walking to loose weight

CARDIOVASCULAR fitness is paramount to overall health, and walking and running are two simple forms of exercise you can pretty much do anywhere.

But which is better for you?

WEIGHT LOSS

Both activities are great ways to stay in shape, however if you want to drop weight faster, running wins.

Why? A few reasons. Running is more strenuous, so there’s no surprises the potential calorie burn is far greater — 2.5 times more calories than walking.

Secondly, researchers found that post-exercise appetite suppression is greater after vigorous exercise, with participants eating fewer calories post workout — provided you don’t fall into the trap of a post-workout splurge and ‘reward’ yourself with a few extra slices of pizza.

So the winner is clearly running, although walking is the perfect place to start if you’re new to exercise. To torch extra calories, walkers can make up that difference by going farther in distance or, better still, incorporate speed intervals and slowly build up to running as fitness improves — especially if you’re short on time.

In other words, the harder you work, the more calories you’ll burn, which is the key to losing weight.

INJURY RISK

Still, running isn’t for everyone. Going full speed increases the risk of injury. In fact, running produces ground reaction forces of approximately 2.5 times body weight compared to 1.2 times that for walking.

Whenever you start a new form of exercise your heart, muscles, and bones all need time to adapt, and too much too soon (without adequate recovery) makes you susceptible to strains, sprains, stress fractures, and even overtraining and illness. For this reason, it’s important to build up gradually and listen to how your body responds.

The winner: Walking and running are both safe when included as part of a balanced exercise program. To prevent overtraining, alternate days of walking or running with strength training. Listening to the body and completing a proper warm-up and cool down is key in preventing injuries.