Walking vs. Running for weight loss

[reinhard]

The following gleaned from these links that were just forwarded to me:

http://ask.yahoo.com/20050906.html

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/1/3079_883

1. surprising factoid: walking a given distance burns more calories than running it. Not sure that this is an especially useful or important thing to know -- except to make you take your walking more seriously.

2.

walking is most effective when it's done consistently

3.

The risk of injury -- whether shin splints or knee injuries or back pain -- is directly proportional to the intensity of exercise. So is the risk of sudden cardiac death. Walking gives you most of the health benefits of more intensive exercise while minimizing these risks

4.

When you run a mile, you're burning mostly sugar, or carbohydrates, which is how your body gives you fast energy in bursts. When you walk a mile, it gives your metabolism time to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat

[ClickBeetle]

Also, sustained exercise (more than 20 minutes) reduces your triglyceride levels.

Sounds as though there is some real benefit to extended periods of lower activity (endurance exercise) vs. sprinting. (although I imagine that occasional sprinting adds its own special benefits).

[gratefuldeb67]

Plus you don't have to shear off all the cartilage off your knees in the process...
I have one friend who used to be a diehard long distance runner... we are talking 20 mile runs...
Well, he isn't even in his mid thirties and he has absolutely no cartilage in either of his knees..
Thanks for the post Reinhard!
Walking is great!!!!
Love,
Deb

[scuffedboots]

Here's another benefit:

I got to eat a tasty cuban today and not feel guilty! (I'd make a joke about how I had a sandwich, too, but that would be rude )

I'm trying to keep between 2250 and 2000 net calories per day - that's food minus excercise. I'm doing pretty good since I started that goal, just a week or two ago. (I use www.calorieking.com to track it every day.)

Today's walk took me from from 40th and 8th ave east over to 2nd ave, then south to the end of 2nd ave, back across the full extent of Canal from East Broadway to the Hudson and a little jog back through the Village to get the subway.

You can see it here: http://tinyurl.com/7hac8

You'll see a little left turn sticking out into the Lower East Side, where I headed down Rivington and stopped into a little latin diner type place. They were recently featured in a NYTimes article on the best cuban sandwiches in NYC. I've been looking for a place that makes them like this - no garlic sauce, lean tasty pork. It also has lots of cheese, mayo and not-too-sharp pickles all pressed between a nice big white bread roll. Healthy?Not really. Tasty? OMG! You bet!

Soooo, my point is, yeah, lunch was probably a 1000 calories, between the sandwich and a juice and a regular Coke - one of my weaknesses. I love that nasty, no good for you stuff.

My walk was 6.7 miles and 1300 calories burnt, according to the Gmap Pedometer. Bingo! I'm at about 500 net calories for the day, I got to see a lot of the city I hadn't seen before, enjoy the nighttime view of the Hudson while sitting on a park bench, laugh at a bachelor party of girls falling out of a limo, see the big Italian festival in Chinatown, make note of some cool looking nightspots to return to later, and totally enjoy tasty meal without feeling bad about it! Walking kicks ass!

Oh yeah, and no grinding away my cartiledge, either!


(seriously, running might be unhealthy in some ways, but it beats sitting on the couch, eating McDonalds until your ass merges into the cushions. Let's not pick on those poor, no-cartildge, gaunt-looking, overly-smug, egotistical, obsessive runners too much. )

[gratefuldeb67]

Hey Mike, you missed "arrogant" at the end there..
Thought I'd contribute! LOL..
That was a cool day you had man!
Don't eat to many cubans... You very very silly walking man! LOL...

P&L,
Deb

[reinhard]

(seriously, running might be unhealthy in some ways, but it beats sitting on the couch... Let's not pick on those poor, no-cartildge, gaunt-looking, overly-smug, egotistical, obsessive runners too much.)

You're right, scuffedboots. I don't mean to rag on runners, just to inspire the sitters (for most of whom, including myself, running is a pretty hopeless sell) to become walkers.

Very appetizing walk...