When is a hike a hike and not a walk?

Gsc122

Hello everyone.
I'm new to my fitness pal, but I'll leave the introductions to another thread. Today my question is purely related to exercise and calculating the correct calories.right now I'm doing a fairly regular weight loss routine of 30 minutes a day running a treadmill program. (3.5 mph with an incline of up to 6 degrees with 4mph no incline snaps in between) I've been calculating that as "3.5 mph up hill" (sound right?)

However my wife and I like to occasionally on weekends go to a park and walk for several miles.last year she and went to old mans cave and we went on an 8 mile trail (about killed me), and this year we went to mammoth caves in kentucky and did the lantern tour which was approximately 3 miles under ground for 3 hours, then another mile through some trails. What surprises me is how significantly more a hike is considered when it comes to calories burnt compared to the same time and speed calculated as a walk.so that's my question really.when is a hire a hike and not just a stroll through the woods (or caves in this case).oh and I do apologize for any punctuation, I'm attempting to write this on my phone.it isn't very easy.

quitmakingexcuses

I usually consider walks on flat grounds, i.e. a neighborhood or track, while a hike is something with more of an incline/decline, i.e. a trail on a mountain, hill, etc

abalicious

I usually consider walks on flat grounds, i.e. a neighborhood or track, while a hike is something with more of an incline/decline, i.e. a trail on a mountain, hill, etc

agree. I think a hike is considered a walk with inclines

futbolkt21

Well, I walk a lot during the week and where I walk there are many inclines--definitely not level ground. On the weekends I go for hikes (I live in the Smokies). The main difference is rougher terrain and more strenuous elevation gain. Also a lot of lifting your legs up over roots and rocks and what have you. When I walk I tend to walk 15 minute miles or less and when I hike I average about 25-30 minute miles unless it's a more strenuous trail. For me there's a pretty distinct difference. In your case, since it sounds like you are walking/hiking/moving at the same speed I'd probably classify it as walking as your normally would for the purpose of the calorie counting. I have a HR monitor which is another way that I can clearly see the difference in my calorie burn. My heart rate is a good 40-50 beats higher when I'm hiking in comparison to when I'm walking. Hope this helps...

Gsc122

From what I've seen, it seems like a HR monitor truly is the only 'real' method of knowing if your burning fat heavily or not. (or even moving into the burning muscle range.)