walking

Oompa_Loompa
Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I know this is probably silly but..is walking really a good excersise that helps loose weight? I feel like it is not at all.

Replies

  • Oompa_Loompa
    Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
    I feel like it doesnt count as excersising..
  • scotty_81
    scotty_81 Posts: 59
    Of course it is! Make sure you walk at a decent pace for you. Push it a bit and get a few hills in there if you can. Get your heart pumping. It's great.
  • Annabelle_M
    Annabelle_M Posts: 57
    I am wondering the same thing. I think it does help but I'm not sure how much.
  • beckbeck
    beckbeck Posts: 31
    It sure does, especially when you walk at a brisk pace in very hot, humid weather! I wear my heartrate monitor and the other day it said I burned 809 calories in an hour! OK, well, I did some alternating running in there too. That helps--running little spurts in-between the walking to boost metabolism. But anyway, the only exercise I did last summer was walking about 6 miles a day and I slimmed down a LOT. They say it helps get rid of belly fat better than most other exercises.

    For me, walking is now my "supplemental" exercise. I am doing P90X so for an hour a day I am doing that and then when I get another 30-60 minutes of spare time here and there in the day, I go walk. 30 minutes can be up to another 300 calories gone without much effort! :)
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    I tried running because I didn't think I was burning that many calories walking. Well running ended up hurting my knees so I bought a HRM to see how many calories I was really burning on my 2 mile walk around the neighborhood (hills included). I burned 380 calories in 30 mins. I burn around 430 on the elliptical so walking is very comparable!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    36 pounds says it does!! :wink:

    Just walk fast. I put on music with a fast beat (:blushing: Boom Boom Pow) :tongue:

    I set my Ipod up with slow for warming up-like Bleeding Love
    then a bit faster
    and a bit faster
    in the middle I have a couple fast ones 2-4 at least
    then a slower one to cool down.

    I can only "run" for a short distance then have to walk with my hand on my hip, gasping for breath:laugh: so walking is the best alternative for me!

    I have asked my regular doctor, chiropractor, orthopedist, and podiatrist................all love the fact I am fast walking for my health. ALL agreed that running is hard on this old body (not that I will never run! I have tried the c25k and was pleasently surprised I was able to do up to week 3!)

    Good luck and happy exercise to you:drinker:
  • angelascott919
    angelascott919 Posts: 178
    For me, walking is the best cardio I can do. I am still over 300 (almost there though), and it get's me going and I can see a difference. I push myself a bit and can do 3 miles in an hour and although I know I could probably go farther I can't go faster, YET! I have known many people who have lost a lot of weigh just by walking. The key is to go faster than you would just normal walking.
  • butterfly25
    butterfly25 Posts: 186 Member
    i love walking.. that is how i lost all my weight and now i'm up to walking at 4.0mph and that is hard for me but i keep up and i have my treadmill at 1.5% incline to help burn more calories and i also do the same thing i run alittle to..
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    Yes, it's good. You just have to go a good speed. If you go too slow you end up being more efficient in your energy usage (read: don't burn as many calories), just to let you know. But a good brisk walk, is awesome. Last year I was hitting the treadmill or neighborhood with about a 3.5mph walk and I dropped about 20lbs (granted I was eating better and doing weights too). Get your heart rate up, like with hills. Sometimes it's harder to walk fast than it is to jog or run. :)

    PS - if you do it on a treadmill, always have it on an incline at least like 2-3%
  • Oompa_Loompa
    Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
    It sure does, especially when you walk at a brisk pace in very hot, humid weather! I wear my heartrate monitor and the other day it said I burned 809 calories in an hour! OK, well, I did some alternating running in there too. That helps--running little spurts in-between the walking to boost metabolism. But anyway, the only exercise I did last summer was walking about 6 miles a day and I slimmed down a LOT. They say it helps get rid of belly fat better than most other exercises.

    For me, walking is now my "supplemental" exercise. I am doing P90X so for an hour a day I am doing that and then when I get another 30-60 minutes of spare time here and there in the day, I go walk. 30 minutes can be up to another 300 calories gone without much effort! :)



    When i enter walking into the excersise and for 60 minutes it only says you burn 209 calories
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
    The majority of the weight I lost was due to walking. Just get a decent pace going. I still like to walk but jogging just gets it done faster.
  • Denimgirl
    Denimgirl Posts: 87 Member
    Walking is all I've been doing for the last 2 weeks. I walk on my treadmill and outside in the evenings so I get the bennifit of sun/sweat and change in terraine. When I started I was barely able to walk at 3.0mph now I'm up to 3.3mph. My goal is 3.7mph.

    I've also been working on doing a jog/walk routine when I walk outside. It is so hard for me to run but I want to build endurance so I'll keep at it. :) (even though I can only run for about 45 seconds!)

    I've decided when I get to 175 I'm going to purchase the 30 Day Shred and combine that with walking for exersize.

    I would have to say "Yes" walking definately counts as exersize.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    Of course it is a way to burn calories and get exercise! It may not burn as many calories as some exercises but it is still burning calories.
  • missouri_rain
    missouri_rain Posts: 560 Member
    Check out the book walk off weight by Michele Stanten
  • WrenLynn
    WrenLynn Posts: 213
    I have lost my weight walking also. When I started my heart rate monitor said I burned alot more calories per hour than it says I burn now. The weight loss and fitness level will cause the amount of calories burned to decrease but it is still a very good exercise. For example when I started I burned 391 calories and now walking the same route with the same intensity only gets me around 250 calories.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I have lost my weight walking also. When I started my heart rate monitor said I burned alot more calories per hour than it says I burn now. The weight loss and fitness level will cause the amount of calories burned to decrease but it is still a very good exercise. For example when I started I burned 391 calories and now walking the same route with the same intensity only gets me around 250 calories.

    same here and then I added hand weights. I use 3lbs with a strap around the back and you can see yoru HR go up with a simple bicep curl..............but do some over the head stuff and BAM...20 bpm!

    Even without the weights it I burn a lot more when i keep my arms moving
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Check out the book walk off weight by Michele Stanten

    Leslie Sansome is great too. Is Michele in stores?
  • bbruske
    bbruske Posts: 8 Member
    The amount of calories you burn depends on what your current weight is and how quickly you are walking. I walk about 45 minutes every evening at 4.0 and burn about 240. It doesn't even feel like excercise. Mostly used for a de-stresser but the calorie burn is a plus!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    It sure does, especially when you walk at a brisk pace in very hot, humid weather! I wear my heartrate monitor and the other day it said I burned 809 calories in an hour! OK, well, I did some alternating running in there too. That helps--running little spurts in-between the walking to boost metabolism. But anyway, the only exercise I did last summer was walking about 6 miles a day and I slimmed down a LOT. They say it helps get rid of belly fat better than most other exercises.

    For me, walking is now my "supplemental" exercise. I am doing P90X so for an hour a day I am doing that and then when I get another 30-60 minutes of spare time here and there in the day, I go walk. 30 minutes can be up to another 300 calories gone without much effort! :)



    When i enter walking into the excersise and for 60 minutes it only says you burn 209 calories

    depends on speed. I checked it out on a treadmill and if you walk to a beat like boom boom pow you are going 3.5 MPH!!
    then add in the terrain.......is it hilly or straight?
  • AgentLL
    AgentLL Posts: 1
    I sometimes feel the same that walking may not be all the beneficial but running doesn't set well with my knees. I try to walk 45-60 minutes per day. However, I am going to purchase ankle and wrist weights to add some resistance. Also, there are those weighted vests that you can wear, adjust the weight etc...that might be worth a try as well :)
  • Winter0916
    Winter0916 Posts: 80
    running and joggign is NOT for everyone. I hurt my knee badly jogging. Brisk walking is great, do at least 30 minutes everyday and you'll see. Your thighs and butt get firm and nice, but you have to try it for at least 3 weeks (4-6 times per week).
  • pfenixa
    pfenixa Posts: 194 Member
    I think anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there is good. Saturday I did Jillian Michael's NMTZ and I was waaaaaay to sore (and still am!) to go running on Sunday like I usually would. So I walked 2 miles in about 32 minutes. My heart rate was getting up to 120 and my HRM shows that I burned about 200 calories. I was also walking outside around 5pm on a very humid day. So yeah, walking definitely counts! Like everyone says just be sure to get a good pace, don't let it be a leisurely stroll if you're trying to get alot of exercise out of it.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    I know this is probably silly but..is walking really a good excersise that helps loose weight? I feel like it is not at all.

    It is excellent as a form of exercise because it is completely natural and does not overstress your joints and muscles. As a really, really rough guide on how many calories walking uses, if you allow 100 calories per one mile, you will have a (very) rough estimate of how many calories you can use up. 100 calories is underestimating by the way :wink:
  • missouri_rain
    missouri_rain Posts: 560 Member
    Not sure, I picked up on amazon
  • missouri_rain
    missouri_rain Posts: 560 Member
    Check out the book walk off weight by Michele Stanten

    Leslie Sansome is great too. Is Michele in stores?

    I'm not sure, I picked it up on amazon......I'll look for Leslie Sansome too, doesn't she do the walking video's?
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