Running vs. Walking

A past running partner of mine, we will call her  Suzy,  would always tell me the reason she would run.  I would hear her reasoning often: “You never see an overweight person running, yet you see over weight walkers all the time.”  So her reasoning might be a little shallow, but it was her motivation to get out and burn some calories.

Studies show that you can burn more calories running than walking.  But what it comes down to is, that by running you can burn more calories, faster. Walking one mile and running one mile will both provide you with the same result: one hundred calories burned.  Yet you can run faster than you can walk (at least I hope you can).

If you were wanting to burn 5oo calories, it would most definitely take you longer to walk those calories off, compared to running.  In this crazy day and age, when we are constantly on the go; carpools, errands, grocery store, sporting events.  It would make sense to take the faster way to burn calories.

That being said, not everyone is a runner.  Not everyone likes to run. I honestly do not think Suzy loved running, but she needed some motivation to exercise, was afraid of gaining a pound, and kept a busy schedule.

If you are not a runner, stick with walking.  I do not endorse Suzy’s theory, for I have seen plenty of fit walkers. Choose the activity that you will be most motivated to keep.  Also try mixing things up to help prevent burnout.  Try adding weights and hikes to the routine, as well.  I have also been trying out a new class that I will talk about soon.

Happy exercising, everyone!