walking vs running

I see a chiropractor and he discourages people from running.

Small world, I see an MD and he discourages people from seeing chiropractors...

^^This! :laugh: My doctor told me under no circumstances to let a chiropractor anywhere near my spine. I improved my spinal and hip issues with a combination of pilates, walking, karate and RUNNING. I have recently gone back to the latter. As long as you do it sensibly and build up slowly, and only if you want to, you should be fine. But you could always check with your doctor if you are concerned or have a health condition that might be relevant. My doctor is fine with me running and I have a fair bit of weight to lose. Running isn't for everyone though. Do what you enjoy :happy:

I started with walking and now I am running. Running is shaping my body better than walking ever did. I did have to be ready for running though and I was very scared to try it. Haha the first time I started running I fell flat on my face and scraped my knee. I fell again yesterday, hoping no one in town saw. Haha. Running was not right for me before, but it is right for me now as I am always trying to push myself. I liked walking a lot but when I was doing it a ton (I walked about 3 hours daily) but now I looove running because of the way it is making me feel. I can't get this feeling doing anything else really so I am hooked. Not to mention my butt and legs are stronger than ever before. I love running long distances.

Just reviewed what I've written below and its just my experience of running, I've never done any real distance walking or committed to it like I did with running. However my various bits of reading over the years agreed with that some of the earlier posts stating that your metabolism stays higher after a running that it does walking so you burn more overall (even though you burn the same just getting from A to .

I used to hate running. That burning in your lungs, aching knees/hips, stitches, cramps, the ability to run about a mile before collapsing in a sweaty, gasping heap on the floor. At the time I was over 16st/102kg (ideal weight being about 13.5st/85kg) and knew I needed to do something about it. Working shift ruling out team sports and no easy access to a gym, running seemed like the best option.

Each of those hates were very easily remedied. Eating right before a run, taking a water bottle with a salty squash drink nailed the stitches and the cramps for the best part. Perseverance on getting out for the first 4 or 5 times a week pushed me through the burning lungs and distance limit so after only a couple of weeks I was plodding out 5km without stopping (albeit quite slowly).

The issue of my knees and hips aching continued and was remedied by going to decent running shop (Runners Need - www.runnersneed.com for me) and having them analyse my running style and matching a pair of trainers to the way my legs and ankles moved. That worked up until I started running longer distances anything over 15km and my knee started having problems. A visit to a podiatrist (Horley Chiropody - www.podiatrics.co.uk) showed that I had one leg slightly shorter than the other and a pair of insoles corrected this.

The last hurdle was chaffed nipples (and love handles if I was carrying a little extra timber!) which was easily solved by wearing a Nike compress vest under my kit.

My entire investment up to running a half marathon was not much more than £300 over 3 years. But thats mostly because I have a wonky body, the normal folk will quarter that by just buying trainers and kit!)

Running for many years was great part of my life and when you can get out and run for 40 minutes to hours on a nice day its amazingly therapeutic and almost meditative and gave me time to allow my brain to process some pretty rubbish stuff in my personal and professional life. I came out fitter, slimmer, feeling better and with a very positive and motivated outlook.

Since started about 6 years ago, I've since run a few marathons and biathlons, dozens of half marathons and countless 10Ks. I've since moved to Dubai which isn't exactly runner friendly (unlike Richmond Park or the Thames Path in west London!) but I am acclimatising and rediscovering my love for it.

In summary (if anyone is actually still reading this!), the rewards of running were so great for me that it was worth investing time and a little money to get you past the first phase as the benefits of running over walking have been proven. Its like skiing, it might hurt for the first week but when you start finding your legs and you get fitted with the right kit for you, it can be magnificent!

Ultimately, runner or walker, they are both way better than doing nothing.

I like both walking and running. Walking for me is relaxing and burns more fat. I also run once or twice a week because it increases my overall fitness. So I would just do what feels right for you.

In what sense does it 'burn more fat'?

I like both walking and running. Walking for me is relaxing and burns more fat. I also run once or twice a week because it increases my overall fitness. So I would just do what feels right for you.

In what sense does it 'burn more fat'?

You burn more fat relative to glycogen when going for a walk, but what's important is total fat burn. At higher intensities, you are burning far more fat, even though the fat/glycogen ratio is lower.

Walk 5 miles - tiny fat burn
Jog 5 miles - large fat burn

Yeah, I know. That's more or less what I was flagging up.... There are so many myths in circulation about this on mfp.

It's totally a myth that running is bad for your joints! Running with poor form can certainly lead to injury (probably more than walking with poor form) but doing anything wrong can hurt you.

I'm a veterinary technician and I spend a lot of my free time at home gardening. Both of these activities are considerably harder on my knees than running (squatting, kneeling, lifting, etc.). Running is probably the best thing I do for my joints. It doesn't hurt them as much as my job and my hobby and I believe that it's making them stronger.

If you like walking, and you have the time for it, keep at it! You can certainly burn a lot of calories and, depending on your goals, you may be able to reach the level of fitness that you desire. I have a hard time walking fast. It's an unnatural motion to me and it hurts my back if I do it for too long. I can burn 1000 calories in an hour of running. It would take me 4 hours of walking to get that same burn! I just don't have that kind of time to devote to exercise.

You may burn more calories on the treadmill. No distractions, comfortable climate. Running will burn more calories in less time. Walking is more pleasant and you will have fewer injuries. I'd mix it up. Ask yourself what your goals are: Do you just want to lose weight? Do you want to be fit and be able to walk moderate to long distance? Do you want to be able to run some distance? Do you want to be able to run sprints?
If you choose "mix it up," you can rundown naughty children, run from muggers, enjoy longer walks on vacation without getting tired , dance for hours and get your luggage across the airport terminal without being exhausted. I'd mix it up.

I'm not an expert by any means but this is what I have found on the net while smurfing for info.

Walking burns more fat then running because you stay in the target fat burning zone.
Running burns more calories then walking because you go above the target zone and tax your body more.

Guess you can see which one you want. I do the walking right now but I also realize I have to do more of it then if I ran to get the calorie burn. But if the above that I have found is true then I will stay with walking because I want the fat gone first.

I can't even get my HR up high enough walking to get in the fat burning zone. Not even walking around 4.0 uphill.