Walking or Running: What is better?

Walking is better for your joints but if you want to lose a lot of weight or to meet your weekly weight goal is running because your sweating more. I just try to walk 1 to 2 miles a day which I lose from 0.5 to 1 pound a day.

Running is much better because you can get more miles in and more calories burnt. And the calorie rates for walking and running a mile are different, it takes more calories to run than walk. I can burn 3700+ calories during a marathon.

No offense, but that's not helpful for someone just starting out.

Take your time. Try a walking app. I use Map My Walk. You can slowly graduate to running if your joints, lungs, and heart can handle it as you progress. Good luck!

^^This. Walk as much as you can. Add more distance as you feel ready. My calves start hurting at a fast walk, my dog and I walk 2-4 miles 5 or 6 days a week. Sometimes I jog, sometimes I just dont feel like it. Even a leisurely walk for 2 miles is better than not walking at all. I would hold off on running for awhile, lose a bit of weight and maybe jog from one mailbox to the next then walk to the next mailbox and jog, ect. Baby steps.
Great job diving back in and exercising. Good luck, and feel free to add me. I log daily.


Eta: Invest in a fitbit. Best decision I have made. My daily goal is to walk 10k steps. Last night I was 1k short at 11pm so I hopped out of bed and ran in place until I hit my goal. Really keeps me thinkig about how much I move !

There's an old saying that seems to fit your situation.

Don't run before you can walk.

If you're getting pain from walking alone and at your current weight running is a bit too much. That's just my opinion of course, others may disagree.

Good luck in your journey.

This^.

If you want to be a runner, then running is better for achieving that goal. Walking is a fine exercise, but unless you're very undertrained you aren't going to make much in the way of substantial aerobic gainz

I'm a nooby here also and I would like to say gratz to you on your decision to make a change 8), and get healthier. I'm 42, 5'7 and was at 265lbs up to February 2nd 2014. As of this date I'm down to 198 lbs and aiming for 160ish as per my BMI. I also started off walking in the beginning as when I tried to run I got more sore due to the excess movement of my body and weight on my knees. I started walking 2km then 3km then 4.5 for up to 2-3 months. I then started running when my body felt it was ok to do so. I'm now running 5km everyday at a pace of 35 minutes. In the end listen to your body. Another thing the road can be hard on your legs, ankles and knees maybe look in a good pair of shoes, it helped me.
Keep up the good work, and don't forget to stretch. 8)

Why not start running a little? As long as you're currently in pain go for it! (Back to walking if any pain comes back)

You don't have to run far or fast. I started just shuffling along and working up to where I can do a 10k.

And you don't just have to run on the concrete. Why not find a nice trail where the ground is a bit more giving, or a park with a field you can run around?

As long as you're not in pain give-r!

I know what it's like to be at 320 lbs. i was at 342 and would not have dreamed of running at that weight. It's too heavy to be running in my opinion. I think you can do more damage to your body in the very short term that has long term implications. You certainly don't want to blow out an MCL or screw your joints up because you're in a hurry to lose the weight.

With that said, I would push the pace, as you get lighter and lighter. I think I started jogging at 275ish, but really I only got up to about a mile at a time. It wasn't until i got into the 230s that i started jogging 2-3 miles at a time (which for me, even at 213lbs currently, is all I wanna run lol. Now I focus on speed rather than distance, because I don't like running for longer than 20-30 minutes (I just am not built to run nor do I have the desire). I'd rather deadlift a car. lol

I would suggest to walk at your current level, focus 100% on your diet (this is where the magic happens anyway). You can lose weight dieting and doing nothing, but you can't lose weight doing a lot of work without changing your dieting lifestyle.

You'll get there, just don't be in a hurry. It's not a linear progression. Take your time, settle for any amount of progress from week to week. It comes off. Good luck!

Maybe you could just start logging distance regardless of whether it is walking or running. "If" you feel like it jog a bit on the walks, if you do no, then don't. Approach this as a lifetime program. There is no hurry to advance, but instead you want to remain healthy so that you can continue to do this very important activity. As you shed pounds and continue with the program you may run a bit more as it becomes comfortable. Once you get a good base level of fitness you could push yourself a bit. It is when I am pushing myself just a bit that I get the best physical and emotional benefits. I always keep in my mind however that this is a lifetime activity that is important to me. Staying healthy is as such my #1 priority. If I am fatigued, I rest. If I have a bit of a pull or something I do something else physical. Just remember there is not hurry to get anywhere. This is a lifetime activity that you want to be able to enjoy and from which to reap benefits.

How about starting off with walking and build up to power walking?

I am enjoying power walking and it seems to be helping with fat loss, too. Not to mention it is fun & I feel great doing it and after, too.

I want to avoid running to spare my joints since they already have issues.

Walk.

Swim since it is summer.

Lift weights.

i take it you meant to say "As long as you're NOT currently in pain"?

Why not start running a little? As long as you're currently in pain go for it! (Back to walking if any pain comes back)

yup. that's what I meant whoops

My doctor has told me you burn as many calories running a mile as you do walking it at a mile, just generally people that run get more milage done because they are faster. With just starting I'd stick to walking and using an ellipitcal, which mimics running. Actually the ellipitcal is my favorite thing to use, but mix it up between your walks! Then talk to your doctor once you get a routine down about a couch to 5K program if that's what you want to do. Extra weight is harder on your body to run because it puts more pressure on your joints, but it's not impossible. Whatever you choose, you should talk to your doctor first.

Walking is just fine, not everyone is a runner. Just increase your distance and walk faster when you're ready.

Calorie burn is completely based on heart rate. What you do to get that heart rate up doesn't matter to the calories burned. the difference is is muscle gain. Since you use different muscles for different activities, they will grow at different rates. Ever notice how swimmers have such broad shoulders? Cyclists have skinny arms?

I will burn the same amount walking at a 15% incline at 3 mph as someone running 5 mph on level terrain, assuming we are of the same weight (the fat guy will burn calories at the same rate as the athlete, because gravity still pulls down at the same rate). The only difference is, the runner is giving their joints more shock because they are lifting their body into the air and landing. Gravity is pulling him down. If I am just walking, I am barely lifting my body, and I don't feel it as much in my joints. If I am walking up hill, this is more the case. But I can get my heart rate up to 90% max (180 bpm) just by walking up hill.

Good luck!

You burn just as much walking 3 miles as you do running it. It just takes you longer to get that burn because you are walking. I run 3 miles in 29 minutes and walk 3 miles in 60 minutes and my calorie burner comes out with the same number. So in essence you are burning calories faster when you run. I would suggest you starting out walking. It's much easier on your joints. No worries...enjoy and smell the roses while you're at it!

Best of luck!

Nope - not true. - here is an extract from Research (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22446673)

Abstract
Increased energy expenditure (EE) is a key component in maintaining a healthy body mass. Walking and running are 2 common aerobic activities that increase EE above resting values. The purpose of this study was to compare the EE of individuals with average fitness during a walk and run for 1600 meters at 86 m·min(-1) and 160 m·min(-1), respectively. In addition, EE after the walk and run was compared. Fifteen females and 15 males (21.90 ± 2.52 y; 168.89 ± 11.20 cm; 71.01 ± 17.30 kg; 41.51 ± 6.31 ml(-1)·kg(-1)·min(-1)) volunteered to participate. Each participant completed a VO2max test. In addition, oxygen consumption was measured at rest for 10 minutes before exercise, during the walk and run, and after the walk and run for 30 minutes of recovery. EE during exercise was 372.54 ± 78.16 kilojoules for the walk and 471.03 ± 100.67 kilojoules for the run. Total EE including excess postexercise EE was 463.34 ± 80.38 kilojoules and 664.00 ± 149.66 kilojoules for the walk and run, respectively. Postexercise EE returned to resting values 10 minutes after the walk and 15 minutes after the run. Walking and running are both acceptable activities that increase EE above rest and can be performed without the expense of a health club membership and meet adequate kilojoule expenditure according to American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.
PMID: 22446673 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]