Running vs Walking

Running is more efficient than walking, if you're looking at it from a time perspective. I'm with everyone else that says just give it some time. I've always HATED running. I'd much rather walk, lift, do TF, circuit training, HIIT's, etc, but, I sucked it up and made myself run this past summer to train for a my 1st race (a 3.5 mile mudrun). Once I got over the mentality that I hated it - and after I spent a couple hours on google "learning how to run properly" - I shocked myself by starting to really enjoy running. It took me a good month of jogging 3-4 times per week to finally feel like I wasn't going to die. There really are do's and don'ts, so as silly as it may sound, you might want to do a little research on form. You use different muscles running and boy oh boy, you've got to build up your cardivascular endurance. I'm not an expert, by any means. But, don't give up too quickly. Give it some time and see if you begin to enjoy it.

When I started walking routinely, I would also run from time to time and soon realized that running sucks. But the more I ran, obviously the easier it got to run further, although I'm nowhere near running a 5K or anything. I am very analytical and determined to get the most out of my limited time exercising, and strictly from a calorie burning aspect, the reasearch shows that running is more beneficial than walking per given distance, not double as previously stated, but more. Here's why I believe that:

http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/running-v-walking-how-many-calories-will-you-burn?page=single

Pay particular attention to the CSU research publication. If you truly cannot bring yourself to run, increasing the incline of your walk will drastically increase your burn rate, I read somewhere a 12% increase for every 1% grade incline. Where I walk, it's a 7% grade, thus I'm burning 84% more calories vs walking on level ground. Now, you say, "well I have to come back down, won't I lose all of those extra calories?" Not necessarily, since you are working different muscle groups, research (somewhere) shows you only lose about 6% on the way back down.

I think for adults who start running after being sedentary, it is hard work and it sucks at first. You do burn more calories over the same distance because unlike walking you are momentarily off the ground, so you are essentially hopping your entire body weight from foot to foot during your run. It is also harder on the joints. If you can't breathe or can't talk when you are running then you are probably going too fast (even though when you are starting off you are likely going really slow, it is still too fast for you). If you start having knee, hip or ankle pain there are a number of causes--just search for the on this site. Many ideas to help.

Try the Couch to 5K program--many people feel they ease into running and they are very satisfied with it. Some people still find they hate running. I have no science to back me up, but I think the C25K program is better than just running on your own because it eases you into it slowly and you are less likely to get injured.

I like running (well, for me, more like jogging) because I can burn more calories so I can eat more Plus my son likes it and we get to do 5Ks together.

If you find you like walking and not running--that's fine! Like people say, the best exercise is the one that you like doing.

I heard a segment on NPR once, that basically we were not built for long distance running, but rather for running short distances and walking long ones.

If that were true, the greatest concentration of distance runners wouldn't be coming from East Africa - our ancestral home before the Great Migration.

IMO they have it exactly backwards - humans evolved for extended LISS - it's the folks who migrated out of Africa that have lost some of that ability along the way.

I *detest* running. It makes my boobs hurt, aggravates old injuries, and causes my asthma to flare. I run in bursts when umpiring or playing netball and I'm plenty fit enough for that. The rest of the time, I walk. Fast walking is actually better than slow jogging, I'm told.

Either way, clearly my excercise hasn't hindered my weight loss.... it's day 328 and I'm down 27 kg so far....

It depends on what your goals are fitness wise. I do a lot of walking and I don't run (anymore) because it's really hard on my joints and really screws with my lifting. Walking is great exercise but you aren't going to make substantial leaps in your cardiovascular fitness just walking. I walk primarily for recovery work and to just move a little...I cycle three times per week or so to really push my cardiovascular fitness level and make improvements in that RE.

I think everyone hates running at first. I think it took me about a year to actually enjoy it.

Either way, clearly my excercise hasn't hindered my weight loss.... it's day 328 and I'm down 27 kg so far....

correct, exercise has very little to do with weight loss. That comes from a caloric deficit (can be diet alone, or a combo of diet and exercise) Exercise just lets you eat more to achieve the same weight loss (deficit)

The idea that exercise doesn't aid in weight loss is one of the most persistent myths on MFP.

Going from inactive to active - which can only be achieved by exercise - results in increased BMR, above and beyond that which would be expected from changes in body composition. That means that even after you net out exercise calories, an active body will lose extra weight for the same caloric intake, on the order of 1 pound/month.