which is better stationery bike or walking?

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ekoonce68
ekoonce68 Posts: 12
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been walking since I started can usually get 8 miles. I'm walking before work, at lunch and after. some people are telling ne my walking indoors in the air and not sweating profusely isn't helping me any. I got a stationery bike yesterday and git told the same thing. yeah to say the least it pissed me off. I have never been one to sweat a lot anyway. they said if your not sweating your not losing. Funny I have lost 15lbs since may 25. Just want some input please on which ya'll think is better? :smile:

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  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    You can burn more calories per minute on a stationary bike pedaling fast than by walking.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Anyone who says "if you're not sweating you're not losing" has rocks in his or her head......

    You can lose weight without exercising at all. Any exercise can help with your caloric deficit and, more importantly, help improve your cardiovascular fitness.

    Having said that you can burn more calories on a stationary bike than walking in a given amount of time and you can get your heart rate higher on the bike too (a good thing).

    Do them both if you want to, they both offer benefits.
  • Lauran845
    Lauran845 Posts: 71 Member
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    I do believe that whatever physical activity I do is "worth it" if I sweat, however, I do not believe the comment someone made to you. You are losing regardless if you sweat. I have a recumbent bike in my house and I love to put a movie in and go to town on that sucker for 90 mins with the fan blasting on me, next to the air conditioning vent. LOL...I also have a regular street bicycle and it is MUCH harder to ride that for and hour, but the thing is....you are moving! That is way more important that sitting still. Infact, there are people who sweat sitting still....so according to the statement "You aren't losing if you don't sweat" the large people who sweat all the time are constantly losing weight? That doesn't make any sense.

    Good for you for moving and trying to make changes in your life. Boo to haters! They just want you to stay the way you used to be so they can feel better about themselves.
  • Danni3ll3
    Danni3ll3 Posts: 365 Member
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    I have lost over 50 lbs through walking and most of the time, I am not sweating. I prefer walking to a bike because of the change in scenery (I walk outside, can't stand the treadmill). The going has been slow but the fact is that I still have dropped 52/53 lbs over the last 4 years. The point of this is keep moving and do what you enjoy the most. If you hate it, you will stop doing it.
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
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    :drinker: Brian was a LOT more Polite than I was about to be. Anyone who tells You that what is working for you is "Not Working" definitely has Rocks in their -- Whatever!!

    :heart: The "Best" Exercise is the one that You enjoy the most, in my Opinion. That said, Brian is right, getting your Heart Rate Up is Important and the Bike will do that quicker than Walking will. But please remember to Enjoy your Journey. This is For The Rest Of Your Life!! Why waste time doing something that you don't enjoy?

    :flowerforyou: Congratulations on your Loss!! That is Fabulous!!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    If I open the window and turn off the fan, I can sweat sitting still. Sweating does not indicate weight loss other than water weight.

    I think what these folks were trying to get across is when you realize aerobic benefits. From an abstract to an article in the American Journal of Cardiology, "Aerobic fitness, not merely physical activity, is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Vigorous intensity exercise has been shown to increase aerobic fitness more effectively than moderate intensity exercise, suggesting that the former may confer greater cardioprotective benefits." http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(05)01699-1/abstract

    Heart rate is often used as a way to assess aerobic exercise. From the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: "In general, to increase your aerobic fitness you should exercise intensely enough to reach your target heart rate range. Your target heart rate range is 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. A general formula to determine your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. (For example, if you are 50 years old, your maximum heart rate is 170 and your target heart rate range is 102 to 136.) Check your heart rate as you exercise and try to keep it within your target heart rate range." http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00194 Of course, this number is an average for a "healthy" person.

    The Cleveland Clinic suggests using a "Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion Chart" to assess aerobic activity. Both it and the US Center for Disease Control give examples of the RPE chart but they have very different numbers and descriptions. http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/exertion.html
    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/exercise/hic_aerobic_exercise.aspx
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    The other nice thing with the bike compared to walking, depends on where you are in your weight loss journey.

    If a lot to lose, walking daily at fast clip could leave you injured and knock you out for a couple days.
    Usually doesn't happen on the bike as so much more gentle on the joints.

    But doing both is probably best. Weight bearing for the bones walking as more recovery, biking for the more intense workout.
    Just keep trading.

    And yes, the rear will eventually get used to it.
  • erikkmcvay
    erikkmcvay Posts: 238 Member
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    I walk (514 miles since I started) and I ride (456 miles this year) and I believe both are good ways to help build your cardio and help you lose weight.

    I personally recommend alternating them so you can rest a little (riding kicks my butt so I walk on days I don't ride to give myself a break and mix it up).

    As for sweating I don't believe what you'd been told at all -- in dry climates you may not even know you're sweating just as in an AC environment. But sweat isn't a bad thing! In fact, I think it's a good thing. Heck it might clean out you're pores! lol

    Anyway, do both and to heck with what people say!

    One thing though, you mentioned walking 8 miles a day but doing so over a few walks (before work, lunch after work etc) and while this is good and burns calories most experts say you need to do cardio for more then 30 minutes in order to get past burning the sugars in your bloodstream and into straight fat burning (which is really 85% fat/15% protein I believe). So, be sure to try to walk at least 45 minutes to 60 when you do -- same as biking.

    Also, take at least 1 day a week off (I sometimes go 7 days before taking a day off and then might make it two but I try to get at least 1 or 2 days a week off of cardio so I don't burn out and can heal a little).
  • JessMahoney1
    JessMahoney1 Posts: 86 Member
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    I walk my dog every morning and every evening and do at least 30 mins of exercise bike a day! luckily my bike tells me how many calories I burn in in about an hour I burn about 550 calories x
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
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    I do stationary bike most of the time.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    One thing though, you mentioned walking 8 miles a day but doing so over a few walks (before work, lunch after work etc) and while this is good and burns calories most experts say you need to do cardio for more then 30 minutes in order to get past burning the sugars in your bloodstream and into straight fat burning (which is really 85% fat/15% protein I believe). So, be sure to try to walk at least 45 minutes to 60 when you do -- same as biking.

    Well, a few other factors involved here.

    If you've just eaten within 4-5 hrs, you are going to use first the energy available from your food, whatever it is. The insulin up for sending carbs to muscle storage or liver storage and protein to muscles for use, causes you to use all available for immediate energy needs, well, with that 4-5 hr window or until they are gone.
    Then your blood sugar lowers and body doesn't want that, so glucagon released to stop that insulin effect.

    If that doesn't apply, you will burn a ratio of carbs (in muscle, not bloodstream) to fat that will initially be higher carb, until about that 30 min when it drops to normal ratio carb:fat.
    There won't be any protein burned for mere 30-60 min, usually around 90 min, depending on your fasted state and liver glucose stores, could be shorter.
    But that change in carb:fat ratio is rather minor, not significant for only going to 60 min.

    Where it does come into play is if you were going to do an endurance cardio event, and know full well you need carbs NOT used up too early, so you'd start out a tad slower for 30 min until you hit best ratio, then you could speed it up, actually causing the effect of similar carb:fat burned the whole time. And if you know your body well and trained right, hopefully a ratio that will take you to the end without carbs running out, and "hitting the wall".
  • erikkmcvay
    erikkmcvay Posts: 238 Member
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    I do stationary bike most of the time.

    Yes but it looks like you want to gain. Most of us who've packed on muscle have stayed away from cardio for the most part. It's better to up your protein (try 2+g/LMB) and lift heavy with lots of rest between workouts.

    I've coached guys that were runners who wanted to bench their body weight and did that by having them work only once a week on each muscle group and pack on the protein while keeping the cardio down and it was always successful.

    For those wanting to BURN fat with cardio you really need to do cardio for more then 30 minutes at a time
  • xinit0
    xinit0 Posts: 310 Member
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    The Cleveland Clinic suggests using a "Borg Rate of Perceived Exertion Chart" to assess aerobic activity. Both it and the US Center for Disease Control give examples of the RPE chart but they have very different numbers and descriptions. http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/measuring/exertion.html
    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/exercise/hic_aerobic_exercise.aspx

    Borg rate?

    borg.jpg

    Something about how fast you assimilate oxygen, I assume. Interesting links, surely nothing at all to do with Star Trek, though.
  • ekoonce68
    ekoonce68 Posts: 12
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    Thanks when I walk I do get in at least 45 min. at a time. I am trying and since I haven't been doing anything for years I'm pretty dang proud of myself for the things I'm doing. I finally decided a few days before my 45th birthday I was gonna get started. I try to explain to the dumb as rocks person that I have never been one to sweat profusely even living thru hot Texas summers all my life. I mean I sweat cause I feel it just not like a lot of people. thanks for all the help and encouragement. I guess more than anything I just needed to hear I wasn't nuts lol.
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    I have been walking since I started can usually get 8 miles. I'm walking before work, at lunch and after. some people are telling ne my walking indoors in the air and not sweating profusely isn't helping me any. I got a stationery bike yesterday and git told the same thing. yeah to say the least it pissed me off. I have never been one to sweat a lot anyway. they said if your not sweating your not losing. Funny I have lost 15lbs since may 25. Just want some input please on which ya'll think is better? :smile:

    I just picked 2 lbs of raspberries,very slowly, in the sunlight, and I was sweating. I doubt my heart rate got above 80. So, I'd have to disagree with that.

    If you've found that walking is helping you, keep walking. On the days when you're not feeling it, ride. I have my bike parked in the living room so that on the days when it's pouring out, I pedal away in front of the tv. Just make sure you're putting enough effort into it either with the MPH or the resistance. :)
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
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    Walking is good & if you enjoy it, as I do, then stick at it.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Whichever one you *enjoy* the most. I could never do stationary bikes.. I will however take my bike out into the great wide world and hit a trail! I also would rather hike then be in a gym or on a bike. But variety in life keeps it fun.

    I do all kinds of different exercises. Even my gym workouts get varied every few weeks. I get bored of the same weights and routines. lol.

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