Fitness: Walking Isn't Enough

Oh man, yeah....I've heard SO many people complain that they "walk" a lot yet never lose weight. Truth is, strolling around the block just doesn't torch the calories like a 45 minute jog or bike ride does. You have to elevate your heart rate and really WORK in order to get the maximum benefit. Oh, but that would be too much discomfort for most people: sweating and breathing hard are just not cool, so they better stick with just walking. Why are Americans so opposed to working hard?

"Why are Americans so opposed to working hard?" Just glance at any 3rd grade American history book and you will find that this country wasn't built by a bunch of chip eating, beer guzzling buffoons who sit on couches and watch TV. Sure there are a bunch of them in America but there are still millions of hard working Americans around. Open your eyes Spectra.

I think walking is a start no one can run the first time. People who walk do better than those who don't at all.
I walk and it's helped me but walking with pushing something like a stroller ads something

I believe that a light-to-moderate walking program will work wonders for the overweight. I know--I've seen it work with me. The key is, though, as your body builds a tolerance to the initial exercise level, and it definitely will, you must increase intensity to keep going and see results. But, if you're starting an exercise program for the first time or re-starting for the first time in a long time, it's going to be babysteps first. Chinese proverb: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The goal of weight loss by lifestyle change is truly a journey of a thousand miles.

Sometimes, walking around the block IS a workout!

Age has alot to do with ability to run.

As a person ages the exercise program that was good at 20,30, 40, 50 isn't right for 60, 70, 80.
Walking around the block is a great way to start when you are older.
Then add weights and get the heart rate up.

Aging changes the way we exercise.

Mary Louise

http://journals.aol.com/mlrhjeh/WatchingMySisterDisappear/

I think it depends on what is "intense" for you. When I was morbidly obese just walking half a mile was a pretty intense workout for me. But now that I've lost a lot of weight, I've got to at least jog to get my heart pounding in the same way walking once made it when I started out.

I definitely think walking is better than no exercise at all, but in order to lose weight you have to keep your intensity level up...you need to make sure your heart rate goes up significantly. People who are very out of shape will have no problems getting their heart rate up with a brisk walk, the key is that once it's not hard anymore, you have to do more than just a brisk walk. I started getting in shape by taking long walks on varied terrain and doing "speedwalk" intervals. Then I started jogging intervals to keep my heart rate up. Then I progressed to running a mile straight...then 2, then 3, etc. Now, I run 6-7 miles a day and my resting heart rate is quite low at 45 beats/min. Therefore, it takes quite a bit for me to get it up to where it's strenuous for me.

And Ken: People are always trying to make everything easier...that's how this country progressed. Think about it: the laziest group of people out there are probably engineers (I should know, I'm married to one). Americans are all about wanting everything easier, faster, and with less effort.

But this is the thing, I've just started exercising again as a regular thing again. In my 20s I worked out intensely almost everyday. I got to my 30s and, well, took my fitness for granted and now I'm obese. I don't look it, but my weight and fat percentage proves I am. That's probably why it snuck up on me.

The thing is since I'm older, I decided that what I needed to do was be patient and ease back into regular exercise. Now that I've been doing it for over a month, I'm pushing myself harder so that I can up the intensity to an aerobic or fat burning level. That's what I did to keep myself in shape before. I took step aerobic classes, spin classes, ran on tredmills, peddled on exercise bikes and sometimes would rollerblade at the beach. I also did regular weight training to keep up my lean muscle mass because it does help burn fat. However, I think if I had started off doing that 1) I would have been in a lot of pain and 2) I would have burnt out immediately. I needed to feel that post-workout tingle again and that's what taking it slow did for me.

Walking helped me ease back into a routine. I think anyone with a history of fitness knows that walking can only do so much. However, I live in Asia now and I've been looking at the health routines of the locals. I think it might be all you need if your weight is normal and your eating habits are healthy. I see a lot of older people who are in awesome shape compared to Americans their same age. However, if you want to loose then you need to sweat.

To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed. Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - - leading to more miles and more calories spent on a regular basis.

High-intensity walks on alternate days help condition one's system. But in a waking, weight-loss program, it's better to be active every day. This doesn't require walking an hour every day. The key is leading an active life-style 365 days a year.

When it comes to good health and weight loss, exercise and diet are interrelated. Exercising without maintaining a balanced diet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining inactive.

I know a man who is 77 and can run the 100 meters in 17 seconds . Used to be able to run it 15 seconds when he was 71.

he does sprints 3 times a week still at 77 SPRINTS ARE BEST They raise growth hormone levels He is NOTICEABLE BETTER than his contemporaries , and guys who are 60

Do you not agree that walking is even better than jogging? I know that you can sustain walking longer than running. I love walking.

I used to tell myself that walking was just as good as running, but since I started running the benefits don't compare. I never felt this good when I just walked and I never broke a sweat. I like a brisk walk, turning it into a jog, into a sprint and then back into a brisk walk. Simply walking isn't the same...you don't get the burn or the heart rate up as you do with running.

As for the theory that you will walk longer than you will run---I disagree. Once you start running and get past the hard part, it could go on for a really long time. I guess it depends on the type of person you are...and if you like to quit after you've reached a certain level. But I know of many people who run just for the high of it.

If you're going to only walk, you need to include more to it than just a consistent walk. Warm up for a couple minutes, take it to a higher level of intensity, then stop for some pushups, continue high intensity walking keeping the heart rate up, include incline (walk up hills, stairs are also great), etc.

Hi: Power walking is good. keep up the pace and increase your distance often. A normal walk for me is 28000 steps, and eat right.

Intense exercise can be bad since their are cases of
people even in early twenties experiencing heart
attacks while doing too much intesity. I do believe
a pro basketball player died from a heart attack a couple weeks ago.

I use to mountain run several miles which brought my
regular heart rate down to about 35 beats per minute
and we use to think that was great. But, scientific
research is starting to come out with negatives of
intense exerise. It changes the structure of the
heart and perhaps that is not a good thing for many of us who did intense jogging.

I think a good way to tell if you are over stressing
your cardio/vascular system is.......how long does it
take for your heart to return to its normal per minute
rate after an intense exercise. Or does you heart
beat different under the intenisty. BEWARE!!!!!!!!

I do remember about a great runner who died of a heart
attack while running whose name I cannot remember but
he wrote a major book on running. He died suddenly
while jogging.

Listen to your heart and beware that too much is to
much stress on your heart which could hit you years
later or effect you now and age does not matter.

www.newsmax.com has an article about intense exercise
and its negatives of too much.

I will add that it should take no more than a few
minutes for your heart to return to normalcy after
an intense run. I have seen gifted runners actually
come in and not even show much stress and heart rate
is almost normal even during the stressful event such
as the Leadville co run for instance. Or the 110mile
run through the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho. The
run in the Mount Elbert Colorado is about 14000 elev
and that really stresses the cardio..

If your workout causes you heart to go into a over rapid beat and your system does not come down for
over twenty minutes or perhaps the rest of the day,
you are over doing your cardio.. You need to reevaluate your abilities and intensity.

In my opinion a brisk walk is much better than trying
to be world class athelete on an average cardio system for probably many people regardless of age.
Unless you are trying to go for some world class
event which most cannot do anyway....whats the point?

And when you get older you cannot run then and will
eventually have to stop anyway. No evidence shows
that runners live longer. But, dont be a couch
potatoe either.

MODERATION!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Sam!
If you don't want to be a runner, don't be one :-)

I still do cardio its just I do it more moderately.
If sometime in the future I want to do an event then
I go into higher levels of cardio stress. Otherwise,
I enjoy moderate levels. I can never see the point
watching people kill themselves when they could be
having fun enjoying the day instead of trying to beat
their joints or have a cadio event from intense cardio
workouts. I can also tell if they are overdoing it
just by listening them gulping for air. When you run
you still be able to talk easily and again your heart
rate should very quickly go back to nomralcy of sixty
to eighty beat no more than twenty minutes after the
stress. If you find your heart does not and you are
rapidly beating away over thirty minutes after the
run, you are overdoing it. To intense for your
personal cardio system. If your natural heart rate
is 65 then it should be back to that within twenty
minutes. Doctors point out that those who have a
problem with that are the ones who get the cardio
events or attacks. Be careful. Don't over do it.
If you want to do an event run, get checked by a
cardiologist first and work slowly into intensity and
give your heart a chance getting acclamated to various
levels of intensity regardless the age. If you find
your heart doing some strange things during a run,
go see the doctor immediately. Any heart changes
in your workout see a doc immediately. I think most
people can take a good level of stress, but dont take
the chance if you dont know your system. I have my
heart checked at least every other year. Even then
I am very careful not to over do it at any level.