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Why do people disregard walking?

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Replies

  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
    I know how you feel my brother doesn't think walking is exercise. In the last 13.5 months I have lost over 64 lbs. I used to be the biggest in my house and now I'm the smallest.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    I'd like to add that those who thumb their noses at walking probably don't have the patience for it - to them it's a waste of time for a puny couple-hundred-calories burn. They'd rather go hard to lose weight/get fit faster...but how many can sustain that pace long-term?


    Speaking from experience (having had jobs for 25 yrs on my feet, walking, all day everyday).....they may also walk a lot anyway and see walking as normal as washing dishes....and not realize that there are people who don't do a lot of walking.


    (Also...I'm going to have to google that walking plan that the OP is talking about. I may have to check out a walking plan that raises the HR to 150 or higher. Wow!)

    Definitely doable. There is a big difference between "walking, all day everyday" and walking fast, with good form, and purpose.

    The speed and distance that I walk gets my HR up to similar levels that high impact aerobics do, except I can sustain it much longer. It's awesome. I am drenched in sweat by the end of all my walks.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 500 Member
    I walk roughly 6 miles every night. I still run on my treadmill in the morning every day, but i still love that cold brisk walk at night.
  • Minks_esposa
    Minks_esposa Posts: 54
    I'm a walker and LOVE IT! I was a runner when I lived in Kansas a couple of years ago but since moving to Colorado (6500ft elevation) the air is so thin and I just haven't managed to become that runner that I once was but I'm not sad about it. Walking doesn't bug my knees as much as running does. I used to be a back catcher for my high school softball team and my knees have never been the same. According to my bodymedia armband I burn a good amount of calories on my hour long walks (350-400 calories).
  • RonW956
    RonW956 Posts: 105 Member
    I go for nice long brisk walks pretty much every day and love it. according to MFP, I burned 694 calories during my 2hr walks. I walk at a pretty fast pace and along the way I do 3 sets of push ups, sit ups and pull ups. On my days off from work I'll do it again in the evening..
  • LuvLosing
    LuvLosing Posts: 9
    My mom and her cousin took a walking vacation in England and just loved it, I think they were in their late 50s when they went. I try to walk each day for 2-3 short stretches (10 min.) --- since I sit at my desk most of the day.

    recently I discovered Jillian's Body Revolution program ---- which is definitely NOT a walking program! You will feel muscles you never knew you had...:smile:

    To find out more about this program --- go to transformmybody.org
  • msjac23
    msjac23 Posts: 140 Member
    I am a walker, I use my Fifbit Flex wristband to make sure I get in 10,000 steps a day.
  • teresa77447
    teresa77447 Posts: 87
    The way I look at is if you love and its what keeps you moving then do it! Why try to run if you hate it and know you won't keep at it.
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    Walking is great! :smile:
  • candrusiak
    candrusiak Posts: 11 Member
    I'm down 90 lbs since January through tracking what I eat and walking 5 km 4-5 times a week.

    If you find something you enjoy and that works for you, who cares what other people say or think?
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    I do a 10K every single day to pick up my daughter at school. Her school is 3.1 miles away from home by my GPS pedometer, so there and back is 10K. Usually, I walk there and walk/run back while pushing a jogging stroller. I just picked it back up in the past 3 weeks.

    I lost most of my 60 pound weight loss by walking at least 15,000 steps a day. I think right now, I'm sitting around 17,000 steps a day, sometimes more.

    I just really like to walk.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    This bum was made for walking, by walking.

    37322274_8051.jpg
  • reddaddie
    reddaddie Posts: 121 Member
    Walking IS good exercise. But folks want to excuse the condition of their body, if all you have to do is walk to get in shape that is one BIG excuse down the drain. Then there are some that say to TRULY get in shape you need to work all the muscle groups, but for many of us walking is the best option.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I'm down 90 lbs since January through tracking what I eat and walking 5 km 4-5 times a week.

    Now that's more like it! Well done.

    Walking 15 minutes a day isn't going to accomplish anything at all for weight loss, unless it's a stepping stone to much greater distances. But if you control your intake, and walk long distances everyday, you will burn the fat off, because the great thing about walking is the per-minute burn is low enough that you can supply most of the needs from fat stores.

    But it takes a time commitment...it can't be done in "15 minutes a day".
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    I walk because it is free. There were no treadmills, Gyms, racetracks or theme parks in prehistoric times

    SO WALKING WAS THE THING.

    Running was the thing you did to avoid getting eaten.

    not strictly true. Humans (and bipedal ancestors like australopithecines) can't run fast enough to outrun the kind of predators that ate them. Early prehistoric humans, australopithecines, etc would more likely have relied on group co-operation and crude weapons (e.g. stones and pointy sticks) to chase off predators, rather than trying to outrun them.

    it's thought that early humans used both walking and running to hunt, using the persistence hunting method, where you track and chase an animal for hours, tracking it down repeatedly and never letting it rest, until it drops dead from exhaustion or it's exhausted enough that you can kill it with sticks and stones (later palaeolithic humans would have used more sophisticated weapons). Humans are much slower at running than other mammals, but humans also have way more endurance and better heat control (sparse body hair, sweating over the whole body) than other mammals, so can run for hours, while other mammals sprint fast but get exhausted and overheated quickly. We're built for long distance running and walking, with occasional sprinting here and there.


    Regarding which is the best exercise, running and walking are both good and people should do the one they enjoy the most so they'll stick with it long term. Personally I hate running but really enjoy walking and don't care if the calorie burns and intensity are lower. I'm not into self-torture so I'm going to stick to exercise that I enjoy. And I can see why if someone doesn't like walking much, it's going to feel totally pointless *for them* to choose walking as an exercise as they can get the same benefit in a shorter time with a more intense exercise. It's a matter of what works for the individual.

    Yep they were not outrunning predators.
    http://youtu.be/826HMLoiE_o
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
    Walking and stationary biking are my main exercises since I need low-impact exercises. I've gradually increased the inline on the treadmill to increase resistance, works great.
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    I'd say you're doing awesome! You're getting out there and at least walking, let alone doing so at a level which makes for a pretty intense level (going by your heart rate). I have no idea/experience with Sansone, so I can't comment on that part. I will say you're putting in the effort and enjoying it is something in which you should be applauded for, not lauded.

    So............. Keep up the awesome efforts!
  • Art63
    Art63 Posts: 87
    Late to this thread but another walking fan here. Walking got me moving. Hooray for that. I live a pretty sedentary life and the pounds kept creeping on. Little by little each year I was getting bigger. Started walking. Incredibly short distances and times at first. Literally short. Five minutes or so was all I could do. But I kept at it. Tried desperately to walk every single day or I feared I'd quit. Many days I just barely slogged my way around the block. But kept at it.

    Great motivator to then eat just a bit less than normal. Half a bag of M&M;s instead of the whole bag...you know what I mean? Well, it worked. A few months went by and I was a few pounds lighter. Not much but I knew I was doing the right thing.

    A bit later I found this site and started counting calories. The pounds came off faster.

    That may be why some dismiss walking as of little value. I agree that eating less has a bigger impact on losing weight than walking but it sure has helped me stay involved with doing something other than sitting in front of the TV or computer screen.
  • SundayGirl1989
    SundayGirl1989 Posts: 94
    What do you log the leslie sansone workouts as? just walking? because the pace increases as you go along
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
    Walking is still the majority of my exercise. I walk on average 65+ miles per month in my hilly neighborhood. I just got a stationary bike to supplement walking when it's darker, colder or wetter than I'd like to be out walking in, because last winter frequently sucked for all that. I don't enjoy the bike as much, although it does work different muscles nicely. I also try to do hand weights 2-3x per week.

    I have a bad back, bad hip, bad knee, and terrible scarred up asymmetrical feet, so I'm delighted to be able to walk at all, with the help of a good chiropractor. So far (taking it deliberately slow on the weight loss) I've lost 23 lbs, gone from a size 14 to a size 8, my endurance and overall carriage and posture are much improved, and I feel better than I have since I was in my late 20s. I have no interest in gyms nor in becoming an athlete--running has zero appeal for me. My goal was simply to become stronger and leaner, and walking was about 90% responsible for getting to where I am now. If you do it thoughtfully and push just a little, you can really shape your backside with walking.

    Most importantly, the time I spend walking is also spent listening to audiobooks and taking in the scenery. It really feels like something I'm doing for myself and not like something I'm punishing myself with because I'm "supposed to". I am grateful that it's safe for me to walk both at home and at work, I know that's not true for everyone. I'd go nuts trying to walk on a treadmill.

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