Does walking actually help?

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olivia_roland
olivia_roland Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I've heard a lot of pros and cons to the whole "walking to lose weight" discussion. I know walking has a lot of health benefits, but has anyone actually lost a decent amount of weight by walking? I love walking outside. The fresh air is great and it makes me feel better. But a lot of people have told me that cardio is pointless and I'm just really confused.

Help please. Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I don't understand why someone would say cardio is "pointless." It increases the number of calories you burn in a day, it increases your fitness, many people enjoy it (like you say you do), and studies have linked it to other benefits like improved mood and focus. Some people find that it helps regulate their appetite.

    Walking, by itself, isn't going to make you lose weight. But if it helps you create a calorie deficit, then it can be part of your weight loss program and it is for many people here. And if you enjoy it in other ways, then it certainly isn't pointless.
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Pointless for building muscle probably. It depends on your goal. If your goals is to get 10/10 glutes cardio it's not the way. If you want just to up your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) I know a super fat guy who started with waddling around in his bed
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,986 Member
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    Women tend to over-emphasize cardio and not do strength training. That said, cardio's not pointless at all. After all, it benefits your cardiovascular system and having endurance is a good thing. I walk at lunch. I'm more productive at work in the afternoon. If I skipped walking at lunch, I doubt I'd feel like doing yoga and then going to the gym after work. Walking elevates my mood too, which leads to a positive upward spiral.

    So keep walking - but add in some strength training as well.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    Anyone that says cardio is pointless doesn't know what they are talking about and should be ignored. If you check out statistics on weight control, walking scores very high (maybe highest) on "habits of healthy weight people".
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    The majority of my aerobic activity was from walking, probably more than 90%, and I lost 100 lbs. I started out at a moderate speed of 3.0 mph, and I worked my way up to very, very brisk walking between 4.0 and 4.5 mph. I feel the main reason I did lose though was that I sustained a caloric deficit with very few exceptions for holidays and special occasions.
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
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    Eating less makes you lose weight (under TDEE).
    Doing physical activity makes you better.

    I find it better to just separate these two things out in your head and you will be much better off.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    No exercise will help you lose weight if you aren't eating right. Any exercise (including walking) will help you lose weight if you are. It's that simple.
  • Eau_Rouge
    Eau_Rouge Posts: 7 Member
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    Walking is Cardio...just at a steady pace.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
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    My main exercise was walking (~18 min/mile), then I built up to running (~11:30 min/mile). I've lost a little over 40 pounds since June, and I eat back most or all of my exercise calories. Walking/running is great not only to keep your deficit but in improving your mood and motivation. Racking up those extra calories makes me feel happy!

    I would definitely recommend getting good shoes though. And remember to stretch!
  • reddeament
    reddeament Posts: 51 Member
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    Can't say I have lost a decent amount of weight by walking - (down 5.3kg/11.6lb so far) I find my body reacts better to HIIT training (e.g. intervals on the treadmill). On weeks I only walked a lot but didn't do any HIIT I barely saw a difference in the scale.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,639 Member
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    Weight loss is based on calorie deficit. Walking for exercise can easily help to achieve that. Any exercise or physical activity will.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Walking is a great cardio exercise that if you get enough of will provide health benefits. The CDC says to get 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week and brisk walking fits the bill. They also say to get muscle strengthening activities 2x/week hitting all major muscles groups.

    However, if you want to lose weight, the focus should be on calories in vs calories out. You can create a deficit without doing any exercise. This isn't to say stop exercising, but exercising more isn't the answer either.

    I've lost 45lb, and do a combination of weight lifting, walking, and running (very little running outside of Ultimate). However, I only contribute ~10-20% of my weight loss to exercise at best (pretending I didn't eat back any exercise calories). In reality, my diet was set to lose weight regardless of if I exercised, and if I did, I just ate more.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Walking is one of the most recommended exercises ever. I don't know what "cons" you have heard. I've lost 125 pounds while walking and strength training. It's a great way to get started on exercise when you can't do much else, it can be done anywhere, anytime, and you can always improve your pace and thus the benefit.

    That said, my weight loss was due primarily to changes in the quantity and quality of food I eat. CICO. But it would not have happened without the exercise thrown in for additional burn and motivation.
  • olivia_roland
    olivia_roland Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone!!! I've lost about 10 lbs just from changing up my eating habits, so I feel like I'm on my way to getting that under control. I might research a strength routine that's easy for beginners and isn't time consuming (I'm a college student) I really appreciate all of the advice!!
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    When I first started 18 months ago I did not want to risk further stress on damaged knees and went with low impact aerobic activity - elliptical and walking. I lost 60 lbs. This is of course incorporated with caloric intake monitoring and increased physical activity.

    The pros/cons are pointless unless specifically tailored to your specific goals. Walking may be pointless to an Olympic biker, but very beneficial to a beginner on the path to wellness.
  • HM2206
    HM2206 Posts: 174 Member
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    I'd say walking makes the biggest difference for me. I go to Barry's Bootcamp a couple of days a week but the biggest difference is that I don't own a car and walk everywhere. I never log walking so it's just 'extra' calories burned and I'm so used to it I don't think about it.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Of course it does. It's good for your body and burns calories.
  • rlsmith326
    rlsmith326 Posts: 9 Member
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    I walk on my lunch break at work every day for about 20 minutes, and I've noticed in the two weeks doing it that my clothes are fitting looser, but no change on the scale yet.
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
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    Walking is great, but you need at least brisk pace to be able to consider it cardio. Idk who told you that cardio is useless but they are wrong. If you want to lose weight tho you need to do both cardio and weights, because you do not want your lost weight to be from your muscles. Cardio helps burn the fat, and weights help you build muscles (which then burn more calories).
  • Elsiebeane
    Elsiebeane Posts: 95 Member
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    olivia_roland wrote: »
    Ok, so I've heard a lot of pros and cons to the whole "walking to lose weight" discussion. I know walking has a lot of health benefits, but has anyone actually lost a decent amount of weight by walking? I love walking outside. The fresh air is great and it makes me feel better. But a lot of people have told me that cardio is pointless and I'm just really confused.

    Help please. Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

    Walking definitely helps. I started walking (around a parking lot at first) and worked my way up to 2 miles six days a week. The combination of eating better and walking lowered my cholesterol into "perfect" range. I still have a lot of weight to lose but I credit the walking with already improving my health.

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