Has anyone had success with walking for exercise?

dbrightwell1270 wrote: »

My total weight loss is 130 pounds. I've completed one marathon and half marathons in 10 states. I lost most of my weight by walking and have gone back to doing walking just recently. I like walking because I can do it daily without needing much recovery time. When I run I need a day (or two off) to recover from it. On a typical day, I walk 20 minutes to a bus stop on the way to work (it isn't the closest bus stop to my house) take 2-3 ten-minute walks during work breaks and then walk another 20 minutes home from the bus stop. If my work schedule doesn't correspond with the bus schedule, I walk a few blocks away from the bus terminal and catch the bus on its route rather than at the transfer center. Typically the walking amounts to 4-6 miles a day. It works out better for me than going to a gym because I incorporate the exercise into my day. I spend 70-90 minutes walking. Forty of those minutes are getting to/from work and add about 30 minutes to my total commute. In exchange for adding 30 minutes to my commute, I avoid 20 minutes of getting to a gym another 20 minutes of getting home from a gym and an hour of drooling on a treadmill while wishing I wasn't at the gym.

Sassenach1017 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone out there, has had a successful weight loss with walking? I started walking at the beginning of June, it is my main form of exercise. I was planning on incorporating some running. I have been faithful using my fitbit, and trying to get 10,000 step a day. I would love to see some before and after weight loss pics.

I started with walking and it is still the majority of my excersise (I can walk to work, takes just under an hour). My original goal was to walk a long distance path called the Great Glen Way in Scotland, which I did last year. This year I walked the Hadrian Wall Path in England, which is a little further but a lot harder due to the crags.
Neither I could have done when I first started my MFP journey.
Let me assure you walking round 150 km (also daily to and from the path to B&B included) within one week with a daypack and over quite steep hills is a great form of excersise

I started with a water aerobics class because of back issues, then started walking in addition. Yes, it works.
about 20 lb less than my highest:


at 100 lb gone:

sure its great, but try to go up and hills and fast and then slow, etc.

shizmcnally wrote: »

Woops! Here's my before and after!

Not sure what it is but you really remind me of Hillary Swank in P.S. I Love You. Great Job!

I found you can burn more calories in shorter distances walking fast than running. It simply takes longer. I cannot run any longer due to some previous back injuries and nerve damage but I'm down 80 lbs today thanks to MFP calorie deficit and walking up to 4 miles a day (started at 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 miles a day). Not ready for pics just yet but will take some maybe in the spring. That's all since February 2015 by the way.

queenliz99 wrote: »

MsElphaba wrote: »

I work for an orthopedic surgeon and every day he tells people that walking is good for the heart but bad for the knees. While it provides a cardio burn, it does nothing for strengthening your legs. You'd be better off on a bike or an elliptical.

Oh my fricken stars! Are you kidding me? We've been walking on two feet for millions of years and now we have to ride a bike or use a elliptical because of some supposed expert. Not buying it.

Isn't walking considered a weight bearing exercise that helps prevent osteoporosis? I've heard that running can be tough on the knees but never walking.

My main thing is walking too. I have a big daft dog that I love spending time with outdoors. Since getting a garmin vivosmart I've definitely sped up and I beat 10,000 steps a day easily but have never done more than 16k.

I've got osteoarthritis in my knees that's improving - not sure if it's due to weight loss (not that much lost yet tbh) or just improved muscles supporting my dodgy knees.

I'll never be a runner but I've started to add some wii workouts as I worry that I'm overexercising the dog!

I want to do a big walk one day, like the Pennine Way or Camino de Compostella.

shizmcnally wrote: »

Woops! Here's my before and after!

Wow Girl that's amazing! !

I have been using walking as my main form of exercise for about 5 months. I now walk from 2.5 to 4 miles a days and I have lost 55 lbs since I began using MFP back in March

queenliz99 wrote: »

MsElphaba wrote: »

I work for an orthopedic surgeon and every day he tells people that walking is good for the heart but bad for the knees. While it provides a cardio burn, it does nothing for strengthening your legs. You'd be better off on a bike or an elliptical.

Oh my fricken stars! Are you kidding me? We've been walking on two feet for millions of years and now we have to ride a bike or use a elliptical because of some supposed expert. Not buying it.

Not buying it either, with the caveat that most of our ancestors were not overweight and most of us are, which does put extra stress on the knees.

Sassyk35 wrote: »

shizmcnally wrote: »

Woops! Here's my before and after!

Wow Girl that's amazing! !

Thank you!

Wow. Come back to the boards for the first time in over a year and instantyl have to defend myself.

A. I am not an expert. I work for one.

B. On a daily we see people, many of whom are overweight, with knee pain. Some have a healthier weight. He always asks the patient what they do for exercise and many times we hear walking, whether it be 1-2 to several miles, daily or several times a week.

For patient's with non-arthritic knees (and no other acute injury) he does not say no walking , but he does encourage exercises that strengthen the quadriceps, particularly the VMO (vastus medialis obliquus) or the inner part of the quad muscle group. Strong quads help support and lift the knee joint, and the VMO in particular helps lift the patella off the femur to keep it from grinding and wearing down causing patellofemoral pain or chondromalacia.

Want to walk for exercise? Have at it! Just balance it out with some simple straight leg raisies and other quad strengthening exercises. Having some knee pain? Re-think the walking.

Most of us are here because we are carrying extra weight. That is extra pressure on your knees each time your feet strike the ground. You only get one set of your own natural knees, and knee replacements are a tough road to recover from, not to mention getting a TKA before 60 will probably not last your lifetime leading to the need for revisions. Why not take care of the set you have?

Finally. I repeat, I am NOT an expert. I am just someone who sees a lot of people in pain everyday and have the distinct privilege of working for a man who has been practicing for 29 years, cared for our local professional, college, and high school athletes, and considers a conservative approach over the surgical one whenever possible.

So, with that, I guess I will run away from the boards again until this experience has faded away.

I lost around 5 stone through walking a lot of miles, just passed 3000 miles since I start logging in August 2014.

My initial workings was I needed to loose 500 calories from diet every day, so I dropped them as best I could. Without weighing everything it was never going to be entirely accurate. So i added walking, after doing some research (albeit 10 minutes googling) I should be doing around 3 miles a day before doing anything else - I work from home so there isn't too much walking involved. At the time of starting a mile (according to my logging app) was about 100 calories (its not that now), so I decided I needed to do 8 miles a day to keep on top of things.

That worked out a couple of miles in the morning taking the little people to school, 4 miles at lunchtime and then some more in the evening. Normally smashing the 8 miles per day.

I now do about 6-8 miles per day - other workouts have been added at lunchtime. I do need to increase it though as I have a goal of 3,000 miles for this year.

So it can be done and it can be infectious to other around you.

Walking is one of the most underestimated "exercises". I did a reverse "freshman 15" (although I lost more than 15) my first semester at college & have kept the habit since. Helps prevent osteoporosis as well