Time or distance?

jlm3622016
jlm3622016 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to the weight loss lifestyle. I'm doing a lot of research before I get hard into it because I want to know of the Do's and dont's. One thing I want to know is when it comes to walking what is more important? The distance you walk or the time you walk it? I'm not sure if that makes sense


Replies

  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
    I'd say it doesn't matter whether you walk fast or slow, for half an hour or for three hours. It's all good exercise. But it's the calorie reduction that will make you lose weight. Exercise is good for you because it stimulates the metabolism and keeps your muscles trim. You'll look thinner if you walk, but you won't lose weight just by walking. (But I guess if you're reading up on the subject you already know that.)
    By the way be a little wary of the articles on this app. Some of them give good advice but some of them are sponsored and are merely thinly veiled advertising. Id say their advice is sometimes close to breaking advertising standards.
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    Distance is what matters.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited July 2016
    So this depends on your goals. Are you hoping to build endurance? Then distance matters. Are you just using it as a means of exercise? Then do what you're comfortable doing, because anything is better than nothing. But working on intensity too soon can sometimes cause injury if it's an activity you are not accustomed to doing.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    Distance will be more closely correlated with calories expended than will time. But just get started and increase gradually. If you increase time/distance too quickly, you risk training injuries that will set you back (or even put you back on the couch) while you heal. I think the usual recommendation is not to increase weekly training distance by more than 10% a week, but I'd suggest you do some research on that, rather than take the word of a random Internet stranger.
  • DJMayes2016
    DJMayes2016 Posts: 29 Member
    Realistically there is a limit to your time (and perhaps to your distance, if there's a specific walk you like) so build up to that and then try optimise it.

    If you have a set time make sure you can walk for the entirety of it and then start building up distance.

    If you have a set distance, make sure you can do the entire thing and then start doing it progressively quicker.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,630 Member
    Time ... and speed. The faster you can walk within the time you've got.

    When it comes to walking, I try to get a minimum of 20 minutes in a day, and that's a rest day. Most days, I hope to get closer to an hour.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    edited July 2016
    Both... the faster you walk, the more calories you will burn & your heart will benefit. But time is also important, because even if you are a slow walker, you'll still burn calories and benefit the health of your body by going out for at least 30-60 minutes.
    :)

    excessive time (hours) in not really any benefit though.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    Distance, buy a step tracker to help you they're really useful
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Obviously the longer and farther you go, the more calories you will burn... But the important thing is to just start moving.

    I've always liked the chart on this site for quick estimates:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/peak-performance/running-v-walking-how-many-calories-will-you-burn

    --it gives calories per mile and calories per minute for both walking and running (and it matches up pretty well with my HRM, too).

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    jlm3622016 wrote: »
    I'm new to the weight loss lifestyle. I'm doing a lot of research before I get hard into it because I want to know of the Do's and dont's. One thing I want to know is when it comes to walking what is more important? The distance you walk or the time you walk it? I'm not sure if that makes sense


    Weight loss is about calories. If you are exercising to help with weight loss it will be the activity level that burns more calories that is important to you likely.
    I think intensity of your walk is going to make more of a difference than just time or just distance. If you are strolling slowly for 10 minutes or take a long walk but at a slow pace you aren't working as hard as if you walk briskly.
    If you are new to exercise start out slow and gradually increase intensity/time/distance though.

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