Walking is it effective

M

mariah0803

Cathlete
Hi I have a quick question I have been walking as my form of cardio. On average my heart rate stays at about 75% and when I do the hills it goes to about 87% so on average it stays between 75% and 85%. Is walking going to help with fat loss or do I need to start back stepping with Cathe. I just havent been able to tolerate stepping because of shin splints and flat feet. I do get correct shoes it is just that my body cant handle it. Any feedback would be very much appreciated.


Thanks
 
We just had a Fitness Expect come in & talk to us here at work at one of our Training/Health Classes.
He mentioned that Walking actually burned more fat/calories than running. Surprising to me...

Can anyone else give any feedback regarding this? I would love this to be true since running is too hard on my knees and I would like to switch things up w/ Cathe once in a while.

Take Care ~

"Today is a Gift, Have Fun"

~Jennifer~

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I wonder why Cathe never suggests walking in her rotations.

I also think that perhaps when "they" say walking burns more calories than running, they mean haul-a$$ walking, not the strolling along you see a lot in the neighborhood.

Back when I was running regularly, I once ran a 5K and was beat by a woman who walked the entire way. She walked faster than I ran! How discouraging is that - LOL!

Susan L.G.
 
I think walking and running burn the same amount of calories as far as distance is concerned. You just get there quicker running. I love to run but I think walking is also a good form of exercise. DH walks everyday. He's not a speed walker but he is getting a cardio w/out.
LD
 
>I think walking and running burn the same amount of calories
>as far as distance is concerned. You just get there quicker
>running.
Exactly!

For cardiovascular benefits, however, running is better for the heart. Walking does not elevate your heart rate as well as running.
 
I walk fast....I usually walk a mile in 9 minutes....expect last night when I had to push my daughter in the stroller....she was 40 pounds and the stroller i dont know how much it weighs but I always walk slower when having to push that stroller. I need to get a jogging stroller maybe that would help....
 
Walking does burn fat .. so does running .. but to get an effective burn out of walking it has got to be fast!! Not strolling ..

Walking is SO MUCH better on your joints . . so if that is an issue .. stick to walking and concentrate on upping your speed and varying your track (adding hills etc) ..

.. a good way to up your speed is keep your stride shorter and concentrate on heel - toe .. heel - toe ...pushing off hard and fast .. keep your hips pointing straight forward and pump your arms in rhythm to your stride .. keep your body upright and shoulders back (think good posture).. speed walking .. using this method is actually harder than running .. and will burn mega calories!!!

I did a speed walking class last night .. and people are always amazed at how hard it is .. it burns the crap out of your butt and hamstrings .. and you get as winded as if you were running!!

Hope this helps .. :7
 
You can also try loading a backpack up with books or something heavy to increase the cardio workout. Just make sure you don't put too much weight and strain on your back.
 
I've been walking my dogs 45 minutes to an hour every morning (except when we were in the deep freeze)... and I certainly feel like I'm getting exercise! Granted, I don't get as sweaty or breathe as hard as when I run, but there's no way I could run for an hour straight (30 mins is usually max running time for me). Plus, the fact that walking is soooo much easier on your joints... which I'd like to have working for me when I get older! (BTW I saw a blurb in NY magazine where Billie Jean King said her knees were basically shot... that's something you need to consider when you're doing a lot of high impact, twisty, turnny, type cardio)
 
I think walking, along with a decent diet, is effective for fat loss. Barring my teen years, I was at my fittest as far as looks when I was walking at least an hour a day pushing a heavy, triplet stroller.

I lost around 8 pounds doing Basic Step in Jan and hit a plateau in Feb of this year. So, I changed things up and added in more brisk walking, interval walking/jogging and Barre workouts in March. I don't know if it's from the walking, but I've lost a pound already and my thighs have slimmed down a quarter of an inch. Finally! It's definetly not from any diet changes. (My diet isn't great, but it's not terrible.) Now, when I do the interval walking, the speed doesn't increase very much. Also, I don't do a lot of intervals. It's maybe 10 to 15 minutes of 2 to 3 minutes of jogging bursts. The rest of the time on the treadmill is brisk walking. I've found that I can walk at higher speeds without having to jog than when I first started walking on my treadmill. If I do brisk walking only, I'll stay on the treadmill longer.

I also want to add that if your body can't handle stepping, don't step. Focus on what your body can do safely instead. My knees can't handle a lot of high impact step or even low impact stepping every day.
 
The way I understand it, you can burn the same amount of calories walking 1 mile or running 1 mile. But you burn more calories through the day if you ran it because of the higher intensity. I guess it boosts the metabolism.
 
Actually, it has been proven scientifically that walking very hard burns more calories than running once you push the walking speed up to the max. If you walk at 5+ mph you burn more calories than if you run that mile because walking at these fast speeds is so much more difficult than running it, the body naturally wants to break into a run when you hit certain speeds, so it is more difficult for the body to actually resist that urge and walk it, and the greater challenge to the body represents a greater calorie burn.

Fact.

Clare
 
I just got my HRM and finally got out and ran yesterday.

I will try the same route (it does have one very steep uphill part along with many up and down spots along the jogging trail), and see what the difference is.

I am anxious myself to find out. Will post back when I do.:7
 
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