Has anyone had luck with just walking as cardio?

cyberskirt

That's exactly what my Personal Trainer has told me too! and what I've been doing since I started March 12th! I've noticed I was able to up the speed of my walking since the first day I started and I've increased the amount of time I walk by 10 minutes!

tistal

My mom lost 50lbs by just walking for cardio. She used ankle weights and walked for an hour everyday. They live by the river in a valley so she had some hills to walk too.

ankling2

Try swimming

JoolieW68

Can't see as to why walking WOULDN'T be good cardio if you do it long enough and have a good pace.

Bingo!

Corrie_Lynn

I think it depends on how active you are, how much you weigh, etc... Walking seems to do quite a bit for me because I'm pretty out of shape. I walk at a brisk pace whenever possible (if my kids are walking with me that's harder) and for at least 20 minutes, any less doesn't seem to get my heart rate up at all.

gspea

I walk all the time. I also do stationary bike too -which burns more calories - go figure. But I can't run - very bad knees - so my exercise is walking, stationary bike and a a few videos when I am inclined to do them...

Switty_Kitty

Walk your *kitten* off! It works! I lost 50 lbs in the past just by walking. IM trying again...cant do much else due to a hernia in my upper ab area, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis (and walking bothers that). I do about 6k a day in 52 mins and sweat like Venus Williams jock strap....burn about 400 cals in that time. Give'er!

j1wright

I really must disagree with all the posters. I have lost weight by walking, of course I start doing intervals of jogging at some point but not much. I also walk 4.0 mph or higher at all times but you can definately lose weight by walking. There is a good DVD set called Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone that is a great low impact cardio that can really get you going if the weather is bad and you don't have a treadmill.

I am not obese, I am overweight by 10 pounds and I am only 31 and I can lose weight by walking so I don't think it matters how much weight or what you have to lose or age.

Ruger2506

I have a hard time with just jumping back into jogging/running after not doing it for so long. I am just wondering if anyone has had success with just walking...outside, treadmill, whichever....as a form of cardio....also, how long do you walk? Do you break it up into 3 10 minute sessions, 2 15 minute sessions or more than that? Thanks!

Yep.... Last time I lost all the weight. It was eating properly and 100% treadmill. High incline and fast walk. I lost 60% in about 5 months.

45 minutes of intense walking plus 5 minute cool down. 6%-8% incline and 3.6-3.8 MPH for me.

The key is to get to your target heart rate and maintain it for 30 minutes. If you can hold a conversation you are not breathing hard enough which means you are not working hard enough.

veniceit

I did do the couch25k program last year and worked pretty well, but I have terrible knees so I am looking to do something that won't injure myself when working out. Maybe just starting slowly and working up to a jog is going to be the best thing for me to do right now. Then maybe reevaluate and see if my knees can handle jogging/running again. I guess I am just scared lol

Have you looked into 'barefoot running'. You don't really have to go barefoot, but by wearing minimalist shoes, it helps retrain your body to the proper running form, and cuts down on injuries. I haven't tried it yet but have been doing a lot of research on it recently. It might be an interesting way to go, if your looking to get back into running.

Ven

CharityMiskelly

Walking is definitely a good source of exercise. I lost 20 lbs when I moved to a city where I had to walk to and from the train each day. I walked an additional 40 minutes each day with my commute, from a commute where I was driving the entire way. My diet did not change at all during this time. That was a huge eye-opener for me. The human body needs to move.

AndiJoy812

I'm walking my subdivision, very hilly, a 2.3 mile loop, 3x per week, and I have lost 34 lbs since Feb 9 - also watching my calories. I am having major issues with my joints that I will hopefully have an answer to here soon, but my rheumatologist said this was the best exercise for me, at this time. I tried Zumba last week for the first time, and loved it and felt great after...until the next day. I had a two lb weight gain due to inflammation that took 6 days to resolve, and lots of pain. Not worth it. At all. Walking is great, especially if you can find a path that is flat and hilly, and listen to your body, and push. There are days when I power-walk it, some that I go a bit slower, and then one day I actually jogged a bit - because I could handle it that day. And try something else...Zumba and aerobics are out for me for now. But you won't know until you try!

Aliciaaah

I've lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks by cranking up the incline. I do really heavy incline at at least 3 mph, but I try 3.5 - 4 as long as I don't have to rely too much on hand rails.

I should add that I do the elliptical, and some strength and circuit training each as well. But I do think you can, just make it really intense for you. Sometimes my heart rate can get really high with incline and speed at moderate-high. Depends on your level of fitness I guess. Good luck!

retunks

I've had a bit, usually walk around 3.5 miles at a time, at a pace that it is difficult to carry on a conversation.
I have better luck on an eleptical.

Celeigh12

I started walking a mile a day, now I do about 4-5 miles a day. I know I need to add in strength training, but walking was a good starting place for me. I split it in two, because I wear out my older dog who comes with me.

kayhatlen

I just burnt 438 calories on a Matrix treadmill for 45 minutes of level 5 intervals with a 5 minute cool down at speed 1.8. I get my heart rate into the cardio zone just fine on this program. I have horrible arthritis in both knees and am not able to run. This was the alternate suggested by my trainer. I am working my way up gradually to higher intervals. It is working for me. Some days I also up the spped of my walking. So you increase the speed and the level of intervals as you train. Hope this helps you.

lynniesue42

I've had great luck with walking only as cardio thus far...I've noticed I get the best results when walking atleast 3.5mph (non treadmill) for 30 minutes straight, and try to do this twice a day...when I was doing that I noticed results quickly and felt great.

Klem4

That's pretty much all I do right now, occasionally the elliptical. I love walking though (on the treadmill), right now I aim for 45-50 min at 3.8-4.0 and 3-5 incline. I walk on incline the whole time except for a little warm-up and cool down. I'll increase as I get stronger.

shmunster

I lost my first 30 pounds with walking 40 min a night and diet, I then went to some Jillian Michael dvds once I was feeling fitter

jsapninz

Yup, walking works too!! But you have to be careful if you are eating back your cals because you may overestimate if you don't have a HRM.

ANY exercise is constructive. You do as good as you can do and that is great, don't let anyone tell you different!

I go hiking/walking about once a week for and our or two and burn a hundreds of calories (according to my Polar Ft4).