BLOG

What's best to Lose Weight, Walking or Running?
Tue 03 08 2021

Losing weight is almost the goal of the majority of us. We always praise to have the perfect body shape with no extra fat to worry about or a specific quantity of food to have. For that, we try to find the best way to get to our goal. Most of the time, we look for something relatively easy and fun, something we can enjoy nature while doing it, and feel the soft breeze on our faces. For that, we choose running and walking. Those two are the most common exercises between people, but sometimes we face a problem choosing between the two. And here comes our role in showing what's the best choice to lose weight, walking or running.

There are many ways to compare walking and running, especially that there are several types of walking. For example, speed and power walking these types of walking are very effective. It is walking, but with a faster pace; it might be 3 mph or more. During these exercises, your heart rate elevates, and you can burn more calories than regular walking. Let's get more detailed.

Power walking takes from 3 to 5 mph, but some power walkers can reach 7 to 10 mph. And it burns calories just like running does, and in the same amount. For instance, power walking at 5 mph per hour burns the same as jogging at 5 mph per hour.

Speed walking is also great. It elevates your heart rate, boosts your mood, and it improves your aerobic fitness level. But the problem is that it's not as effective as running, for it doesn't burn as many calories.

Incline walking is another walking. It burns as many calories as running. You can do it on a hill or a treadmill while increasing the pace slowly.

Now about running, running can somehow burn calories faster than walking, but it has multiple inconveniences and risks. Running is a high-impact exercise, and usually, those can be harder on your body than low-impact exercises such as walking. Moreover, running overtime might lead you to overuse injuries like stress fractures, shin splints, and ITB friction syndrome. Also, runners are more exposed to injuries than walkers. Walkers have a risk of injuries from 1 to 5 percent, while runners have an approximate 20 to 70 percent risk. But if you insist on running, you can take precautions to stay injury-free. Try not to increase your mileage very quickly and try to cross-train multiple times a week.

Many believe that walking is the smartest choice, and we can't help but agree with that; because walking offers almost the same benefits that running does with a lower risk of injury.

In conclusion, walking and running are both excellent forms of cardiovascular exercise; and you should have two hours a week of them. As to the best choice between the two, there are many sides to look at it, and it depends. If you are new to exercising and aim to get in shape, walking is the best. On the other hand, if your goal is only to lose weight and burn calories, go running.

Source:

https://www.healthline.com/health/walking-vs-running#summary

TO READ MORE
DOWNLOAD STEPCHAIN FOR FREE

CATEGORIES

TAGS

Health
Fitness
Motivation

SUBSCRIBE