Does walking work?
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Katychla
Posts: 23 Member
So I've been perusing the net trying to get motivation to get back into shape. I rescued a dog from the shelter a few months ago, so I thought the best way to get a head start would be by walking her every day for an hour at a good brisk pace.
My goal is to work from 1 hr to 2 hrs, then to jogging or running. I'm surprisingly sore and it's not from having my dog with me because she heels very well.
But my problem is most of the forums I find say that walking is a waste of time and that I won't lose weight. It stands to reason that that's BS since ya know, it's cardio and gets the blood pumping and is far better than sitting at a desk all day.
I know I won't get super toned and I'll have to add in harder stuff later, but does anyone have any stories to share about walking as a workout?
My goal is to work from 1 hr to 2 hrs, then to jogging or running. I'm surprisingly sore and it's not from having my dog with me because she heels very well.
But my problem is most of the forums I find say that walking is a waste of time and that I won't lose weight. It stands to reason that that's BS since ya know, it's cardio and gets the blood pumping and is far better than sitting at a desk all day.
I know I won't get super toned and I'll have to add in harder stuff later, but does anyone have any stories to share about walking as a workout?
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Replies
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I wanted to start out to run so I did but I very quickly got shin splints. I still kept my diet and just walked for about an hour at a brisk pace. I have lost doing that. I still walk briskly a few or more times a week.0
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Walking is the only exercise that I do. I have lost 15 pounds in a years time with a diet remake and walking. I know it would come off more quidkly if I did a more intense workout, but i don't want to risk injury - so I stick with tried and true.
When you decide that you want to tone up/bulk up/ get ripped, you will have to do more than walk.
Good luck to you, and enjoy your time outdoors with your pet. The sunshine is great for your mental health also!0 -
I know people who have lost weight by walking, so I think it works. The results won't be nearly as rapid as running, but, as you said, you're still burning more calories than you would be if you just laid down watching TV.0
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Would love to see other peoples response to this post, as I'm definitely nowhere near being ready to start running.0
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Yes. That's just about all I do. I work full time and commute to work. Leaves me little time for anything else.
I need to lift and work out for toning...that will happen soon.0 -
i have terrible joints, especially for an 18 year old, so i can walk briskly but trying to jog or run is too much for my knees and ankles to handle. i walk on a treadmill daily, between a 10 and 15(max) incline and 3.8-4.1 pace. varying from 30-60 minutes a day. I've lost 55 pounds doing this. i would disagree with anyone that says walking does nothing (:0
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The say walking is just as good as running. It helps me.0
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I walked on the treadmill at a pretty fast pace (usually got up to about 3.3 mph with a 12% to 15% incline) for an hour or two every day before I started doing circuit training back in January and I lost about 13 pounds in about a year. This was coupled with better eating choices of course.
So, yes, you CAN lose weight by just walking, it just won't come off as fast.0 -
most of my exercise is from walking. I walk as little as 15 min to as much as 3 hours depending on the day. Since September 1 2012 I have lost 46 lbs. I have been a walker for the last 17 years but it was only when I reduced my cals did I reall start losing. I lost 4.2 lbs in the first week on here at 1500 cals a day. I have 12 more to lose to have a healthy BMI. I hear walking is better then running its easier on the knees0
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With a good diet, sure it does! Any exercise is better than sitting at a desk like you said.0
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I used to do cardio and weight training but ran into some back issues. A year later, my weight had crept back up a bit so I got back on MFP with a calorie deficit and now have a puppy that I walk 5 - 6 times a day. I'm not getting my heart rate up into the optimal range but hey, the weight is coming off fine still. I say do what you can do. It's all good.0
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Walking is my main source of fitness. I use a Fitbit and it tracks it for me. It is awesome to see my progress with my fitbit. If you are going to walk for excercise look into the fitbit. It also adjust my calories based on how many steps I do a day so it lets me know if I can eat more or not. I am down 43 pounds and the majority of it is from walking. I do some swimming (just got a swim membership a couple of weeks ago), dancing, and riding my bike. I watch what I eat. My legs are getting more toned and slimmer. I still have some work but I started my journey last June.0
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When I was a little younger, I can attest that walking was the ONLY exercise I got. Walking at least a mile and a half round trip to school (No, this wasn't in the horse-and-buggy age either. I chose not to ride the school bus, and the two or three times I tried to ride my bike to school, the tires got popped as a "welcome" gift.)
With that said, I also have pics of that time. I was trim. Not skinny, not ripped, and not what the boys liked, but someone who liked the body she was living in. It wasn't until my family moved, and I started into the workforce as a "real" employee that I went sedentary, and started the long, fast slide to where I am now.
But, when I was walking every day (and, maybe biking on the weekends to visit a friend 7 miles or so away) I was trim. Even after that, the couple of times I started to seriously work on loosing weight, the first thing I did was add walking to the day. One of the first things that always happened for me (after the legs firmed up) was that the belly firmed. Walking, if you keep your posture good, and the arms swinging (even without weights) will work the core muscles quite nicely. And, when those muscles work, then the tummy area will start to shrink.
Granted, this was personal experience, but it happened several times for different weight loss attempts. (Read that DIET, not lifestyle changes).
Hope this helps.0 -
I saw this the other day and thought you might be interested OP.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/929616-for-all-the-people-who-believe-walking-isn-t-exercise?hl=Walking0 -
of course walking burns calories. a 160 pound person walking 3 mph will burn 85 calories, or running 6 mph will burn 121. increase the distance to 3 miles and that person walking burns 255 calories. not a bad burn for one hour. (source: http://walking.about.com/od/calorie1/a/calorieswalkrun.htm)
walking is easier on your joints and heart and lungs if any of those are problem areas.
go and enjoy!0 -
in high school i pretty much walked every where. but i'm talking like hour walks to parties and the hour walk home at the end of the night.
i lost about 40lbs in 5 months. but i also wasn't eating much.0 -
As long as you get your heart rate up, you cannot leisurely walk and not break a sweat and it have any impact, I have lost almost 100 pounds and a majority of my exercise has been brisk walking, I cannot run for longer then a minute or so. Walking deff works!! :happy:0
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I have lost over 95 pounds since July, and walking is my main exercise. I do some aerobics and watch what I eat, but most of my workouts have been walking. I am closing in on 900 miles since July! Good luck to you!0
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a while back, i lost 30 pounds by walking, i later gained it back because i stopped exercising and started eating like crap again while i was i school.0
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i have terrible joints, especially for an 18 year old, so i can walk briskly but trying to jog or run is too much for my knees and ankles to handle. i walk on a treadmill daily, between a 10 and 15(max) incline and 3.8-4.1 pace. varying from 30-60 minutes a day. I've lost 55 pounds doing this. i would disagree with anyone that says walking does nothing (:
Agreed. I'm 22 and I jog a bit, but I mostly walk. I have lost 40 pounds since November. I have Osgood-Schlatter in my left knee, so it's difficult to do much without irritating the heck out of it.0
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