Walking: good exercise or not?

keishashines

I've read so many different articles, saying that walking doesn't burn as many calories as running. Well, these knees I have aren't quite ready for running, lol. I'm down 133 lbs after my weight loss surgery on 4/17/2012. I hit plateaus, but lately I've went to 3 meals a day and no snacking. I try to walk 3.5 miles in the morning and at night. I feel energized afterwards! I love getting out there and hitting the pavement, and I see results but should I try running too?

robindina

I think that anything that gets you up and moving is good :happy:

SarahSosi

i love walking my self! i do it 3 x a week! didn't start running yet! but baby steps! first try a power walk! close to a run! and then start using c25k! i heard it is an amazing application for begginer runners!

calamity71

You are doing awesome! you have lost a lot of weight and you need to do what you will stick to. Running isn't for everyone. Running will burn more calories. If you decide to take it on, buy good running shoes and check out the couch to 5K app.

_TEMPEST_

I walk.
I started just to get my rear end in motion and kept at it because I got results. What ever is right for your body is what you need to do...I have never been a runner, even when I was in the military and HAD to run at o'dark thirty for PT. My body just resists it.
My suggestion is to create a playlist of music that has a comfortable walking tempo, start with slower ones to warm up and have them get faster with each song then slow back down toward the end. Keep pace with the songs and push yourself with new playlists. Running is not NECESSARY and not for everyone, IMHO. If you prefer to walk, go for it.

HopefulLeigh

Well, these knees I have aren't quite ready for running, lol.

Walking definitely burns more than being laid up with an injury from pushing yourself beyond your physical limit.

sundevil5138

Like above posters have said, it is good exercise! It may not burn the same amount of calories or as quickly but moving the body is great in anyway. Keep walking until you feel comfortable for a light jog and so on!

RhineDHP

Say WUUUUT? Who says walking is bad? Taking a walk outside is the best! There's a creek a little ways from where I live, its so beautiful this time of year, and I personally love walking rather than running through it so I can enjoy all the scenery

AmyBecky74

I think walking is a wonderful workout. It's worked for me. Good luck to you

Awkward30

I can run, I do run, but I also like to just walk sometimes. I like that it doesn't exert me, so it is good for rest days.

As far as weight loss goes, the best rule is that it's all about you. If you see results from walking and you enjoy it and you will stick with it, then it is great exercise for you. You would burn more calories in the same time if you were running, but that doesn't matter if you're miserable. If you do start running, go to a running store to get your gait checked and get good shoes for you, then start slowly. Too much too fast can hurt. I had trouble walking when I first started running because like an idiot I was like "Well, I just ran my first mile 2 days ago, I'm gonna run THREE miles today! I ran 3 miles 2 days ago, I can do FIVE miles today!" Sure I could... but I definitely shouldn't have. Could barely walk the next day and for a while after that. Then, since it takes me a while to learn my lesson, I took 4 months off of running and then ran 8 miles... my hip flexor hurt for 3 weeks straight. I work with a doctor and I told him about this incident and he prescribed "some advil and don't be such a dumbass next time."

kdeaux1959

Nothing wrong with walking; some suggest that walking is actually better than running, aerobically. That being said, any activity that does not cause debilitating injury is better than a more vigorous exercise that causes you to be laid up for a while. There are different levels of walking; if you feel that you are not burning enough calories, increase your pace. The faster you walk, the more caloric burn. The best thing to do is the most strenuous activity that you can consistently perform; I also have read that a variety of activity helps a lot; Honestly, I have lost 115 lbs this year (no surgery--no condemnation to those who choose that method).. and my primary form of aerobic activity has been ... walking on a treadmill. The incline helps with the caloric burn ... Best wishes on your journey. You are doing great... just keep up the activity.

likemeinvisible

Roughly speaking, walking burns 65% per mile compared to running. As long as you carry enough weight walking is as good as running, in fact walking is better because running can get you injured if you don't rest enough or try too much too soon. Only when you are terribly underweight walking is not enough.

flatblade

I've been told that walking is very good. I think it has been a secret weapon for me in my lifestyle change. Since I've gotten a step counter, I realize how much I walk every day--I'm averaging about 10,000 step per day. Walking certainly isn't as jarring on the joints as running for those of us "at a certain age".

Enigmatica

Pfft. I dropped from 220 down to 120 pounds with walking as my only dedicated exercise. Mind you though, I walked a LOT for those last 10 pounds - we're talking about 3 hours a day. And it wasn't an easy amble by then. I was doing 4 mph walk most of the way, averaging about 11-12 miles per day.

But when I started out I could barely waddle my way around the block. I had plantar fasciitis so bad it hurt to move and I was so heavy I couldn't move well anyway. At first I was proud of getting 15 minutes a day. That turned into 15 minutes twice a day, then 30 minutes twice a day, and I kept adding to it. And it worked wonderfully.

I just started jogging last year, then had to give it up for awhile due to medical problems. I re-started this spring and worked my way up to where I am now, usually jogging a good 5 miles before work, sometimes more. But I'd already lost the weight before I started jogging. It was walking that helped me lose it. Jogging just keeps me and my German Shepherd happy

Danni3ll3

Add me to the list of walkers. I started walking 3 and half years ago and lost 50 lbs. Pigging out on a cruise and eating a bit too much resulted in me going up a few pounds but I have since lost the cruise weight and I am back on my way to my goal weight. I prefer walking to running because I rather not wreck my knees at my age. The walking we do is brisk walking so don't get the idea that it is a slow stroll. We do 8 to 9 km during week days and 12. 5 km on the weekends. Having a walking partner really helps. So start walking and don't let anyone tell you that it doesn't work for weight loss and fitness!

Azdak

There is nothing magic about either walking or running. They are just two exercise activities.

When it comes to cardio, WHAT you do is not as important as HOW you do it. You just have to understand the nature of each activity and match your workouts to your goals.

First: there is a difference between exercising for FITNESS and being active for WEIGHT LOSS. Exercising to improve fitness requires that you work out at a certain intensity threshold, and at a minimum duration and frequency. Being active for weight loss means......just moving around more.

Ideally, you would like to work on both at the same time, and realized the benefits of both fitness improvement and weight loss. Sometimes, there are physical challenges or other limitations that make that more difficult.

So, let's get back to walking and running. Both burn calories. Walking is a less intense activity. It is also low-impact and thus a very safe and comfortable way to start working out. Even at what most people would consider "brisk" walking speeds (4.0-4.2 mph), the amount of calories you burn will be about 4 times that at rest. Depending on your fitness level, that might be intense enough, or it might not.

Running, even at slow speeds, is a higher-intensity exercise. Running is defined as a gait in which, at some point, both feet are off the ground at the same time--speed is irrelevant. Even at slower running speeds, the intensity is notably higher than walking. For example running at a 12 min/mile pace (5 mph) will burn calories at about 7 times that at rest, running at 6 mph 10 times, etc.

However, not everyone can run. The higher calorie burn results from a higher intensity of effort, and some people, esp beginners, do not have the fitness capacity to sustain that effort. That's important to understand: Not everyone can run--no matter what the supposed "benefits" might be. Running is also an exponentially higher-impact activity than walking, so the injury rates are significantly higher as well.

Some people might be stuck in the middle--they might have the fitness capacity to run, but they either have physical limitations that prevent running or just don't care for the activity. At that point, they have to make some choices: accept a lesser degree of fitness improvement, try some modifications to improve the intensity of walking effort, try a walk/jog interval program that increases their fitness level, or choose another exercise modality that has a more gradual "scale" of workload increases.

But if you are primarily interested in just burning calories, walking can help to accomplish that task. It's just going to take a longer workout session than if you were running. You can increase the intensity of walking by walking up hills (or incline walking on a treadmill) or using a more vigorous arm swing.

To me, the biggest downside to walking is that it is easy to lose focus and not push yourself as hard. Since walking is such a familiar activity, it is easy to fall into a habit of walking at a normal "pedestrian" pace. You just have to make sure you see your walking sessions as "workouts", pushing the pace and working those arms to get the most benefit.

Reading the other comments should give you an idea of the volume of exercise that will provide the best results. As long as you understand how walking works and you structure your program accordingly, walking can be very effective for weight loss.

bluefox9er

There is nothing magic about either walking or running. They are just two exercise activities.

When it comes to cardio, WHAT you do is not as important as HOW you do it. You just have to understand the nature of each activity and match your workouts to your goals.

First: there is a difference between exercising for FITNESS and being active for WEIGHT LOSS. Exercising to improve fitness requires that you work out at a certain intensity threshold, and at a minimum duration and frequency. Being active for weight loss means......just moving around more.

Ideally, you would like to work on both at the same time, and realized the benefits of both fitness improvement and weight loss. Sometimes, there are physical challenges or other limitations that make that more difficult.

So, let's get back to walking and running. Both burn calories. Walking is a less intense activity. It is also low-impact and thus a very safe and comfortable way to start working out. Even at what most people would consider "brisk" walking speeds (4.0-4.2 mph), the amount of calories you burn will be about 4 times that at rest. Depending on your fitness level, that might be intense enough, or it might not.

Running, even at slow speeds, is a higher-intensity exercise. Running is defined as a gait in which, at some point, both feet are off the ground at the same time--speed is irrelevant. Even at slower running speeds, the intensity is notably higher than walking. For example running at a 12 min/mile pace (5 mph) will burn calories at about 7 times that at rest, running at 6 mph 10 times, etc.

However, not everyone can run. The higher calorie burn results from a higher intensity of effort, and some people, esp beginners, do not have the fitness capacity to sustain that effort. That's important to understand: Not everyone can run--no matter what the supposed "benefits" might be. Running is also an exponentially higher-impact activity than walking, so the injury rates are significantly higher as well.

Some people might be stuck in the middle--they might have the fitness capacity to run, but they either have physical limitations that prevent running or just don't care for the activity. At that point, they have to make some choices: accept a lesser degree of fitness improvement, try some modifications to improve the intensity of walking effort, try a walk/jog interval program that increases their fitness level, or choose another exercise modality that has a more gradual "scale" of workload increases.

But if you are primarily interested in just burning calories, walking can help to accomplish that task. It's just going to take a longer workout session than if you were running. You can increase the intensity of walking by walking up hills (or incline walking on a treadmill) or using a more vigorous arm swing.

To me, the biggest downside to walking is that it is easy to lose focus and not push yourself as hard. Since walking is such a familiar activity, it is easy to fall into a habit of walking at a normal "pedestrian" pace. You just have to make sure you see your walking sessions as "workouts", pushing the pace and working those arms to get the most benefit.

Reading the other comments should give you an idea of the volume of exercise that will provide the best results. As long as you understand how walking works and you structure your program accordingly, walking can be very effective for weight loss.

Possibly the single most understandable and helpful post i have ever read on an mfp forum. OP should thank Azdak...thank you.

Fozzi43

Walking is a great exercise, walking briskly while pumping your arms is a good way to get your heart rate up.

bettacheckyoself

YES ABSOLUTELY.... seriously.... speed walking is better in my opinion.... that is what I use to do almost every day before I purchased an elliptical ...but I would go for an hour walk...I loved how I felt the burn in my legs after and of course you have to watch what you eat. I can't jog because I have bad knees ...but I found speed walking to be very effective for me, and I encouraged a friend to do it as well and she lost a lot of weight as well....so I think you should do it !!!

esteelyn

I started walking/running on the treadmill 2 weeks ago. I'm noticing a difference. Although my weight is dropping slowly, My inches have dropped significantly! Yay!!

Yogi_Carl

I burn the same amount of calories fast walking 40 minutes as I do running 30 minutes. Walking, I can get to work a little sweaty, have a wash, change my top and I'm good to go; I can't say that about running!

I think walking is also muscle saving whereas you can lose muscle as well as fat through the demands of running.

I also stay within my aerobic zone while brisk walking and it is in the low end of the zone which is supposed to burn more stored fat than carbs.

I never suffer injuries and I get to work feeling ready to face the day and the walk home allows me to de-stress before I settle down to the evening.

What's not to love.

edit: walking is the one exercise where I would invest in a simple heart rate monitor (HRM) so you can check that you are walking briskly enough to be cardio; your heart rate drops below your low threshold - step up the pace.

pixie_mills

I love walking I got me a pair of them Sketchers Shape Ups and wear them when I go for walks - I don't know if it helps but boy are they the comfiest pair of trainers I have ever had!

DavPul

Pretty sure that no one in history has ever called walking a "bad" exercise. The only exercises that are bad are ones that put you at injury risk.