Walking/Jogging Questions. Help please. :O

MzPix · July 2011

Hi there.
I'm kind of new here, so I'm sorry if this topic is a rerun.
I don't know really how to phrase my questions, but here goes my best attempt:

Question #1
I look over the cardio choices (here on mfp) and I see that up to 5.0mph qualifies as "walking" and faster than 5.0mph qualifies as "jogging."
I am 5'2" tall, with short legs, and weigh almost 240 pounds.
By the time I hit about a 4.0 I am actually having to jog.
Am I doing something wrong or is this normal for people my height or weight?
If I put the treadmill on a 5.0 and attempted to only walk without jogging, I would fly off it (and probably land in a quite embarrassing position!)

Question #2
I've noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned walking 1 mile and calories burned jogging 1 mile. But when I jog, it shoots my heart rate up dramatically more than walking. I sweat more. I breathe harder.
Am I just making it rougher on my body if I'm burning about the same amount of calories? Is there any benefit to jogging rather than walking each mile besides getting the workout done more quickly?

Question #3
I've also noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned for a 240 pound woman jogging 1 mile and calories burned for a 110 pound woman jogging 1 mile. It seems somehow logical to me that carrying that extra 130 pounds during a jog would have to burn more calories. Am I wrong in assuming this?

Sorry for all the complicated questions and thank you in advance to anyone who can provide some answers.
Obviously if I had this sort of knowledge under my belt I wouldn't need to ask, but since I'm confused, I thought I'd seek out help and answers from others who do understand the information.

Thanks again!

beccau_20 · July 2011

Hi there.
I'm kind of new here, so I'm sorry if this topic is a rerun.
I don't know really how to phrase my questions, but here goes my best attempt:

Question #1
I look over the cardio choices (here on mfp) and I see that up to 5.0mph qualifies as "walking" and faster than 5.0mph qualifies as "jogging."
I am 5'2" tall, with short legs, and weigh almost 240 pounds.
By the time I hit about a 4.0 I am actually having to jog.
Am I doing something wrong or is this normal for people my height or weight?
If I put the treadmill on a 5.0 and attempted to only walk without jogging, I would fly off it (and probably land in a quite embarrassing position!)

Question #2
I've noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned walking 1 mile and calories burned jogging 1 mile. But when I jog, it shoots my heart rate up dramatically more than walking. I sweat more. I breathe harder.
Am I just making it rougher on my body if I'm burning about the same amount of calories? Is there any benefit to jogging rather than walking each mile besides getting the workout done more quickly?

Question #3
I've also noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned for a 240 pound woman jogging 1 mile and calories burned for a 110 pound woman jogging 1 mile. It seems somehow logical to me that carrying that extra 130 pounds during a jog would have to burn more calories. Am I wrong in assuming this?

Sorry for all the complicated questions and thank you in advance to anyone who can provide some answers.
Obviously if I had this sort of knowledge under my belt I wouldn't need to ask, but since I'm confused, I thought I'd seek out help and answers from others who do understand the information.

Thanks again!

Question #1 - No, it's not just you. I practically have to jog at 4.0 as well. Everyone has a different gait. My advice to you is to walk comfortably within your gait on an incline, rather than quickly walking on a level surface (if walking is what you're going for).

Question #2 - I'm unsure about this because I don't have enough knowledge. I can tell you from my experience that my heartrate does the same thing UNLESS I am walking on an incline. My heartrate walking on an incline and running are then pretty similar and I walk at a 3.0, incline of 5 or higher depending on the treadmill. Also, I feel like running is tougher on my body, so I prefer walking.

Question #3 - Again, just from my experience, yes there is a idfference depending on age and weight. Last tip: try a manual setting on the treadmill to enter your age and weight and you should be able to get more accurate calorie readings.

Hope these help... just from my experience

)

wonnder1 · July 2011

I was the same. Your legs aren't as short as you think. I used to not hit 3.5 before having to run. My sister finally pointed out that I took 3 strides for every 1 of hers.

So try taking longer steps, it takes some getting used to, but it also stretches your legs and makes that burning you sometimes get in the bottom of your feet stop.

mfreeby · July 2011

Question 2: Think of the speed it will take you to run vs. walk. If you walk a mile, it'll take about 20 minutes, if you run, it'll take about 10 (maybe, rough estimates). So if you go out for a 20 minute walk, you'll burn say 200 calories (or less) and if you go for a 20 minute run, you'll burn say 300-350 (I'm ballparking here without actually checking), so running is worthwhile because it's more bang for your buck!

I need to run (I'm 5'3) at 5.0 as well.

Question 3: You definitely will burn more but I think mfp estimates on the higher end and if you burn more than you actually log, it's a bonus! You can always get a HR monitor if you think necessary.

Pebble321 · July 2011

I was the same. Your legs aren't as short as you think. I used to not hit 3.5 before having to run. My sister finally pointed out that I took 3 strides for every 1 of hers.

So try taking longer steps, it takes some getting used to, but it also stretches your legs and makes that burning you sometimes get in the bottom of your feet stop.

Be careful with longer steps - I've read that you don't want to be taking such long strides that you are landing on your heels, that you are better to aim to land on the ball of your foot, then "roll" forward and push off with your toes.

To the OP: don't stress about speed, just go at a pace that is comfortable for you and as you get more miles under your belt you will be get more strength and endurance and then you can worry about speed.

pipthegirl · July 2011

Hmm. I'm 5'3 and at the height of my physical fitness, I'd run marathons at about a 9 minute mile. I walked an average of 3 - 4 miles an hour and I'd bike at about 16 miles an hour.

I'm about a 60/40 split in terms of legs/torso length.

Does that answer your questions at all? I'm not really sure I understand it, honestly.

srp2011 · July 2011

I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll take a stab at some. I'm 5'0" and find that I have to start jogging at 3.5-4.0. I have seen short women who are able to speed walk at the pace that I'm jogging, but they have incredibly fast leg turnover - for me, jogging is just more comfortable at that speed. Do what works for you.

As for calories burned, when you look at it by time, the amount of calories you burn in 30 min walking vs jogging can be pretty dramatic. The amount burned per mile probably isn't much different, because going back to physics which was never my forte, calories burned is related to work, which is mass times distance, so whether you run or walk, you are doing an equivalent amount of work moving the same mass over the same distance. However, the goal should be engaging in cardio exercise for a set amount of time, rather than distance, so your calorie burn is going to be higher jogging than walking during that time.

Based on the physics principle above, a 240 pound person should burn more calories over the same distance compared to a 110 pound person. In theory. I would have thought that would show up in the calorie counters - it always seems like my taller friends burn more calories doing essentially the same activity as I do, and good exercise machines ask for your weight to help figure your calorie expenditure, so I have no explanation for why this isn't showing up when you do comparisons. Maybe the difference isn't really all that big.

elliecolorado · July 2011

Hi there.
I'm kind of new here, so I'm sorry if this topic is a rerun.
I don't know really how to phrase my questions, but here goes my best attempt:

Question #1
I look over the cardio choices (here on mfp) and I see that up to 5.0mph qualifies as "walking" and faster than 5.0mph qualifies as "jogging."
I am 5'2" tall, with short legs, and weigh almost 240 pounds.
By the time I hit about a 4.0 I am actually having to jog.
Am I doing something wrong or is this normal for people my height or weight?
If I put the treadmill on a 5.0 and attempted to only walk without jogging, I would fly off it (and probably land in a quite embarrassing position!)

Question #2
I've noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned walking 1 mile and calories burned jogging 1 mile. But when I jog, it shoots my heart rate up dramatically more than walking. I sweat more. I breathe harder.
Am I just making it rougher on my body if I'm burning about the same amount of calories? Is there any benefit to jogging rather than walking each mile besides getting the workout done more quickly?

Question #3
I've also noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned for a 240 pound woman jogging 1 mile and calories burned for a 110 pound woman jogging 1 mile. It seems somehow logical to me that carrying that extra 130 pounds during a jog would have to burn more calories. Am I wrong in assuming this?

Sorry for all the complicated questions and thank you in advance to anyone who can provide some answers.
Obviously if I had this sort of knowledge under my belt I wouldn't need to ask, but since I'm confused, I thought I'd seek out help and answers from others who do understand the information.

Thanks again!

I think that the speed is what really matters. I have always heard that walking/running a mile will burn pretty much the same amount of calories, if you burn 100 calories walking a mile in 20 minutes you will also burn 100 calories running a mile in 10 minutes. The difference is that if you run it is usually faster so you would burn 200 calories in 20 minutes of running cause you'd do 2 miles instead of 1 mile in that 20 minutes. I walk/run with an HRM and that is pretty much accurate I tend to personally burn 130 calories a mile I just burn them faster when I run.

I would also suggest getting an HRM to get a more accurate estimate of the calories you are burning.

And as far as walking/running I haven't seen a huge difference in the number of calories burned when I first got my HRM I weighed about 30lbs more than I do now and was burning about 140 calories/mile now I burn 130. Although there is some difference in the amount of calories burned it hasn't been a huge difference. So while someone weighing 240 will burn more than someone who weighs 110 I don't think that it is a huge difference.

Not sure if that made sense, but I hope it helps

tljacob · July 2011

Hello.

I think your quesitons are great and I had similar ones when I started. I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Overall, I have to say the best way to get accurate calorie counts is to get a Heart Rate monitor that counts calories based on your height, weight, and Heart rate limits. A monitor with a chest strap is going to be more accurate. I have a Polar F4. When I first got it, I was nervous about the chest strap interfering or being a neusance during my workouts - NOT the case. Now, I feel bare without it on! Anyways, to your questions:

Question 1: At 5'3", a 4.0 is a light jog and a 5.0 is a quick jog. Every person is going to have different leg strides; thus, will have different walk/jog settings at each mph. Work at your own pace! Attempting to walk at a pace you should jog will only cause injury. So for your height and weight, I think this is normal.

Question 2 &3: Anytime your heart rate (HR) is elevated, you are buring more calories. Hence, the importance of cardio is to get your heart rate up over a period of time (say 30 minutes). Anyways, jogging is going to increase your HR and, thus, will increase the amount of calories you burn. HOWEVER, elevating your HR too high will cause over exersion and reduce your calorie burn.
Also, for your height and weight, you may be putting more strain on your muscles and joints when you jog - which can lead to costly and painful injuries (especially knees, hips, and ankles from the pounding of your body with the added gravity on a hard surface).

Since you are completing your exercise on a treadmill, it may be easier and more beneficial to you to adjust the incline while walking at a steady pace to get your HR up to a good calorie burn level. When I first started, I did incline intervals. This consists of walking at an incline (on my treadmill a 5-6 incline) for 2 minutes and walking without incline for 3 minutes - this continued for 40 minutes and burned approximately 400 calories. [now my inclines are 10-12 for 2 min and a 5 for 3 min] Interval training is a great cardio workout because it gets your heart rate up then allows for rest - which helps build endurance. So yes, the only benefit of jogging over walking is getting your workout done quicker.

Hope this helps a little. Please don't ever be afraid to ask questions. Best of luck on your journey.

wonnder1 · July 2011

Be careful with longer steps - I've read that you don't want to be taking such long strides that you are landing on your heels, that you are better to aim to land on the ball of your foot, then "roll" forward and push off with your toes.

Fair enough. If you go with too long a stride it's not only uncomfortable, it makes you lose balance. It's kind of my gauge. But I was taking such short strides that my hips actually hurt when I walked, I'd convinced myself because I was short it was my natural gait.

sooh2011 · July 2011

Question #2
I've noticed very little difference (on various sites) between calories burned walking 1 mile and calories burned jogging 1 mile. But when I jog, it shoots my heart rate up dramatically more than walking. I sweat more. I breathe harder.
Am I just making it rougher on my body if I'm burning about the same amount of calories? Is there any benefit to jogging rather than walking each mile besides getting the workout done more quickly?

This is all about the difference in time it takes to compete the mile. Imagine 2 people travelling a mile - one jogging, one running. The jogger should finish first....so her work out is over....she worked hard, so burned XXX calories. The walker keeps going for another XX minutes so is burning calories for longer. When they've both done their mile, the calories are the same.

MzPix · July 2011

Thank you all very much for all the answers. It's very helpful to get different points of view and learn new things from various people. It's comforting to know that others jog at lower speeds as well. It looks like maybe as I tune up my fitness skills I might want to tune up my math and science skills as well! lol
Thanks again for all the helpful information, and others please feel free to offer insight as well.

I'm also looking for friends here on MFP. I don't talk a lot here but those who have friended me are extremely motivating for me when I see them pop up on my homepage with their successes, workouts, etc.

Thanks all!

Walking/Jogging Questions. Help please. :O

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