Gym - walking

pacific904

I am 67 and retired. I was getting very bored as I have no strong hobbies or passions - love watching documentaries and current affairs that is about it. I was going to the gym but not really enjoying it. I am now working twice a week for a large hospitality company in their restaurants in football and concert stadiums. I love it and do about 11,000 steps each shift. My question is - is the walking as beneficial for my health as the spinning I was doing at the gym? My gym membership is due for renewal and has gone up (it will be £500) a year - that is a lot of money for something I do not really enjoy and use 3 times a week. I really want to stay fit for as long as I can.

Gallowmere1984

For conditionig, no. For caloric expenditure, it really depends on total amounts. When I am bulking, I tend to walk 14-20 miles per day, just because I can't stop moving, due to the energy levels from the caloric surplus. This can take my bulking requirements from 3000 to 4200 kcals per day to gain 0.5-1 lbs. per week.

However, in my current maintenance, I average about ten miles per day, and am maintaining 169-ish on 2850/day.

In both circumstances, my lifting stays constant though with obvious progression, so that's not really a factor in determining variable needs.

genmon00

Hello! Imo, thats a lot of $$ to spend on something you do not enjoy. I go to the gym at least once a week, twice if possible for zumba classes because I love Zumba and the instructor. BUT for the longest time I used to just watch FREE youtube videos and get amazing workouts doing ALL kinds of workouts. You can check that out to see if that something you would like..There are sometimes walking clubs or hiking clubs especially for retired peoples that you can join where you are getting your execerise and have the chance to socialize (which I love to do lol). As we age, it is important we do some form of stregnth training to help protect our joints. You can find workouts online or maybe you if stay at the gym, look for one of those classes. All I can say is that the instructor for my weight training class is a 60 something year old lady who puts the youngens to shame. Shes amazing! And my inspiration! Hope you find a good fit for you!

cstehansen

These are quite different. Spinning is likely getting your HR up which is good for conditioning. The steps you are getting are probably burning close to the same level of calories, but just slower.

From everything I have read, spinning is not the exercise I would choose, though. You really need to do something that is weight bearing for bone health. In that respect, the walking is better because you are bearing your own weight.

There are 2 basic kinds of exercise - cardio and strength. If, over the course of that shift at work, you are able to maintain a bit more strenuous pace for at least 20 minutes, that may be enough for the cardio portion for your age - assuming you aren't looking to run any marathons.

The strength training is the part I think gets missed the most because it is so misunderstood. It does not have to be hard core weight lifting at the gym. There are many youtube videos with examples of exercises using just your body weight or even everyday objects which are perfectly acceptable for someone who wants to be healthy but not looking to when any body building championships.

As for your gym membership, I wouldn't say to get rid of it, but I would say to look into other options there if you don't like spinning. To be successful long term, you have to find something you do enjoy doing, and that may change over time. If you are able to find something you can do that you enjoy and doesn't require a gym, great.

mmultanen

Walking, for a job like you've described (and it's a brief description so in fairness, it could be quite different than I assume) never provided me the same benefits as a concentrated effort at cardiovascular exercise. Getting steps in is good to be sure! But walking around on my shifts, even if it's for long distances didn't get my heart rate up enough to really provide significant health benefits. I might have lost an odd pound here and there, but I didn't see any strength improvements (or maintenance even) or lung or heart capacity increases.

Do you have the option of joining a month-to-month gym? Something you could use during the colder and less hospitable months of the year when exercise outdoors is less enjoyable?