Walking as exercise?

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  • b00b0084
    b00b0084 Posts: 729 Member
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    Any DR will tell you ,as long as you get in 60 minutes of walking a day, you met your exercise requirement for that day. What I do when I walk is I try to pick up the pace as I walk. Once I get comfortable at a certain speed I step it up, then on the return trip I slow it down gradually so by the time I get home my heart is not beating out of my chest. Stretch before you walk as well..
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Ignore the doctor, keep walking!
    It can definitely help. Make sure you walk at a decent pace - how fast is up to your fitness level.
    Great for you and the dig will love it too :)
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
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    any activity is worthwhile...I read in some silly magazine once that thin people eat what they burn...and if you watch a thin person all day you see them being active people, fidgety people...the ones at the office who pop out of their chair and walk to the copy machine or pace around when they talk etc...they have increased their metabolism by moving more than others...they don't know they are doing it...and they may seem like they eat a lot but they move a lot. Any moving you do out side of the norm, or with the intent of exercise is worth it. Your doctor is only "sorta right" if your stroll with the dog is at such a leasiurely pace that you are not elevating your heart rate at all....if you go for your walks and you try to push your pace just a little, or go for a longer walk, or take a course that has a hill or two to walk you are doing wonderful things for your body
  • Sezmo83
    Sezmo83 Posts: 331 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I've always thought walking was a pretty good form of exercise but my doc telling me it wasn't made me wonder. I don't walk slowly, my dog is Lab size so he's more than capable of keeping up with me (he'd prefer me to walk faster I think) and we walk to the field at a brisk pace and then when we get there I slow down as we walk around it so he can have a sniff, do what he's gotta do and after about 15 minutes of that we walk briskly back. I've always done this once a day but have recently been trying to add an extra one in so it's like an hour of brisk walking and half an hour of slowly ambling around a field.

    The doctor telling me not to bother was nothing to do with my seizures or anything else medical, just that it's pointless and won't do anything to help me lose weight and get fit. We're moving in a few weeks so hopefully my next doctor will be far more supportive than this one is. Changing doctors isn't an option until then unfortunately.

    Nice to hear a lot of others have lost weight by walking. I won't give up and will take the mutt for his walk =) Thanks all.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
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    Dr's like this give other dr's a bad name.

    This doctor is a QUACK, and sounds like he would rather have a life time patient, than see you get healthy. I would take any advice from him with a grain of salt and start looking out for your health more than depending on that quack.

    I'm another who lost weight before by just walking.

    Next time you want to jog. Instead of trying to go jogging/running, walk at a good pace then toss in a 10 sec jog. Walk again..... Then another 10 seconds.
  • AnneGenevieveS
    AnneGenevieveS Posts: 441 Member
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    That is HORRIBLE that he said that. He is an IDIOT! The doctors i work for would love it if all their patients would walk 45 minutes per day. The more briskly you can walk, the better. Start out where you can, and increase as you get more fit. You are doing great!
  • distant_dreamer
    distant_dreamer Posts: 33
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    if thats all u can manage at the momemt then its better than doing nothing. i'm sure if u walk regualrly and can do some hill walkin to get the heart rate pumpin then its a good starting point and u will see some of the weight fall off.

    i get annoyed by dr's attitudes, mine said swimming wasnt that gd an exercise, said i should be doin cardio to get the heart pumpin and fat burnin but surely doin any form of exercise is better than sitting on the sofa doin nothin??

    sorry rant over!!! :wink:
  • _SpeshK_
    _SpeshK_ Posts: 496 Member
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    I know a LOT of people who have lost 100-200 lbs just from walking alone! If your body is moving, especially when you didn't use to move, then you are burning calories! GAH and it's good for your heart, too! Tell your doctor to suck it!!!
  • cmmull67
    cmmull67 Posts: 170 Member
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    Not counting those who walk for "legal" reasons (i.e. the state asked them not to drive for awhile...lol), how many overweight daily walkers do you see? I'm talking about those who are out every morning or evening, gettin' it, with a good giddy-up in their step? Not too many, unless they are part of this group (the get-back-in-shape group). I tore my knee up while in the service, can't run. I walk though. Started doing 4-5 daily walks with the dog in February. We go at a fairly brisk clip, between 3.5 and 4.5 mph, depending on our energy levels, for at least 45 mins. Both of us have dropped huge amounts of weight, and walking is my only main exercise.

    So, tell your doc he needs to toss his MD papers, and get a new career.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
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    Walking has also been my main form of exercise. I've lost almost 35 pounds since November 2010. Your doctor is totally crazypants.

    I recently started going to Zumba, weight training, and gardening, but I'm confident that I would continue to lose with walking alone.

    ETA: I keep tight control of my diet, which seems to make a difference. I rarely go over my calories, eat lots of fruits and veggies, complex carbs, lean protein, etc...
  • kels_love
    kels_love Posts: 23
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    Walking is my main exercise. I only started a week ago and I have already lost 9 pounds. I also eat healthy, but walking is not useless. I know plenty of people who have lost large amounts of weight JUST walking a lot, not even eating healthy. It really works. I think you should get a new doctor, lol. Good luck! :)

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