What is YOUR Opinion?

Alibobba
Alibobba Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

~Allie
«1

Replies

  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    are you walking fast enough to get your heart rate up? then it's definitely exercise!
  • bpmartyr
    bpmartyr Posts: 141
    Walking is fantastic and should be considered real exercise. Sitting on the couch watching TV should not. :)
  • lesliev523
    lesliev523 Posts: 366 Member
    I would ! It's a start.... and if you are consciously getting up and walking rather than sitting on your butt, it is exercise!
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
    Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Allie

    Ur doing awesome!! Those short bursts of jogging is great too:). Of course it's real exercise :). Keep up the great walks. I've been walking for years and have lost. 42 lbs so u bet it's exercise!!
  • creech6317
    creech6317 Posts: 869 Member
    My first 15 pounds was lost with walking being the main exercise I used. It is great as a beginning exercise, and it does wonderful things for the legs and rear end.
  • bestbassist
    bestbassist Posts: 177 Member
    Any time you are getting up and moving for a substantial amount of time is good imo. Your jogging bursts will get longer the more you do this routine.
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    Of course it is. It is listed in the database. Walking 3.0 mph is the pace I use when walking the dog and we go for 30 mins. It's not a huge calorie burn but it is exercise. One of my favourite sayings here is "It doesn't matter how slow you're going, you're still lapping those people who are still on the couch!"
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    Absolutely.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    "Count" it for what purposes? When the exercise police come knocking? :smile: Do you mean should you log it on MFP? I would, just to make sure you're getting enough calories. If you're on the "sedentary" setting, then walking for an hour several (?) days a week is a bit more active than sedentary. From the kind of advice that doctors give out, what you're doing is far better than not doing any at all. Keep trying to add those short jogs in, and don't be embarrassed; everyone has to start somewhere! I've just started the Couch to 5k programme which starts off with 60 second jogs interspersed with walking, so once you're up to 60 seconds, maybe that would be an option? Another way of getting more out of your walks would be to get a heart rate monitor, if you haven't already. You could still walk the same distance, but being able to see your heart rate helps you to push yourself a little bit more each time.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    Well I don't log any exercise at all. I just eat a certain number of calories every day whether I work out or not. So if I took a walk or took a run, it wouldn't make any difference as far as "counting" it as exercise or not. I do think moving in any way is better than sitting around. It's good for you. I don't think our bodies are made to sit around all the time.
  • lckunz
    lckunz Posts: 56 Member
    Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Allie
  • Iceman1800
    Iceman1800 Posts: 476
    I would ! It's a start.... and if you are consciously getting up and walking rather than sitting on your butt, it is exercise!
    excellent post
  • lckunz
    lckunz Posts: 56 Member
    Walking at that speed with the interspersed jogs is exactly the kind of exercise that won't burn you out, and will be enjoyable for the rest of your life. Probably want to mix up where you walk, and perhaps add a partner or two.
  • lckunz
    lckunz Posts: 56 Member
    It's just great. You'll be able to keep it up the rest of your life.




    Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Allie
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Allie

    Walking for an hour is not nothing, but the benefits of exercise derive from the intensity as well as the duration. Assuming your physical condition permits it, I would keep alternating jogging and walking, gradually increasing the jogging. That's the method many use to condition themselves for running.

    You should also wear a heart rate monitor during your walks. It will give you an idea of how intense the walk is.
  • Alibobba
    Alibobba Posts: 31
    Thanks everybody for the great feedback!
  • heddylyn
    heddylyn Posts: 173 Member
    I lost my first 60 pounds just walking. It's the most underestimated exercise out there! My guess is that once you become more fit you will want to add more to your work-outs but walking is a great first step! Now I jog, strength train and do strenuous boot camp as well as walking my son to and from school every day. (It's about 2 miles of walking per day when all is said and done). Great job and keep it up!
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    I think it depends on the level of physical activity you're at. I walk at 5mph, but that's because my fat would laugh at 3mph LOL. Seriously, I need to walk that fast to get up to a pouring sweat, heart rate up, etc. and I attribute my speed to my great rate of weight loss. Especially considering I eat 1800-2k cals a day.
  • MrsWilsoncroft
    MrsWilsoncroft Posts: 968 Member
    I'm not good at jogging or running but I love a good walk.
    Anything that speeds up ur hear rate or makes u sweat a little sold be classed as exercise to me xxx
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    It is up to you. Plenty of people have lost weight walking.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
    i say if its something you do for exercise purposes that you wouldn't have otherwise had to do, then yes, add it in.
    when i see stuff like, food preparation, cleaning etc. i think well thats not really exercise bc you have to cook and clean anyway. but i think walking does count.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    If it wasn't exercise, why would there be a huge medical push for it? They say it's one of the best things you can do to improve your health, especially if you don't do any other exercise; it's the first step.

    This image is pretty big but... http://www.loveinfographics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/health-benefits-of-walking-health-infographic1.jpg
  • mostaverage
    mostaverage Posts: 202 Member
    Yes, you will burn roughly the same amount of calories per mile walking as you would jogging, it just takes longer. Walking is great exercise
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    Yes! Walking is very good for you. =)
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
    A calorie burned is a calorie burned. To get cardiovascular benefits you need to elevate your heart rate which also burns more calories doing the same exercise.

    Do what you love, burn calories, eat healthy in a caloric deficit to lose weight and have fun
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Just keep on trying to improve your life. You're doing fine
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    YES it is exercise. I walk 2x's a day with my dog for half an hour each time and count it. I burn 140 calories with each 30 min. walk at that pace. Even walking around the mall is exercise.

    By the way, I can't run either. Never could.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    Walking. I don't speed-walk, I'm most often at a 3-3 1/2 mph pace. Should I consider this "real" exercise? Of course I know it's exercise, but I mean opposed to running, biking, elliptical, etc.....? I try to walk for at least an hour, hopefully making it a bit more productive. I HAVE begun to intersperse short jogs (I'm embarrassed to say I can't jog for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time) within my walks, but that's rare.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    ~Allie

    Walking burns calories. I lost my first 20+ lbs by only walking and not even fixing my diet. Adopted a dog who needs lots of exercise and that forced me off the couch and walking 1.5 to 4 miles pretty much everyday...at about a 3 mph pace. After joining MFP back in January I have continued with the walking on top off all the other higher intensity exercises I am now doing. It's great for both the calorie burn and stress relief. As for not being able to jog, I was there. Due to being very overweight and my legs so weak I could not run or my bad knee would buckle. Between the daily walking and starting some basic bodyweight strength exercises (squats & back step lunges) in January, I got my legs strong enough to jog 0.1 miles on a treadmill in late March. Yeah, that was a victory and a starting place. Keep at it and build from there slowly. I started with walking / running intervals and slowly added overall distance and made the running intervals longer. If you read up on C25K it does much the same with intervals.

    And it does work. I ran my first 5K in late June, another in early July and just ran my first 10k last weekend (Aug 18).
  • BikinimomE
    BikinimomE Posts: 116 Member
    Walking is fantastic and should be considered real exercise. Sitting on the couch watching TV should not. :)

    What ^he said!
  • cbeutler
    cbeutler Posts: 667 Member
    Walking is great exercise. If you want to do intervals I suggest a gym boss timer. It is well worth the 20 bucks. You may even surprise yourself in a few months if you stick too it. I did 10 miles yesterday in 2:21 using the walk jog method. That is awesome considering in March I was having trouble walking around the block.

Categories