If your goal is to lose weight and improve your health, what's going to be better for you: walking or running? Like most fitness-related questions, this one takes me back to a joke I heard in third grade:
What weighs more: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
Just as you may be tempted to shout "bricks!" (as I would often do right up through eighth grade, when the subtleties of this riddle and "no soap radio" were finally explained to me), you may be tempted to assume that running is the greater "burn" of the two exercises. And, like all questions in fitness, I remind you that nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Let's break it down.
Calorie burn is based on energy consumption over a period of time, and the best way to gauge that energy consumption is by monitoring your heart rate as you exercise. But heart rate itself is based on oxygen consumption. In other words, as your body increases its need for oxygen due to exertion, the heart has to pump more oxygen rich blood to the extremities and the heart rate goes up. One of the main reasons that the heart rate is elevated in running is that, every time your foot hits the ground, that little bit of impact puts pressure on the diaphragm, the main muscle that controls respiration, making it slightly harder to take a full breath. So as your foot strike knocks a little bit of wind out of you, the heart is trying to play catch-up and pumps harder to get the oxygen to the muscles that need it. Plus, depending on your running style, that repeated impact can lead to injuries down the road.
Walking is, by nature, low-impact: there is significantly less impact as the foot hits the ground and, consequently, the lungs have a greater opportunity to provide the much-needed oxygen. Therefore, the heart rate does not get as high with walking.
But that's the kind of linear thinking I hate.
I love watching runners, real runners, because they make it look so effortless. Even sprinters try to relax their bodies as much as possible so that they may put the effort where it will best suit them and not energy is wasted through worthless tension. Running mid- to long-distance is, ideally, an opportunity to use gravity and and momentum to your advantage. It takes time and practice to get used to, but once you understand the effortless form, running becomes relaxingly meditative.
Walking can be a wonderfully leisurely pass time. Go for a stroll in the park, pause, watch the birds, pause, stroll some more. Certainly the calories burn is there, and, if you have been inactive it is a great way to get started in an active lifestyle. But the burn is not as significant as running for the same period of time.
But let's take a look at race walking. There is nothing low key about race walking and trying to maintain a rapid pace over a period of time and/or distance. Quite the opposite: the body has to work extra hard because, instinctively, we tell ourselves to break into a jog or a run when moving that quickly. The muscles of the legs, the glutes, the core, as well as the chest, arms, shoulders and back all have to work to create the momentum to move at such a speed. Increase the incline that you're walking on and you will increase the exertion level. Increase the amount your work your arms, and again, the level of exertion, and consequently your heart rate and calorie burn go up as well.
A few of important things to keep in mind:
Questions about any of this? Shoot me an email: michael@fitnessgurunyc.com
Rock on!!
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Often a certain amount of scorn is heaped on the exercise that the commenter(s) don't enjoy, but I am a fan of doing what works for you and understanding (newsflash!) that other people are different. I think that we are built for both walking and running, and that they each have benefits.
There is a lot of interesting research in the area of long-distance running. The are compelling arguments that support the idea that humans are suited to long-distance running. One idea in the research is that our unique upright posture separates us from fast sprinting predators. Four-legged predators cannot breathe as much oxygen because their lungs are compressed with each stride, and therefore their air supply is limited by their speed of travel, so they must sprint for prey. Humans do not have any physiological restriction on their lungs because we are upright and are capable of greater distance and endurance. People get very oppositional about long-distance running, perhaps because people do not have respect for the time it takes to build up a running practice, and overdo it. I say, research, and do what works.
I was hoping for a discussion about which exercise does what in building muscle mass, what kind of muscle mass whether slow or fast twitch, and other aspects of changing one's metabolism. But I found nothing like that here. Oh well.
http://www.lifestyle-after50.com/walking.html
Of course, everyone is different and I applaud those who can continue their running into middle age and beyond.
then when the knees fall apart, walk. just kidding
Run or walk? it all depends on so many factors.
I would have to say, if you are relatively fit, and injury free
then running will do more for you in a shorter period of time.
I love running, and you dont have to be a little Kenyan to enjoy
running (I'm 230lbs).
on that note, running is something you need to work into. If you are
not fit, walk. Then as you get fitter you can split running and walking.
also, as I get older, I need the warm up and the stretch.
anyway, get out and move around
work out routine.
I only get out hiking on the weekends, but there is no better
place for a run or walk, than out on the trails.
I dont mind the unleashed dogs either, they cheer me up when I'm tired out (sorry
that some other dog owners can give unleashed dogs a bad name)
keep up the hiking
I put 25 lbs on during my treatment and surgery. When I finally was in remission I realized I needed to focus on my health overall and not just how my jeans fit. I powerwalk not just for my body, but my mind. Nothing clears the mind like a solitary powerwalk. Nobody with you, no music, no phone, just you and your thoughts.