Walking.... is it enough?

salmat77

Hi all,
I am sort of new to MFP, but I already love it. I love to read the posts, blogs, recipes thanks and keep sharing...

One queston: I have a torn ACL/Meniscus in my left knee (just found out about 8 months ago) but I love to walk (okay well just recently loved it!!). I have been walking a mile a day for about 2 weeks here at work at about a 2.8 speed takes me about 9 minutes to do 1/2 a mile so we do 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon. I alos just started (actually started yesterday) walking another 2 miles in the evening at a local park, which last night took me about 35 minutes, I had to stop a couple times. Since I am an exercise beginner is this enough exercise to see any changes in my body, say in 6 weeks?? I am eating about 1600-1750 calories a day with about 100 oz of water. I just would like to know what you think about the exercise of WALKING should i do something else, should I add a mile???
Thanks MFP!!

SpaceMarkus

It's more about getting your heart rate up than how far you go. If you don't get into that aerobic zone you're not doing much to burn fat (or anything really). You are getting a strength component in your legs, but not a lot.

Every little bit counts, but if you aren't sweating at then end of it you probably won't see much result.

psychofied

I usually walk 20-30 minutes everyday but I think it's not enough. I guess it depends on how long you walk.
Also, read her story. She started losing weight from walking:

http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/mystory

snoopie212

I'm certainly not an expert, but if you are going from almost no exercise, with an injury, to walking a mile a day, I think that's a great first step. Why not do that for a week or two, and then when that feels comfortable, up it to another mile for another couple of weeks? I think if you add more, or challenge yourself to go faster every couple of weeks, that should help you lose weight but also stick with it.

jah7700

Walking is great exercise!!! I do a mile at lunch everyday if I can get it in... In two weeks I saw my BP and cholesterol drop. Just don't over do your knee...

rider72

Walking is great exercise. If you want to increase benefits without adding a lot of impact to the knee; try adding distance, finding routes with hills (or add some stairs). Try increasing your pace to a good power walk to increase your heart rate.

Pick up a heart rate monitor if you can, that can help you find your optimal zone wile you walk (as well as track calories).

If you can do more (without risking injury)...then do more. Maybe jog a few feet at a timeuntil you build up your cardio endurance....whatever is comfortable.

authson

I was only walking at the beginning of my journey and just recently added swimming, but I have been losing just fine. I am sweating at the end of my walk though and walk about 45 minutes to an hour.

sabrinafaith

I walk for at least an hour a day, I wear my heart rate monitor, and usually burn somewhere between 250-400 calories. I think that's enough. lol.

curiousmissclay

Get sweaty! seriously the best thing ever is to feel the sweat dripping off you thats when you know your working your best. Im recovering from a torn ligament in my ankle and have only just been able to go bk to working out so i know how you feel but just do a little everyday and it will happen i promise.

If you need any support add me as a friend.
xx

sallycheese

walking is my main exercise, i do work up a sweat as it is usually uphill and when it isn't i try and maintain at least a 3mph speed, it's a good way to start imo

lbtewksbury

i agree with Snoopie, walking is a whole lot better than sitting, you are moving in the right direction. Activity is what it is all about the more you do , the more you'll want to do. Good for you, great first step!!!!

allison_joan

Walking is a great start if you don't regularly exercise! Walk at your normal pace for a couple weeks then start power walking for a set amount of intervals, then after that start jogging for a certain amount of intervals and eventually over time you will see progress!

janalayn

If you have access to a pool - try water walking...it burns more calories than regular walking but the water supports your weight which is important when you have an injury. Don't overdo while you have the injury. You might also want to try adding weight training to increase muscle mass.

aprylkemper

Welcome aboard!
Sorry about your knee injury, I am sure that makes things harder.
As for your question, it depends - how much change would you like to see and in what measurement? Weight loss? Inches lost? Progress is a very relative term and the best way to measure it is to know where you've started and where you'd like to be.
Since you are a beginner, getting your eating under control will be very beneficial, assuming you are staying in a deficit, you will lose weight. Exercise is always going to be the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Can you add in some resistance training perhaps with resistance bands and moving to weights once your strength increases?
Adding a mile may not do much besides increase your endurance, if you can add in intervals of walking faster or on hills, that will make a bigger difference because it will force your muscles to work harder and adapt. Also, remember that your body gets used to what you're doing very quickly so as soon as something seems easier, it means it's time to mix it up and add in something else it can adapt to.
Hope that helps!

BeeElMarvin

Walk as much as you can and as quickly as you can for best results - push yourself. I know that torn ACL is sore! Good luck!

LosingTheWeight2014

I walk every morning for a minimum of 30 minutes at a time, sometimes up to 60 minutes. I've been doing this for 5 weeks now and I've lost over 25 lbs with a strick eating regimen that my doctor and nutritionist are monitoring.

I also have a lot to lose, so that may be why I've lost so much so quickly, but none the less, I've lost several inches off my hips and thighs and waist. So something must be working with just walking.

RMinVA

Walking used to be my primary form of exercise. It wasn't uncommon for me to do 5 or 6 miles at a time. And I still do that when we are at the beach. And as long as I kept it up, it was effective at keeping away the pounds. Things changed when I turned 40 though...it just wasn't enough.

It's a great place to start though. You can still do intervals...just walk at the fastest pace you can go for a minute or 2...then drop it back down. That will help get your heart rate up. If you have not had any surgery on your knee, there won't be a whole lot else you can start doing, other than maybe riding a bike.

poustotah

It's more about getting your heart rate up than how far you go. If you don't get into that aerobic zone you're not doing much to burn fat (or anything really). You are getting a strength component in your legs, but not a lot.

Every little bit counts, but if you aren't sweating at then end of it you probably won't see much result.

This is exactly right. A lot of people think that you have to have your HR up at 180 to lose weight however, research shows that you only need your HR up at 40-60% of your max HR to burn fat. More than that is athletic training and won't burn much fat but will focus morw on strengthening the lungs and heart. Soooo, get sweaty!!!

RagtimeLady

SpaceMarcus is right - it's about getting your heart rate into the fat burning zone for an amount of time. I can't run due to crunchy knees - just had cortisone injections about 6 weeks ago. I power walk on a treadmill and do other cardio machines that don't require weight-bearing and knee-bending at the same time (I can do one or the other without injury).

If you can, get a cheapie heart rate monitor and watch - I have a Polar - and learn where your target heart rate zone is. It will help you plan your workouts and keep track of your calorie burn.

salmat77

Thanks so much for all your advice, after walking last night I felt like i was gonna die.. LOL, not really!! It's really had to get a 243 lb body walking for that long.. BUT if I feel better nothing will stop me. Hills and inclines kill my knee right now. We went to Yellowstone for vacation earlier in the month and I really had some issues with the hiking at inclines and steep hills, but I will gt there. I was sweating after the 1st mile and just kept going last night, I feel better today my knee is a little roughed up, but I will survive.

BGabbart

I am a very heavy person and all I can do right now is walk. I only walk 20 to 30 minutes a day. I walk a quarter of mile in the morning and than 3/4 to a mile in the evenings. I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories and I have lost 2 pounds a week for about 6 weeks now. I plan on adding more as my body lets me. My knees and back are bad and I know this is a life time change not a change just to drop pounds. I am working my way to be able to walk longer and further but for now this is working so I keep pressing on. God bless you on your journey.