is walking enough?

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Replies

  • gkauf744
    gkauf744 Posts: 128 Member
    I love walking! On the treadmill or in the neighborhood or Leslie Sansone. I heard that walking is often the exercise that is used in health studies, and that there have been many studies on the benefits of walking as an exercise.
  • goldie21047
    goldie21047 Posts: 13 Member
    As I know it can be enough but your heart rate is crucial. You will only burn fat at the certain rate. So get a hrm and a personal trainer for a start to help you.

    This is a myth. There are quite a few articles about it. Here's one . . . http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/01/fat-burning-zone-myth/

    That said, walking is fine for weight loss. You really don't have to do any exercise to lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn. But if you're going to exercise, the best exercise is one that you will do. If walking fits your needs, go for it.
  • AbsolutelyAnnie
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
    Walking is my primary exercise. I am a single mom, too, and currently unemployed. There will be no gym membership, no personal trainer, and no purchasing of equipment. Walk when ever you can. Park in the space furthest from the entrance. Walk up and down the stairs in your home. Walk in shopping malls. It is good for you and it is free. Other calorie burns that you will find in the database include cooking / preparing food, cleaning, raking the lawn, mowing, painting the house, all kinds of things that don't involve gyms.

    When I walk a hiking trail near my home I use a free app on my phone called RunKeeper that syncs to my MFP account and tracks my calories, etc. The app covers lots of different kinds of activities and also tracks my progress. It's really helpful.

    You can do this!
  • mummma
    mummma Posts: 402 Member
    I love walking! On the treadmill or in the neighborhood or Leslie Sansone. I heard that walking is often the exercise that is used in health studies, and that there have been many studies on the benefits of walking as an exercise.

    thanks :) im hoping to get out more not just on the treadmill. but until im comfortable im happy that i have the tools needed to do it in my home x
  • mummma
    mummma Posts: 402 Member
    As I know it can be enough but your heart rate is crucial. You will only burn fat at the certain rate. So get a hrm and a personal trainer for a start to help you.

    This is a myth. There are quite a few articles about it. Here's one . . . http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/01/fat-burning-zone-myth/

    That said, walking is fine for weight loss. You really don't have to do any exercise to lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn. But if you're going to exercise, the best exercise is one that you will do. If walking fits your needs, go for it.

    thankyou x
  • mummma
    mummma Posts: 402 Member
    Walking is my primary exercise. I am a single mom, too, and currently unemployed. There will be no gym membership, no personal trainer, and no purchasing of equipment. Walk when ever you can. Park in the space furthest from the entrance. Walk up and down the stairs in your home. Walk in shopping malls. It is good for you and it is free. Other calorie burns that you will find in the database include cooking / preparing food, cleaning, raking the lawn, mowing, painting the house, all kinds of things that don't involve gyms.

    When I walk a hiking trail near my home I use a free app on my phone called RunKeeper that syncs to my MFP account and tracks my calories, etc. The app covers lots of different kinds of activities and also tracks my progress. It's really helpful.

    You can do this!

    that app sounds great i will check it out! thankyou x
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    41.2lbs lost with walking as my primary exercise. 2-3miles day and 6-8miles on the weekend.
  • mummma
    mummma Posts: 402 Member
    41.2lbs lost with walking as my primary exercise. 2-3miles day and 6-8miles on the weekend.

    great loss! thanks for sharing
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
    If you can raise your level of activity all day long, then I'm sure it can work.

    If you're limited to a desk for most of the day due to a desk job and can only have 45 minutes a day to exercise, then at some point you'll outgrow walking. You'll need to find other ways of challenging your body.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    ahh i wish i could afford a personal trainer :( im a single mum to 3 children under the age of 7. so theres not much room in the budget for that. maybe one day. i'll definitely look into the heart rate monitor. my mum gave me a treadmill and that does heart rate too... maybe ill use that for now?

    thanks for your reply :)

    A treadmill is great.....it will help you build speed.

    http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-get-a-cardio-workout-by-walking.html

    Re: strength training. You can always start with body weight exercises first. This will get you ready for the gym. Tons of those.....push ups, planks, squats, etc. Resistance training will help you keep muscle mass while losing weight.
  • mummma
    mummma Posts: 402 Member
    thanks for the link :)
  • Alexandra_S
    Alexandra_S Posts: 41 Member
    ahh i wish i could afford a personal trainer :( im a single mum to 3 children under the age of 7. so theres not much room in the budget for that.

    If it's not an option now then google how to calculate your heart rate that will be ideal for fat burn. You'll need to play with your hrm for some time. Get more info on how to use that device for workouts and losing weight.
  • Kr1ptonite
    Kr1ptonite Posts: 789 Member
    I lost pretty much all my weight walking. It was on a treadmill. Use a fast pace and put up the incline.

    you lost all that weight!! wow. what an inspiration! my treadmill doesnt do incline, but my mums does. its a big fancy gym type machine that i have access to weekdays when shes at work and the kids are at school so i will go for the incline walks then! starting tommorrow x

    Thanks mate. I did the same I bought a treadmill built for gyms. Real heavy duty. I hope you get the results your after. :)
  • prettygirlstorm1
    prettygirlstorm1 Posts: 721 Member
    My mother has joint pain in her shoulders and arms so she could not do anything but walk. She lost a significant amount weight just walking an hour in the morning before work and an hour on the treadmill after work. It worked for her. I agree with the others as long as you are moving and watching what you eat you will lose the weight. Good luck to you!!!
  • KezJB
    KezJB Posts: 33 Member
    I've two very active dogs, so I do lots of walking, at least an hour a day at a brisk pace. I run with them too, but lately, I've gotten a bit fed up of running and am enjoying long walks more.

    When I'm taking them out for an hour+ a day (sometimes two hours, especially if BF is away and isn't doing one of their walks) I think it's absolutely enough. That and I have a horse to look after too!

    Whilst it might not be massively intense I feel I have enough quantity to make up for that. I do, however, as mentioned also run and horse ride though. But walking is an asset and a nice exercise cal booster!
  • Tinker_Aria
    Tinker_Aria Posts: 36
    Hi !

    Walking is a great exercice as long as you keep an eye on your heart beat. You can tone you booty and fight cellulite with walking at a good pace.

    I walk a lot, about 6km/h and it's a good thing for my body. I burn a lot of calories and my posture is better now.

    I try to walk at a pace that keep my heart beat to lose fat !

    Shopping or just moving around your house isn't walking of course. You must do it as a real workout.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    It's enough if it gets your heart rate up to the zone you are seeking (I try to walk at 140 beats per minutes, but then again I'm obese and it's easier to get my heart rate up there with a simple walk). If you are just starting, it will be enough. One it fails to elevate your heart rate enough, you will need to either increase your speed or the difficulty of the terrain/ treadmill incline to achieve the same results. For me, a year in and walking is still enough, but then again I started at 2mph barely able to breathe, now I need to walk ar 3.8mph to get the same results. I have not had to switch to a more difficult elevation curve yet so I'm guessing it will still be enough for me for at least 6 more months.
  • mrsbarton
    mrsbarton Posts: 78 Member
    I love walking as well... what i do is walk at intervals.. i walk for a few mins then speed walk for a few mins.. my HRM says my heart rate should be at 65% to be in the fat burning zone.. so i walk fast enough to keep it at 65% then speed up for a few mins to get it higher! I do walking as my form of cardio.. pretty much everday and lift 3-4 times a week
  • LindseyLinea
    LindseyLinea Posts: 52 Member
    Hi! I just started walking for exercise too. I have tried a lot of other stuff and it has worked but I never stuck with it and ended up gaining the weight back. I had to find something I enjoyed and would stick with. Walking has done that for me so far. I really enjoy putting on some music and taking a walk. I usually walk around 2 miles at a fast pace, 3-4 times a week. And I have been trying to eat healthier too. So far so good. Only 2 pounds down but only seriously been doing it for over a week. I use an app called Endomondo... it tracks calories, duration, distance and a whole bunch of other stuff. And also links to myfitnesspal.

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