Is walking good enough?
#169052 - 04/11/05 05:25 PM
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Vicam
Reged: 02/24/04
Posts: 1955
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Hey Guys,
What's everyone's opinion on walking for cardio and/or exercise? I'm not good at the aerobic working out at all, I do pilates and don't have too much trouble with that, but find any strenous cardio to be difficult. So I try and go for brisk walks since I can't seem to run, is that good enough? I hear mixed things about it...how far should you be walking to really make it worthwhile?
Thanks!
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The best kind of cardio for fat loss is anything that tires you out and gets you sweating - that is, anything that pushes your body to its limit. However what that is depends on each person and their level of fitness. But generally, 10 minutes of jogging (or whatever it is that gets you huffing and puffing and sweating - within reason) is better for fat loss than a 2 hour walk where you don't sweat at all.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with a 2 hour walk - certainly not! Great for fitness. But if you want to see fat/weight-loss results from your cardio, you need to push it. Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to hear! lol You don't need to go for long though - short, intense workouts are best - and define 'intense' for yourself and for your level of fitness.
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Yep i agree, i think most would be surprised to find that walking doesn't burn anywhere near the amount of energy that they expect. Trouble with walking is that the body is used to it, its a large part of what we do every day, so unless you really push it, and get huffing and puffing, the body considers it normal. The key to any exercise is pushing it a bit, have to get out of that comfort zone, lets face it if the body is totally comfortable, then exercise isn't really happening.
Running or jogging is great for getting weight off and cardio fitness, but there is the impact side of it to consider. What about trying cycling? Unless you fall off it should be low impact! or swimming?
cheers
Ralph
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oh, and PS, we could all run once, but people seem to stop moving as they grow out of childhood, then the weight battles start to happen etc..... and injury or ailments aside it is something that can be re-learnt given time patience and increasing fitness levels. Reminds me i read an interesting novel recently called "The memory of running" by Ron McLarty, about a guy who rides across the US re-finding his fitness on the way. Keep on Moving!
R
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I think walking will definitly help and not hurt. Just make sure it is at a faster pace then you normally would. My shape magazine has a just plain old walking exercise regimin in it this month and its just walking for 20-45 mins per day. But make sure your walking fast enough that you couldn't hold a conversation with others, because you are breathing hard.
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I am going to have to dissagree with those who say that walking is not as good as running. Walking can actually be better for you than running. There is less stress on your joints, and internal organs, and you can get a very good cardio benefit from it.
If fat loss is your goal, again, I would not say that running is the best approach. The best way to reduce bodyfat is to increase your muscle mass. There are many marathon runners who have the Skinny/Fat syndrome, where they break down muscle tissue, and their body fat ratio is not that great. Strength training builds muscle, which is the metabolic engine of the body, and will burn more calories 24 hours a day, instead of just a short while from performing an hour of aerobic activity.
I would also say that walking, not being as stressful to the body as running, would probably be more effective in regulating IBS than performing an activity that you find uncomfortable or stressful. You can always add hand weights and move your arms as you walk to increase both the aerobic, and muscle building effect of the exercise.
All in all, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the benefits of walking. Most of the walking we do is for short distances, and would really not be the same as taking a 45 minute to an hour brisk walk in the fresh air and sunshine.
Hopes this helps, my degree and background is in fitness, so I am not just making this stuff up 
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Phil
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It's about the intensity of cardio I can manage--No running/jumping/bouncing allowed for me. Believe me, though...you can elevate the intensity of your walking. I walk faster and harder at the gym...wanna-be-race-walking? Just get on a machine and away you go. Can you bike? My butt hurts on those bikes, so I don't. Uh, I'm kind of a wimp...but seriously...can I ever walk and also...walking is something that I can do for hours. You can also add weights while you walk. Indoors. Outdoors. Up steps. I don't know. It's my most consistent form of exercise. I guess, I get something for consistency.
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I don't have a degree in fitness or anything, but everything I've ever read on the topic indicates that walking is a perfectly satisfactory aerobic activity. Now, mind you, strolling along at the pace you do at the mall isn't going to do you a *whole* lot of good, but if you walk briskly for a good amount of time, and you do it consistently, you're going to see benefits, especially if you're combining it with a reasonable diet.
Eventually, you might get to a point where you want to try something more strenuous, and your body will be able to handle it. But in the meantime, it makes sense to me to stick with a form of exercise that doesn't wreck you and that you enjoy enough to keep doing it - which is really the point anyway!
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Me too!
#172051 - 04/21/05 12:00 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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And if you're new to regular exercise, you want to ease into it and walking is great for that too!  As a Fibromite, it's my number one form of exercise.
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am currently seeing better results from it and the IBS diet than ANY diet and 4 months at the gym!!
6 pounds down in the last week and a bit, it's a start!
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Keep on keepin' on...
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asthma?
#173186 - 04/24/05 05:35 PM
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Just wondering what you mean by not really being able to do heavy cardio. Did you know that you can be asthmatic without ever having an actual attack? I was always petite and in good shape as a kid, but ALWAYS finished the mile in gym class with the heavy kids. I just figured I was no good at running. I would also have a lot of trouble with stairs. It was the same in high school and collge. If I were ever running late for class and I tried to make it up a flight of steps in a hurry, I'd end up huffing and puffing for 10 minutes. I felt so embarassed and out of shape -- and I weighed about 115! (and no, I've never smoked) It wasn't until I was 21 and a junior in college that I started noticing a humming/wheezing sound in my chest whenever I was driving or lying quietly in bed. I went to a pulmonologist and it turned out I was only able to use about 40% of my lung capacity! The doc explained that I'd probably had asthma my whole life, but it never set of any red flags because I never had an attack. I now take a pill and and 2 puffs of an inhaler every night, and use a different inhaler before I exercise, and still another inhaler if I am having general chest congestion. Who knew? Anyway I don't want to run around diagnosing people, but if you think you are having more trouble than you should for someone in your shape, get checked out.
In the meatime, I think walking is just fine, and certainly gentler on the joints. The only running I ever do is on the eliptical machine at the gym.
Good luck,
Panda
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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Personally, I don't/cannot do heavy cardio due to asthma. Also, with osteopenia and arthritis, my joints cannot handle the impact. My body fat is always at less than 19 percent; I weigh 114 lbs. and I'm 5'6." I struggle to maintain weight; extra heavy exercise kills me. I've never been able to run--except to the you know where!!! I do walk, though.
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Thanks for the suggestion. It's funny you should mention it, but I actually do have mild asthma. It was diagnosed a few years ago but I wouldn't say I've ever had a full-blown attack. I was given an inhaler and told to use it in really cold or humid weather and when exercising if I was having trouble, and I had completely forgotten about it! I'll have to try the inhaler before I work out and see if it makes a difference
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Glad I could help. Couple things to keep in mind -- asthma treatments have come a LONG way in the last few years, so the inhaler you were given then might not be the best thing available right now. I was also given an inhaler sometime in high school to use the same way you did, but I never did a thing for me. The other thing is more obvious -- if you are hanging on to the very same inhaler you were given a few years ago, make sure it's not expired!
Panda
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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I had asthma all through my childhood and was always told I was unfit despite being a really active kid. It was only when I got to high school where the PE teachers were used to seeing it that I got diagnosed...turns out I have a *pathetic* lung capacity even tho my asthma has never been at all severe. Running's one of the few things that sets me off.
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I have asthma, and the better in shape I am, the less it bothers me. If it's been a while since I've ran, when I get on the treadmill I struggle. But if i keep it up, eventually (few weeks) I get to the point where I don't need my inhaler and I can do a decent pace for three miles. For me, extreme heat/cold, humifity, allergens, keep me from running outside a lot because those are triggers. But I'm hoping to run more outside this summer!
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...in that some forms of exercise trigger off my ashthma and hardly anything else does! MY DH's asthma is more classical - triggered off by coughs, colds, etc - but nothing triggers me off as much as running.
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Yeah, asthma is a trigger for me too, at first, but then somehow I can kind of train my lungs I guess?? For instance, when I first started track in high school, I told my coach that she needed to give me time to work up to it (i.e., not yell too much at me for lagging behind) but by the time the season was in full swing I could run with everyone else. I suppose my asthma is more allergy induced than exercise induced. I'll still never be a marathon runner!
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