra mile or 30 minutes or take a longer route, consciously adding activity in the form of walking to your normal daily routine? Yes this is exercise and anything that counts as activity would qualify here. It is also inherently beneficial for a host of reasons as stated above by many other members.