Running or walking - which is best?
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Some people should never run... walking is good, you are cruising at a good clip... start a flexibility program, and start strengthening your legs... squats and lunges... high impact exercise like running can do more harm than good especially if you are carrying more than an extra 40 lbs... increasing your flexibility, and leg strength will prepare you for higher impact activity... work on the leg strength for 12 weeks then give a slow jog a go... if that hurts...wait until you are lighter and continue with the strength exercises1
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I reread and saw that you have a treadmill. I would recommend incline walking--start with the incline at 8-10% and pick a speed where you can maintain that grade without handrail support. In the beginning, you might have to do intervals where you lower the incline every few minutes to give yourself a break. This will allow you increase training intensity and calorie burn w/out the impact of running.
Can't agree with Azdak more. Put that treadmill to more use and do some incline walking. You already have the walking down. Incline walking does burn more calories than walking, works different muscles and is less stressful on the joints than running. I love running but my joints don't. So, I have to compromise and do more incline, less running to get a higher burn going.1 -
At 55 I would hazard a guess that you already have age related wear in your knee joints, especially if you've carried some extra weight for awhile.
It's not a 100% given, just a good possibility.
Personally I'd stick with the walking.1 -
I don't want to give the impression that someone over 50 should not be running. There is really no age limit. Whether or not to run is based more on fitness level, symptoms, etc. My advice to the OP was based on her report than running was causing pain. Being overweight does not automatically disqualify someone from running, but the impact can be too much for some people. Not being able to run now doesn't mean the person can never run. Incline walking has been my go-to exercise during times when I felt I was too heavy to run, coming back from an injury layoff, or maintaining a high-calorie burn during times when I could not run for a long duration.4
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I jog/walk, but walk more than jog. Understand that running compounds the impact on joints by 2-3 fold over walking. What's the most important thing IMO? Just burning calories doing either. Don't run if it hurts. You'll just exacerbate the issue.
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Wow, thank you for all the advice. There is a lot to think about.
I am 21lb away from my target weight and I have already lost 58lb over three years through healthy eating and walking. So as some of you state, I have been carrying extra weight around for a while.
I also have a nerve damaged leg/foot from a herniated l4/l5 discs in 2010 and with your comments about gait (I run in a very strange way as my damaged foot 'flaps') I had a lightbulb moment. I went to 'learn to walk' classes but not learn to run, so rolling my foot when running is difficult. The hip pain is on the opposite side so perhaps it is related to compensating for this problem?
Actually I am so grateful that I can even walk. Maybe I am attempting too much.
Looking back at my previous posts I have been puzzled by this for a while, I posted similar in 2013 :-)0 -
vespiquenn wrote: »Running is much better. Don't be afraid of hurting your knees or hips.... If you have problems like this it is probably because you didn't use them enough at the first place.... using them will reinforce them.
Holy hell, I've seen some bad advice in my years of being here, but this takes the cake.
OP, if you are interested in running, or even increasing walking for that matter, I first suggest getting fitted for the correct shoe. That means going to a run speciality shop where they look at your feet, gait, etc. Then they recommend the best shoe for your feet.
I agree with posters above that you could just be transitioning too soon. Although C25K is a great program, your joints still might not be up to the task. Increasing your walking, even increasing your walking speed, could assist getting there if running is your goal. But if you are only interested in calorie burn to aid in creating a calorie deficit, do the one that one have you left with injuries.
I agree with this.
OP, I'm your age and I also have two forms of arthritis. I eased into running very gradually and also waited until my weight was relatively low before I even dreamed of attempting it.
I took up water jogging first to build cardio endurance, and this was at a point where I was already walking 5 miles a day at a brisk 4 mph pace on a route that included hills.
When the weather cooled off after that, I figured the time had come. I went to a running store and had a gait analysis and got fitted for good running shoes and started C25K then.
As you can see, I had a lot more walking experience than you under my belt before I attempted running. You might want to consider slowing things down and taking a more measured approach. Running will still be there for you!
Edit: Just saw that you have medical issues with your gait. There is a woman I see out while I'm running who looks like she has a similar issue to you, and she's a runner. If I were you, I'd consult with a physical therapist before attempting to run and see what they have to say.3 -
Wow, thank you for all the advice. There is a lot to think about.
I am 21lb away from my target weight and I have already lost 58lb over three years through healthy eating and walking. So as some of you state, I have been carrying extra weight around for a while.
I also have a nerve damaged leg/foot from a herniated l4/l5 discs in 2010 and with your comments about gait (I run in a very strange way as my damaged foot 'flaps') I had a lightbulb moment. I went to 'learn to walk' classes but not learn to run, so rolling my foot when running is difficult. The hip pain is on the opposite side so perhaps it is related to compensating for this problem?
Actually I am so grateful that I can even walk. Maybe I am attempting too much.
Looking back at my previous posts I have been puzzled by this for a while, I posted similar in 2013 :-)
I would just walk for now, because sounds like running will cause pain and injury. However even with walking get good shoes and maybe even insoles if you haven't already. Running stores can look at your running gate and help you find shoes that will work best for you... even if you don't end up running, its good to know which shoes work for you.0 -
One thing that I don't see that was mentioned regarding running requirements are strong hips.
Most of us who live sedentary lives have weak hips.
Weak hips fail to stabilize your vertical ax while you run and your legs swing too much in the lateral/left-right direction - that is disaster for knees.
I think that the smartest way to approach to running is to build up enough hip strength before continuing with running.
The main muscles that you want to activate are hip abductors, specially the Gluteus Medius.
Here are few exercises that are used to activate hip abductors:
1.) Side leg raises
Be sure that the raised leg is push a bit back to activate Gluteus Medius (you should feel the burn in that area).
2.) Standing hip abduction
3.) Clamshell
4.) Hip hike
Here you have much more exercises explained in details.
If you are into yoga poses like tree, half moon, side plank, warrior 3 and similar balancing poses are great to build hip strength.3 -
well I love all those reply back! Can u add me as a friend please my name Julieann Hutchens but my user name isGottaBurnEmAll wrote: »vespiquenn wrote: »Running is much better. Don't be afraid of hurting your knees or hips.... If you have problems like this it is probably because you didn't use them enough at the first place.... using them will reinforce them.
Holy hell, I've seen some bad advice in my years of being here, but this takes the cake.
OP, if you are interested in running, or even increasing walking for that matter, I first suggest getting fitted for the correct shoe. That means going to a run speciality shop where they look at your feet, gait, etc. Then they recommend the best shoe for your feet.
I agree with posters above that you could just be transitioning too soon. Although C25K is a great program, your joints still might not be up to the task. Increasing your walking, even increasing your walking speed, could assist getting there if running is your goal. But if you are only interested in calorie burn to aid in creating a calorie deficit, do the one that one have you left with injuries.
I agree with this.
OP, I'm your age and I also have two forms of arthritis. I eased into running very gradually and also waited until my weight was relatively low before I even dreamed of attempting it.
I took up water jogging first to build cardio endurance, and this was at a point where I was already walking 5 miles a day at a brisk 4 mph pace on a route that included hills.
When the weather cooled off after that, I figured the time had come. I went to a running store and had a gait analysis and got fitted for good running shoes and started C25K then.
As you can see, I had a lot more walking experience than you under my belt before I attempted running. You might want to consider slowing things down and taking a more measured approach. Running will still be there for you!
Edit: Just saw that you have medical issues with your gait. There is a woman I see out while I'm running who looks like she has a similar issue to you, and she's a runner. If I were you, I'd consult with a physical therapist before attempting to run and see what they have to say.
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can u add me as a friend my user name is hutchensjulieann19880
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antennachick wrote: »First that was an example, I said do what works for her.
Second I said "I" based on what I know 'I' burn the same amount running or walking...I guess I don't run fast enough to reach your stated amount of twice the calories.
I feel like I'm the same way. Equipment always estimates my calorie burn to be within 100 cals regardless if I walk or run. Naturally I run for the sake of cardio and tend to do walks for the peace and quiet but it was always weird to me.1 -
vespiquenn wrote: »Running is much better. Don't be afraid of hurting your knees or hips.... If you have problems like this it is probably because you didn't use them enough at the first place.... using them will reinforce them.
Holy hell, I've seen some bad advice in my years of being here, but this takes the cake.
Well, believe what you want. Some people are just afraid to be afraid.
When I had pain to my elbows, the recommendation from the physician/osteopath was NOT to avoid using them, but to train them *despite the pain*. And quickly to more intense effort.
Same parallel here.
So yes starting moderately and increasing / intensity.
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vespiquenn wrote: »Running is much better. Don't be afraid of hurting your knees or hips.... If you have problems like this it is probably because you didn't use them enough at the first place.... using them will reinforce them.
Holy hell, I've seen some bad advice in my years of being here, but this takes the cake.
Well, believe what you want. Some people are just afraid to be afraid.
When I had pain to my elbows, the recommendation from the physician/osteopath was NOT to avoid using them, but to train them *despite the pain*. And quickly to more intense effort.
Same parallel here.
So yes starting moderately and increasing / intensity.
So lets say you have a stress fracture in your leg. Would you continue to "work through the pain"? Good luck to you.2 -
vespiquenn wrote: »Running is much better. Don't be afraid of hurting your knees or hips.... If you have problems like this it is probably because you didn't use them enough at the first place.... using them will reinforce them.
Holy hell, I've seen some bad advice in my years of being here, but this takes the cake.
Well, believe what you want. Some people are just afraid to be afraid.
When I had pain to my elbows, the recommendation from the physician/osteopath was NOT to avoid using them, but to train them *despite the pain*. And quickly to more intense effort.
Same parallel here.
So yes starting moderately and increasing / intensity.
When I had issues with my knee, my physical therapist also encouraged me to continue running due to the injury I had, at a set speed and only on a treadmill.
..but see the difference in these stories between OP's situation? A professional was involved. To tell someone to run through pain is horrible and reckless advice.2 -
..but see the difference in these stories between OP's situation? A professional was involved. To tell someone to run through pain is horrible and reckless advice.
No it is not, and keep your little moralizing for yourself. There is pain and Pain. Sometimes, it takes courage to go to the next step and it is NOT by being afraid of pain.4 -
..but see the difference in these stories between OP's situation? A professional was involved. To tell someone to run through pain is horrible and reckless advice.
No it is not, and keep your little moralizing for yourself. There is pain and Pain. Sometimes, it takes courage to go to the next step and it is NOT by being afraid of pain.
And how do you know the difference of OP's pain through a simplified discription and I'm assuming a lack of medical background?
So yep, still reckless, no matter how you weakly try to rationalize.
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vespiquenn wrote: »
So yep, still reckless, no matter how you weakly try to rationalize.
So yep, still zero courage, no matter how you weakly try to rationalize.
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antennachick wrote: »First that was an example, I said do what works for her.
As the originator is using C25K she's already using an interval training methodology. I take it you're not familiar with the plan? In the first couple of weeks the running intervals are in the realms of 60-90 seconds.Second I said "I" based on what I know 'I' burn the same amount running or walking...I guess I don't run fast enough to reach your stated amount of twice the calories.
The formulae I stated are the standards, and based on the physics as well as sports science research. Fortunately running and walking are very well understood from a research perspective given the ease of testing.
Mechanical efficiency of running is very different to that of walking, hence the significantly higher energy expenditure.
Can I ask what you're measuring your calorie expenditure using? That would help understand why you think that your walking is so inefficient.1 -
Purely for calorie burn, I find walking preferable because I can do it longer, do multiple sessions, do it intermittently for short periods of time, do it randomly around the house, don't need to recover as much...etc. The low impact nature of it and the flexibility makes it ideal for me in terms of calorie burn. I do run too, though. Once you are at a certain fitness level you can create greater burns through running. I can burn in one hour of continuous running (which only happens once a week) what would take me 3 or more hours to burn walking. I also like the impact part of it because it's good for my bones in the long run and the aerobic fitness and mood boost I get from it, and it doesn't hurt that I actually enjoy it.
You mentioned back pain. Are you doing any strength exercises? Back pain can make your muscles compensate in odd ways creating weaknesses and imbalances.
It's your choice, really. You don't have to run if you don't see a value in it for you, personally, or if you believe you wouldn't be able to sustain it. But if you choose to go for it, I strongly suggest adding strength to your routine and slowing your runs way down for starters.
ETA: just read you have structural issues. I would very strongly recommend working with a professional to see if running is something you should be attempting at this point in the first place. It doesn't necessarily mean you will never be allowed to run (although in some cases that's sadly what happens), but you may get a "no" now and a "yes" after a while of certain drills and exercises. If you want something more gradual than C25k you could start with a simple run/walk conditioning plan that starts you with only 5 seconds of running at a time.
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/conditioning-program-word.doc
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