Is walking enough?

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Silversparkle13
Silversparkle13 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've started MFP, i like walking but is it enough? Do i need to do toning exercises etc?

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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    edited April 2015
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    is walking enough for what?

    that's to generic.

    is it enough to do qualify as exercise?
    sure.

    is it enough to get you ready for a marathon?
    absolutely not

    is it enough to help increase calorie burns?
    sure

    is it enough to get you fitter with a better muscular frame?
    absolutely not.

    edit- because I didn't feel like typing this all up again

    So two big things. well 3.

    1.) Calories- you must be at a calorie deficit to lose weight. Period. No working out required.
    2.) Lifting weights will help retain muscle mass so you don't just look like a smaller version of what you are now.
    3.) A well rounded fitness program for your health and wellness should/will include a cardiovascular component and a strength/resistance training program.

    Those are the 3 big things.


    You can start with the calories- that's easy. Log daily- buy a food scale- use MFP- or google TDEE and use that- either one is fine.

    As for cardio- either for running- try couch to 5K- great beginner program- if you want to run. walking is fine- row machine- bike- whatever- not relevant unless you have a specific goal in mind. But walking is fine also.

    For lifting
    Strong lifts
    New rules of lifting
    starting strength
    strong curves

    or you can do body weight-
    body by you
    you are your own gym
    convict conditioning

    all great places to get started!
  • Silversparkle13
    Silversparkle13 Posts: 17 Member
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    Great response.. Thank you.
    I'm just trying to focus on weightloss at the min but want to do some sort of activity. I'm not a gym person, dont like the indoors.. I was told to do something to help metabolism. It can all get confusing at times.
  • hawaiiandream
    hawaiiandream Posts: 43 Member
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    I think he said it all...
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    walking a mile in an hour... not so much... walking 5 miles in an hour.. much better... walking frromthe fridge to the couch.. meh... walking 2 miles to get groceries and carting back 2 20 lb bags of flour... + milk and eggs awesome... it's about context.
  • cshankes
    cshankes Posts: 31 Member
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    You need to do what will work for you. I have started walking daily trying to go in between 2 & 3 miles. If that fails, I walk around the living room during commercials on TV. It may not be much, but every little bit helps.
  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
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    It really depends on your goals. If you just want to be active and achieve a slight calorie burn then sure. Also depends on how long your walks are.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    I think @JoRocka nailed it - respect!

    I'll just add that I lost ~75 lbs with walking and diet (knee problems prevented running), and dropped a further 25 lbs switching to elliptical and lifting, while still maintaining a deficit.

    If I were to do anything differently, I would have started off with walking and lifting, to retain more muscle mass. I didn't quite understand the importance of lifting when I started. Now I do. Take JoRocka's advice!

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