Everyday Systems

Hi,

I'm new to this site. I just want to know how often people walk, for how long?

It depends. My most common walk lenght is maybe a mile, round trip, like during lunch to run errands and stuff. If I'm at my parents' house I sometimes walk their dogs (2-1/2 miles total). I think the longest I've done in one stretch is probably 4 or 5 miles. Boy were my feet sore, too..

I walk at least an hour a day. Not necessarily all in one stretch, but maybe a few walks throughout the day.

Out of curiosity, is walking an hour per day just as effective for weight loss as going to the gym?

Hi Flopsy,

It probably depends on what you do at the gym, and for how long.

Walking is certainly cheaper, safer, more useful, and more pleasant.

I'm sure you can burn more calories in an hour doing something more strenuous, but a) you won't actually do it and b) walking is enough. Why do more than enough? Enough is hard enough.

During the week, I usually walk 20 minutes to work, 30 minutes at lunch, 20 minutes back home.

Reinhard

I do my best to walk a minimum of 2 miles daily. Sometimes I walk more than this, but doing so can become time consuming (on days when my fiance and I walk to dinner I end up walking 6 or 7 miles at least). One mile a day is probably a very good start. How far I walk depends of course on how fast I'm walking and for how long, but I generally go at a pace of approximately 3 mph, meaning it only takes me about 40 minutes of walking daily to reach my goal (and since I usually walk for at least 50 min at lunch daily I reach my goal easily on most days).

In regards to your question about weight loss, it has been discussed in these forums (and other places) that walking is indeed better for your body and for weight loss in particular than running over the same distance (not over the same time interval, of course). How this relates to what you might or might not be able to do in a gym is another question, but as Reinhard says, if you're not the kind of person who enjoys spending time in the gym (or doesn't enjoy spending the money), then why not just walk instead? It's outstanding exercise and if you do it regularly you won't be able to help losing weight, it will just begin to fall off naturally.

If you're looking for a little additional exercise, you still do not need the gym... buy yourself a sledgehammer and start shovelgloving. 14 minutes a day additionally is very little time to set aside, and the benefits you will receive for doing so will be so obvious after a week or two that you will truly be amazed. If you want even more of a workout in your day, then we can probably list hundreds of exercises you can do at home spending little or no money at all. Long story short: You can get as little or as much excercise as you feel comfortable doing without the need to spend one single penny at a gym. My only suggestion is to start slowly, work up until you find out how much walking and other exercise you feel comfortable fitting into your day without making it a burden; the last thing you want to do is give up because you've been pushing yourself too hard... so just take it easy and enjoy! (Being healthy should not be a burden, it should and will become something that you look forward to every day of your life)

Thanks for replying to my post. They were all very good replies. what is shovelgloving?

It's a strength exercise/cat toy.

See: http://www.shovelglove.com/

If I have time for a 10-minute walk, that's what I do. If I have an hour, I go for an hour. Many days I have time for a 20-minute walk but not more. Still, it's a lot better to do something than nothing!

I try to keep up a good pace ... more than leisurely, less than speedwalking.

I've been doing the 10,000 step/day program for three years; that's about 5 miles, but it is all steps in a given day, not just the long walks I like to take outdoors. It's a very sustainable program.