Benefits of Walking?

I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?
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Replies

  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
    Can't you take baby with you and have a longer walk? :)
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    Can't you take baby with you and have a longer walk? :)

    She usually gets a little crazy after 20 minutes haha. I can also go faster without the stroller :) thank you though!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Health benefits yes. See a difference in what exactly? Your health or your weight?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?

    Yes, 30 minutes a day will definitely help your heart and your leg muscles. You eat for weight loss, you exercise for fitness.

  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Even 30 minutes of walking is beneficial. More would be better, but take what you can get.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    150 calories per day would be about 1.28 pounds of extra weight lost per month. Over 15 pounds a year. And it might make you feel better. Also, I found a quarter this morning.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    Health benefits yes. See a difference in what exactly? Your health or your weight?

    See a difference in weight. Probably won't make much of a change but I bet health benefits are a bonus.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    annetaryn wrote: »
    I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?

    Yes, 30 minutes a day will definitely help your heart and your leg muscles. You eat for weight loss, you exercise for fitness.

    That's true. So I'll continue eating how I have been. Weigh ins Sunday!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    Health benefits yes. See a difference in what exactly? Your health or your weight?

    See a difference in weight. Probably won't make much of a change but I bet health benefits are a bonus.

    It won't make much of a difference but you don't need walking to lose weight. Like another poster said, exercise is for fitness and "diet" is for weight loss. As long as you eat less than you burn, then you should lose weight.

    This thread has some good information, in fact you don't even have to read the whole thread (but you really should, its so good!) you can just read the first post:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

  • playmadcats
    playmadcats Posts: 199 Member
    What would you be doing if you weren't doing that 30min walk? In my case reading or maybe watching TV. With both those pastimes I'm tempted to nibble so regardless of calorie burn I'm more active, plus not snacking my daily calories away.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?

    It gets me to the ice cream parlor for my triple fudge sundae!
  • LisaR86
    LisaR86 Posts: 17 Member
    If you can up your time to 40-45 min, the benefits are even greater. You could even split up the time if needed. The baby weighted walk also be beneficial.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It improves your cardiovascular health and puts pink in your cheeks and spring in your step. Walking is the top recommended exercise for people with back problems. You can increase the intensity by changing your pace, or even walking backwards now and again.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    Health benefits yes. See a difference in what exactly? Your health or your weight?

    See a difference in weight. Probably won't make much of a change but I bet health benefits are a bonus.

    It won't make much of a difference but you don't need walking to lose weight. Like another poster said, exercise is for fitness and "diet" is for weight loss. As long as you eat less than you burn, then you should lose weight.

    This thread has some good information, in fact you don't even have to read the whole thread (but you really should, its so good!) you can just read the first post:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
    I'll take a look at that! Thank you! :)
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    edited June 2015
    A walk is obviously better than sitting on the couch.You might be able to maximize the value of your time by doing something else though if that's what you're really interested in. Just two examples: you could start introducing small jogging intervals (look up C25K program) or a fitness DVD like T25, which is less than 30 minutes but could be a good workout for you.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    What would you be doing if you weren't doing that 30min walk? In my case reading or maybe watching TV. With both those pastimes I'm tempted to nibble so regardless of calorie burn I'm more active, plus not snacking my daily calories away.

    I'd most likely be in the couch, I guess a walk is the better option! This is a good way of looking at it.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    A walk is obviously better than sitting on the couch.You might be able to maximize the value of your time by doing something else though if that's what you're really interested in. Just two examples: you could start introducing small jogging intervals (look up C25K program) or a fitness DVD like T25, which is less than 30 minutes but could be a good workout for you.
    I'll look those up! Are they free workouts? I'm sure there are youtube videos that I can take a look at. I need to use these 30 minutes in the best way!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    walking is a good low impact exercise...as with any exercise, it is going to be very good for your health. but your weight loss is going to be more attributable to your diet. try to look at fitness for the sake of fitness and health rather than weight.

    I cycle quite a bit...around 60 miles per week or more, and I lift weights a few days per week...I've lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing that...the difference between losing, maintaining, and gaining was how much I was eating, not the exercise.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    What has walking done for you?

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  • dwozniak16
    dwozniak16 Posts: 146 Member
    annetaryn wrote: »
    I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?


    To be completely honest I think walking was the best exercise I've ever done for myself.
    I essentially walked off most of my weight that I lost. I think my first 3 months of eating right and just walking daily i lost 45 pounds. Right now I'm at 85 lost with weights included.
  • Madame_Goldbrick
    Madame_Goldbrick Posts: 73 Member
    Agree on the C25K. Additionally if you can find a steep hill incline walking will up the burns and increase your fitness capacity better than walking a flat route.
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    dwozniak16 wrote: »
    annetaryn wrote: »
    I usually only have about 30 minutes that I can get away from baby to exercise. In that time I'll usually go for a walk at a brisk pace. I usually only burn about 150 calories though. I'm curious if this is enough to see a difference. The walking has been paired with good nutrition. What has walking done for you?


    To be completely honest I think walking was the best exercise I've ever done for myself.
    I essentially walked off most of my weight that I lost. I think my first 3 months of eating right and just walking daily i lost 45 pounds. Right now I'm at 85 lost with weights included.

    Oh wow! I long would you walk for? I walk at a quick lace and work up a sweat but for some reason I don't think it's enough. I'm not giving up though!
  • annetaryn
    annetaryn Posts: 21 Member
    Agree on the C25K. Additionally if you can find a steep hill incline walking will up the burns and increase your fitness capacity better than walking a flat route.

    Jogging sounds scary to me haha. Feels like my lungs will explode lol
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    you can start small. jog one block, walk one block etc
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    Personally, based on how little difference it makes to my weight loss, I burn up very few calories with exercise, no matter how strenuous it is. If walking is convenient and you like it, there seems to me to be no reason to change it.

    However...

    Just today in my local newspaper there was an article about a number of people who lost significant weight since they began to use the relatively new commuter rail. The community where I live got a commuter train up and running about a year ago. If people's commutes run along a roughly north/south path, then this works for them somewhat, but bus transportation from the train stations to other destinations east or west can be sketchy. These train riders now bike (they say 200 bikes a day are taken on the trains now) or walk to and from the train stations and have unexpectedly lost weight and I mean something like 40 or 50 pounds over the past year. The article doesn't say whether these riders made any changes to their food intake.

    This seems, at least on the surface, to fly in the face of the conventional wisdom that one's diet matters far more than one's activity for weight loss. Either way, I think walking is respectable exercise, no matter why you do it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Personally, based on how little difference it makes to my weight loss, I burn up very few calories with exercise, no matter how strenuous it is. If walking is convenient and you like it, there seems to me to be no reason to change it.

    However...

    Just today in my local newspaper there was an article about a number of people who lost significant weight since they began to use the relatively new commuter rail. The community where I live got a commuter train up and running about a year ago. If people's commutes run along a roughly north/south path, then this works for them somewhat, but bus transportation from the train stations to other destinations east or west can be sketchy. These train riders now bike (they say 200 bikes a day are taken on the trains now) or walk to and from the train stations and have unexpectedly lost weight and I mean something like 40 or 50 pounds over the past year. The article doesn't say whether these riders made any changes to their food intake.

    This seems, at least on the surface, to fly in the face of the conventional wisdom that one's diet matters far more than one's activity for weight loss. Either way, I think walking is respectable exercise, no matter why you do it.

    not really...if their consumption didn't change, it makes perfect sense...they are more active and consuming the same calories as if they were less active...the diet is still key there...if they increase their calories to accommodate the activity then they would continue to maintain or even gain weight.

    I've lost, maintained, and gained weight while exercising regularly and maintaining a reasonably good level of general activity despite a desk job...the difference between those weight control goals is my consumption. And actually, the more active I am...particularly if I"m actually training vs working out, the harder it is to maintain my weight...I'm hungry all of the time and want to eat everything. I put on a good 5 Lbs when i was training for my first century despite logging hundreds of training miles because I was insatiable.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Personally, based on how little difference it makes to my weight loss, I burn up very few calories with exercise, no matter how strenuous it is. If walking is convenient and you like it, there seems to me to be no reason to change it.

    However...

    Just today in my local newspaper there was an article about a number of people who lost significant weight since they began to use the relatively new commuter rail. The community where I live got a commuter train up and running about a year ago. If people's commutes run along a roughly north/south path, then this works for them somewhat, but bus transportation from the train stations to other destinations east or west can be sketchy. These train riders now bike (they say 200 bikes a day are taken on the trains now) or walk to and from the train stations and have unexpectedly lost weight and I mean something like 40 or 50 pounds over the past year. The article doesn't say whether these riders made any changes to their food intake.

    This seems, at least on the surface, to fly in the face of the conventional wisdom that one's diet matters far more than one's activity for weight loss. Either way, I think walking is respectable exercise, no matter why you do it.

    The problem with the so called conventional wisdom is that people assume that people will increase the amount they eat as they increase their activity. In a case like this, were people aren't really thinking about the fact they are increasing their activity, there's really no reason to think they'll change their habits, so their calorie intake stays about the same.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    edited June 2015
    When my kids were old enough to sit up, I started using a back pack to carry them in. My oldest had colic and was a very fussy baby. Using the back pack was the only way I could get anything done. When my second came along, I paid a baby sitter so I had time to work out, I needed it both mentally and physically. Walking helps me to stay strong, and have more flexibility to get needed nutrients while staying under a calorie count that allows me to loose weight. It also helps with my anxiety and depression.
  • Unknown
    edited June 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • Toadstool_
    Toadstool_ Posts: 120 Member
    edited June 2015
    Whilst walking won't have the same sort of benefits for weight as higher intensity workouts do, it has done me good. The bottom of my legs are toned and I can walk reasonable distances comfortably now. When I first started walking to work,I was a mess by the time I arrived, so it must have done my health good. I love walking, its the one time of day I get to just relax and enjoy the outdoors - good for relaxing too I think!