Hot tip for wobbly walkers or those that need frequent breaks!

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SkyMaiden007
SkyMaiden007 Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a hot tip for wobbly walkers and people who take a lot of breaks. We burn the same amount of energy walking 1 mile/km, no matter HOW fast or slow or how many breaks we take. Today, I walked/wobbled/lurched 2 km, it took me two hours because I stopped every so often. I logged it as 8 mins a km, so 2 km's would take 16 mins at 8 km a min.

So if you know the distance, you have walked- it doesnt matter how long it takes :)

Replies

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Cals per mile is 0.3*weight in lbs for walking
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Good job! It will get easier, keep it up!!
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    Exactly! Take your time if you have to, just don't NOT do it!
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Actually moving faster raises your heart rate and burns more calories. I have had my heart rate into the 120's buring 7 calories a minute on a hike where I might only burn 2.5-3 per minute with my heart rate in the mid to upper 80's at a more leisurely pace. That said it is better to walk slower for a longer period of time than to over exert yourself for a short period of time. As you get some weight off and get in better shape you will find yourself covering the distance more quickly and maybe wanting to go even farthur.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Actually moving faster raises your heart rate and burns more calories.

    Calorie expenditure isn't driven from Heart Rate. Calories expended are a function of distance and mass. Up to about 5mph the approximation above is pretty accurate, from 5mph you'd transition to running, so a different approximation would apply that roughly doubles calorie expenditure.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Actually moving faster raises your heart rate and burns more calories.

    Calorie expenditure isn't driven from Heart Rate. Calories expended are a function of distance and mass. Up to about 5mph the approximation above is pretty accurate, from 5mph you'd transition to running, so a different approximation would apply that roughly doubles calorie expenditure.

    ^ Truth.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    Uhhh? If i go for a walk, or run both for 1 hour my calorie burn is much greater for the run.

    I'm not knocking walking. Yes, get out there. But don't imply that an Olympic runner is burning the same you do walking the same time or distance.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Elise4270 wrote: »
    Uhhh? If i go for a walk, or run both for 1 hour my calorie burn is much greater for the run.

    I'm not knocking walking. Yes, get out there. But don't imply that an Olympic runner is burning the same you do walking the same time or distance.

    I don't think there is any suggestion that's what's implied. I have a lot of sympathy for what the originator describes. Mobility issues are horribly disruptive, they slow everything down and it's difficult to manage remaining in condition. It's also pretty difficult for partners when someone is limited in their mobility.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I think it's great that you are walking. It's excellent for your body, mind, mood, nervous system. I read a very good book that you might like. The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge. One of the chapters talks about a man that copes very well with his Parkinson's disease with walking. And he talks about his process of getting better at walking while dealing with the challenges he faces. I'm sorry you went through that. Good for you for dealing with it so well.
  • SkyMaiden007
    SkyMaiden007 Posts: 25 Member
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    BinaryPulsar wrote: »
    I think it's great that you are walking. It's excellent for your body, mind, mood, nervous system. I read a very good book that you might like. The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge. One of the chapters talks about a man that copes very well with his Parkinson's disease with walking. And he talks about his process of getting better at walking while dealing with the challenges he faces. I'm sorry you went through that. Good for you for dealing with it so well.

    Thanks :)

    Well, it's been 13 years now, I certainly did not take it well at first!

    It's a bit of a long story, so I won't bore you with it.

    I have that book on my kindle, thanks for giving me the nudge to actually read it!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Elise4270 wrote: »
    Uhhh? If i go for a walk, or run both for 1 hour my calorie burn is much greater for the run.

    I'm not knocking walking. Yes, get out there. But don't imply that an Olympic runner is burning the same you do walking the same time or distance.

    The point is that is you walk for 1km, or run for 1km, the calorie burn is the same. The run will take much less time. You're talking about running or walking for an hour. In that hour you will have run a much greater distance than if you had walked.

    You're conflated time AND distance. The original point applies to distance only.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Actually running burns more calories per mile than walking.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited September 2016
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    @Alatariel75 @SkyMaiden007 the running formula is .63 x bw per mile while walking is .30 x bw per mile so actually the difference between walking and running is a lot but there is no difference between walking slow and walking fast.
  • sinbos
    sinbos Posts: 28 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I was always wondering why you use so much more energy running when you covering the same distance as when you walk. I mean you moving X mass over Y miles is running so much more ineficient? And if it is why has almost everyone a point where he just switch the gait?
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Elise4270 wrote: »
    Uhhh? If i go for a walk, or run both for 1 hour my calorie burn is much greater for the run.

    I'm not knocking walking. Yes, get out there. But don't imply that an Olympic runner is burning the same you do walking the same time or distance.

    Yes,that is because you can run further than you can walk in an hour.

    Someone who is very unfit or dealing with physical limitations gas to start somewhere. I can't run. I've been advised not to. I need low impact exercise because most of my weight bearing joints are knackered from 4 decades of undiagnosed hypermobility. Unless I gave an injury, I can walk for miles. I'm not going to not walk just because it's not as good as running. Better for me to get my heart rate up a little (not hard, as I live somewhere hilly) on a daily basis than to leave myself permanently disabled and in worse pain thsn I already deal with.

    Yes, running is great for you. Someone who gets tired walking 200 m to the bus stop has much more basic fitness goals than you do. Don't sneer at them for working on them.
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
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    sinbos wrote: »
    I was always wondering why you use so much more energy running when you covering the same distance as when you walk. I mean you moving X mass over Y miles is running so much more ineficient? And if it is why has almost everyone a point where he just switch the gait?

    The difference is that your feet leave the ground when you run.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    sinbos wrote: »
    I was always wondering why you use so much more energy running when you covering the same distance as when you walk. I mean you moving X mass over Y miles is running so much more ineficient? And if it is why has almost everyone a point where he just switch the gait?

    There really is a difference between walking and running in terms of calories/mile, and it has to do with gait.

    In a walking gait, gravity is actually doing a lot of the work of moving you forwards. Walking is really a controlled fall - you tip yourself forward of the foot that is planted, and gravity is pulling your center of mass down and forward, then you use your other foot to catch yourself and repeat the cycle. In a running gait, all of the forward momentum you have must be achieved purely by your muscles, you aren't getting the gravity assist by pivoting forward on a planted foot.

    That said, walking at any speed is basically the same as walking at any other. OP, have you considered trekking poles? They are a great way to improve balance and stability, although I'm not sure how well they work for someone who has cerebellar damage, since it does mean you effectively have four limbs to coordinate instead of two.
  • SkyMaiden007
    SkyMaiden007 Posts: 25 Member
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    rankinsect wrote: »
    sinbos wrote: »
    I was always wondering why you use so much more energy running when you covering the same distance as when you walk. I mean you moving X mass over Y miles is running so much more ineficient? And if it is why has almost everyone a point where he just switch the gait?

    There really is a difference between walking and running in terms of calories/mile, and it has to do with gait.

    In a walking gait, gravity is actually doing a lot of the work of moving you forwards. Walking is really a controlled fall - you tip yourself forward of the foot that is planted, and gravity is pulling your center of mass down and forward, then you use your other foot to catch yourself and repeat the cycle. In a running gait, all of the forward momentum you have must be achieved purely by your muscles, you aren't getting the gravity assist by pivoting forward on a planted foot.

    That said, walking at any speed is basically the same as walking at any other. OP, have you considered trekking poles? They are a great way to improve balance and stability, although I'm not sure how well they work for someone who has cerebellar damage, since it does mean you effectively have four limbs to coordinate instead of two.

    Yep, I have tried them. As you predicted, it makes things much harder.
  • melodysf10
    melodysf10 Posts: 35 Member
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    Sounds like you are doing great. Keep up the good work!

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