Does walking work?

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.

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.

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.

The say walking is just as good as running. It helps me.

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 knees

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.

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.

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!

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:

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.

In the past seven months, aside from shoveling snow (more times this winter than I care to think about), the only exercise I have gotten is from walking, either on the track above the gym at the local Y or on a treadmill. I wish it had been walking the dog on the county road, but not here in Wisconsin November-March. On the track I walk from 30 to 45 minutes at a pace of 4.0 to 4.5 miles an hour. On the treadmill I walk at a 3.5 mile an hour pace at an incline of 10 (of 15 possible). So I burn about 300-400 calories walking, 5 to 6 days a week. Does walking work? With a reasonable net calorie deficit and this exercise I have lost 38 pounds in 19 weeks, from early November to mid March. From 240 to 202 pounds. My blood pressure is now 118/66 with a pulse rate of 62 (essentially the same the last three times I took it). I sleep more soundly, feel much better,

I am convinced that there are three factors that will guarantee weight loss: a calorie deficit (but no less than 1,200 calories a day, I maintain a net of about 1,500), exercise to keep the metabolism up, and time. The most destructive factor to staying on track is expecting or wanting quick results, and getting down when the scale doesn't show constant improvement. Keep the calorie deficit, keep up the activity, and give it time. There is no real magic to it. Yes, walking is enough, at least for me.

All that said, and one more thing. Do it to live a more healthy life, make it a life-style change, for the rest of your life. Don't treat it as a "project" (read that "diet"). Many people think they will eventually reach some predetermined goal, and then celebrate and return to destructive ways. We have all done it. That is how I got to 240 pounds again. Never again, for me.

I wish everyone the success I have had this winter. :flowerforyou:

Walking is a fantastic workout. I used to walk during work lunches and it kept me in great shape at that time. Better fat burn, imo.

I think it works very well. Start with what you can comfortably do and slowly add distance and increase your pace. It is an exercise that you can do everyday of the week. That's how I started. After a couple of months, look into the C25k program to begin jogging/running.

Walking is better than nothing.. That's true.

I suggest finding a serene enjoyable place to walk
Someplace where you can enjoy the Trees, Birds, Flowers, Streams, Lakes
Less Traffic, especially just starting out
A Bike Path perhaps
Someplace with Hills
You can also find out if your community has a Group that get 2gether and do challenges together
Its Great Support
You'd be surprised how many Community Member's there are.