Walking Vs. Hiking -- what's your definition?

spiregrain
spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How do you decide when you're "walking" and when you're "hiking"? I'm curious to see how people here would log what I am doing as one of my various forms of exercise.

Every day, I go on a walk in my neighborhood. I live on top of a hill and none of the areas I walk on are flat, there is always an incline. Parts are so steep that most people would lean forward while ascending, and you have to stop yourself from descending too fast if you have wonky ankles. Parts are much less steep than that but everywhere is steep enough that you can definitely tell it's an incline. None of it is outrageously steep.

When I go for these walks, I am always carrying the full weight of my 17 pound son in an ErgoBaby carrier.

Am I correct to log this as "walking, carrying infant or 15 pound load" (267 calories per hour for me), or should I be logging it as "hiking, climbing hills (carrying 10-20 pound load)" (556 calories per hour for me)?

I don't really want to log it as "hiking" -- I don't feel like it IS "hiking", but I am sort of plateauing for the last couple weeks so I am trying to make sure I am logging everything as correctly as possible. Why is "hiking" such a significantly greater burn? Is it the uneven terrain engaging your core, the incline, what do you think?

Replies

  • dyannajoy
    dyannajoy Posts: 466 Member
    when I lived in the mountains.......we went hiking. When I moved to the midwest......we walked. LOL
  • cristygrace
    cristygrace Posts: 2 Member
    It sounds like you would be safe to record it as hiking with the way you describe the terrain. That's usu what I go by- if it's a majority flat surface & you aren't having to adjust footing or balance yourself while going ahead, I'd call that just walking...

    And food job with carrying your precious cargo while you're at it :)
  • cristygrace
    cristygrace Posts: 2 Member
    Lol... *good job! Must've been a Freudian slip!!!!
  • kidsmom3
    kidsmom3 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm also curious to hear the answer. I walk hills in my neighborhood for an hour also. Burn an average of 275 . I don't consider it hiking either. But kudos to you for pushing a stroller makes it more difficult!
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
    Thanks everyone! This is helpful. Just for clarity, I'm not pushing a stroller, I'm carrying him in a carrier that is like a backpack with leg holes that you put a baby in (except instead of being on my back he's on my front -- but I am supporting his whole body while I walk). Once in a while I will push him in a stroller if I slept on my back funny and it's stiff, then I just log it as walking.
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
    when I lived in the mountains.......we went hiking. When I moved to the midwest......we walked. LOL

    Haha I know, that's how I feel about it!
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    you walk on pavement, hike on a trail? OK, that's lame. I suppose they would be fairly interchangeable words. Would a HRM be feasible for you? That would be a much more accurate way of figuring things out.
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    I went on an alpine trek once, and the guys leading it calculated an extra 100 meters distance for every 10 meters in elevation (climbing up). That would give them a rough estimation of how long it would take to reach a certain point.
    If you know your elevations, it would be interesting to see if the calories for walking the calculated distance would match up with hiking that amount of time...
    Just a thought, I know I am over complicating things....
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
    I would get a HRM so you don't have to rely on MFP's numbers.
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
    Okay, thanks guys. A HRM is definitely in the works but we're pretty broke right now so it might be a holiday gift. Maybe I should really push for getting it sooner, though. I appreciate all your input!
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
    I went on an alpine trek once, and the guys leading it calculated an extra 100 meters distance for every 10 meters in elevation (climbing up). That would give them a rough estimation of how long it would take to reach a certain point.
    If you know your elevations, it would be interesting to see if the calories for walking the calculated distance would match up with hiking that amount of time...
    Just a thought, I know I am over complicating things....

    This is interesting and I'm probably beat enough after two walks?/hikes? one C25K workout and one level one 30 day shred work out today to sit here like a lump and try to figure it out. Thanks! :D
  • MrDangerSass
    MrDangerSass Posts: 99
    <bump>
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    If it's on a man-made surface I would call it walking, it it's on a natural trail I would call it hiking. That's just my opinion as far as terminology goes. Of course you can have hilly roads and flat trails, so the syntax is moot when it comes to calorie burn.
  • Lidenbrock
    Lidenbrock Posts: 47
    For me - Hiking: off road; Walking - on man made surface eg: tar, asphalt, cobbles & setts.
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    If it's on pavement, asphalt, or cement, it's walking. If it's on a dirt trail, it's hiking. I also wear a HRM to get my calorie burn.
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
    Walking is on a fairly level surface to something like class or the grocery store.

    Hiking is an epic adventure through nature.

    Or so my guy says to me all the time. :laugh:
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    My personal definition - I walk in the city on paved, grassy, dirt surfaces. It doesn't matter if there is an incline or if it's mostly flat. I also walk in the mountains on designated trails or paths that are mostly clear and even on the surface. I hike in the mountains where there may or may not be a trail, but the terrain is rough and you most likely need to watch where you are stepping.

    My suggestion...as long as you are exercising...who cares what you call it!

    Good luck!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Ah, yes. You are definitely getting a good, strong walk. That's great exercise!
    But I would not log it as a hike...
    It's like the difference between walking on a treadmill, at an incline, and using the STAIR treadmill.
    Those are two different workouts.

    If it were me, I would be on the safe side, and log it as a form of walking.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I'd call it walking. But I think everyone's definition might be different based on their experience of hiking vs walking. For me hiking is not just incline, but includes scrambling, elevation and some climbing. I figured if there is a slight chance of being chased by a bear it's hiking, being hit by a car or bike, walking. hehehe Either way, I'd get a HRM like someone else suggested.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
    bump

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