Is walking a legitimate exercise?

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Replies

  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    Nice try? I am being genuine... I truly don't know the difference, and am a little confused as to why walking wouldn't be considered exercise...
  • jmcnealy
    jmcnealy Posts: 28 Member
    For me there are two types of walking:

    Unconsious walking: The walking I do in my day to day life - the slow mundane walking to my car, walking around my workplace and around the supermarket. ect etc. This I do not count as exercisedoesnt make me break a sweat or challange me in anyway.
    ~and~
    Consious Walking: The walking I do that is out of the ordinary - the quick paced walking like when I walk up the canal or around the nature reserve or up the hills in the peak district. This I do count as exercise because by the time I get back to my car, I am hot, sweaty and my muscles are anywhere between slightly achey or screaming.

    I've lost the majority of my weight through walking. Since it works for me, I couldnt really give a flying doughnut if someone tells me its not an legitimate exercise and I should be doing <insert exercise here>.

    Find what works for you, if you enjoy walking and you are losing weight stick with it.

    i like this thought of conscious and unconscious walking. make sure you're not just always counting the unconscious kind. get out and go for a walk, like previous poster said... has mental benefits too. pick up the pace. try a more challenging route (differences in elevation), or better yet, get out and go hiking, a little climbing. you don't even know you're "working out."
  • nyboer
    nyboer Posts: 346 Member
    Boy I sure hope so, because if it doesn't then the 70+ pounds I've lost walking and eating right are a lie.

    :laugh:
  • KatiePapaya
    KatiePapaya Posts: 30
    As someone who uses walking as cardio, yes, it is. However, I only count it if I'm going fast enough to work up a sweat etc. I have a scarily accurate pedometer; at my fastest (4.5-5mph) I can easily burn up to 300 calories a walk...:drinker:
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Nice try? I am being genuine... I truly don't know the difference, and am a little confused as to why walking wouldn't be considered exercise...

    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    As someone who uses walking as cardio, yes, it is. However, I only count it if I'm going fast enough to work up a sweat etc. I have a scarily accurate pedometer; at my fastest (4.5-5mph) I can easily burn up to 300 calories a walk...:drinker:
    Yeah whenever I walk my dogs it's definitely exercise. We walk FAST! Also walking up and down the stairs several times a day at work helps me burn extra calories as well (3rd floor of a big office building). I don't record any of my exercise in MFP but walking, running, rowing, lifting weights, etc are all legitimate exercise.
  • sissym2004
    sissym2004 Posts: 2
    My doctor said walking 30 minutes a day is what he wants me to do.I am close to 80 so anything is a blessing to me.When I was younger sure I speeded it up but now at least I'm not a couch potato and I admire anyone who does anything to feel better and enjoy
    better health.:flowerforyou:
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.
    Because they're not walking far enough, fast enough, or with any resistance and they assume everyone walks like a turtle.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    :laugh:
    Ahh, so you're the one to blame... :grumble:
  • mchanido
    mchanido Posts: 6
    My doctor said walking 30 minutes a day is what he wants me to do.I am close to 80 so anything is a blessing to me.When I was younger sure I speeded it up but now at least I'm not a couch potato and I admire anyone who does anything to feel better and enjoy
    better health.:flowerforyou:

    You are so amazing! I hope you enjoy your health and fitness and I wish I will be like you at your age.
    Have a very good day! :flowerforyou:
  • DeeBerning
    DeeBerning Posts: 131 Member
    Walking is absolutely exercise as long as you work up a sweat and get the heart rate up. It is one of the most commonly suggested exercises by doctors. It's low impact and moves almost all of your muscles. If you want to add a little more "workout" to your walk, add hand and/or ankle weights.

    And just keep moving! THAT is what's important. :glasses:
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    For curiosity I looked up "exercise" in the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary. The definition is: exercise-verb to do some form of physical activity in order to stay fit and healthy / exersice-noun physical or mental activity that keeps you healthy and strong. I would say that walking definately fits the category, in my opinion. So good luck OP! Best. :smile:
    [/quot ]

    This is for GuitarJerry who always says walking is an "activity" :smile:
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol

    Spend more time on bodybuilding.com or t-nation. Or not. Okay, they often have some good articles, at least t-nation does, but there's also plenty of laughable filler
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    Well the American HEart Association seems to think it is, I'll take their word over Guitar Jerry's . My walking speed borders on jogging without doing the race walking moves BTW (between 7.5-8.3 minutes per Kilometer depending on the route and traffic lights - so 4.5 - 5 mph )

    "Examples of Moderate Intensity:

    Walking briskly (3 miles per hour or faster, but not race-walking)
    Water aerobics
    Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour
    Tennis (doubles)
    Ballroom dancing
    General gardening

    Examples of Vigorous Intensity:

    Race walking, jogging, or running
    Swimming laps
    Tennis (singles)
    Aerobic dancing
    Bicycling 10 miles per hour or faster
    Jumping rope
    Heavy gardening (continuous digging or hoeing)
    Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack "
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol

    Spend more time on bodybuilding.com or t-nation. Or not. Okay, they often have some good articles, at least t-nation does, but there's also plenty of laughable filler
    I am a member on bb.com too user name: scullin
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol

    Spend more time on bodybuilding.com or t-nation. Or not. Okay, they often have some good articles, at least t-nation does, but there's also plenty of laughable filler
    I am a member on bb.com too user name: scullin

    That's dandy
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    Definitely. Walking helped me go from a size 18 to a size 4 eight years ago. Unfortunately I can no longer walk due to Achilles' tendinitis :sad:
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    [/quote]

    That's dandy
    [/quote]You sun-of-a -beach!
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member

    That's dandy

    You sun-of-a -beach!

    :drinker:

    I'm on there as sunsnstatheart though I'm not that active
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    I'm sick and tired of people saying "walking won't get you in shape", and "that's not exercise". What's your view on this subject? I walked two miles today. Was that exercise?

    Yeah that's exercise. Walking is actually an excellent way to burn some calories, improve your cardiovascular health and generally just feel better. Bodybuilders often swear by just going for a nice long walk in the mornings during a cut. Anyone who mocks walking as an exercise I think is just uninformed.

    If you have some pounds to lose really all it takes is adding a morning walk to your routine and paying attention to your calories. You don't have to break a sweat to be exercising, your aerobic range includes heart rates that are not going to make you pant and sweat.

    Most weight I have ever lost in a short time I lost doing nothing for exercise but walking.
    This!!! I've lost 36lb so far and my husband and I walk nearly every night and not much else. Its a great workout and you can challenge yourself to walk further each day till you can hit 5 miles. Its a great form of cardio!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol

    Spend more time on bodybuilding.com or t-nation. Or not. Okay, they often have some good articles, at least t-nation does, but there's also plenty of laughable filler

    I think you are referring to the T-nation article, "The Jogging Delusion"
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
    I walk my dogs 8-10 miles Monday-Friday. Why wouldn't it help? It burns calories.
  • goalss4nika
    goalss4nika Posts: 529 Member
    Yes!
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
    Yes, it is. It doesn't burn or shape as quickly as running, but it is absolutely legitimate exercise.
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
    Heck, one of those "walk at home" videos of Leslie Sansone's gets me up to the 150s.

    That's not being "aerobic', that's being in very poor physical condition.

    As a gateway to more meaningful exercise and as a way to keep from sitting around all day, walking has value, but in general that value is highly over-estimated by MFPers. In terms of creating a deficit, you're only burning 35 calories per 100 pounds of bodyweight per mile.

    Those doing 3+ hour hikes across terrain (which I love) are of course in a separate category again.


    This was many pages ago, but I want to reply to it.

    My HRM gave me near 200 calories for one of her videos this week. And being in the 150s is absolutely in the aerobic conditioning range, which one is supposed to spend 30 minutes a day in?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    It's exercise. Like any other exercise it has it's place and benefits.

    I agree 100%. I'm just curious about other's justification for saying it isn't.

    I just put that in the same category as the "running will make you a woman" trash talk from the anti-running part of the bodybuilding community. It's trash talk and nothing more.
    been bodybuliding for years and never hear that about running. I run all the time. lol

    Spend more time on bodybuilding.com or t-nation. Or not. Okay, they often have some good articles, at least t-nation does, but there's also plenty of laughable filler

    I think you are referring to the T-nation article, "The Jogging Delusion"

    Or "Cardio Kills," "The Death of Steady State Cardio," "Regular Cardio Will Make You Fat," . . .
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
    I enjoy walking for exercise. I'm in poor physical shape, and walking is a great fit for me. I pair it with P90 and resistance band training. I use the last 15-20 minutes of my lunch to walk around the city. I love the fresh air, sunshine, and just how it really boosts my energy level for the rest of the afternoon.

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