4 Compelling Reasons Walking Is As Good For You As Running

Not a runner, it’s your lucky day  So you are not a runner, and try as you might, it’s simply not your cup of tea. So instead of sitting on the couch feeling defeated it’s time to hit the pavement for a brisk walk because as luck will have it, walking could be just as good, if not better for you than running. Here are four very real reasons you should be going for a walk the minute you finish reading this.  

Heart Health  

As luck or more specifically science would have it, walking reduces the risk of heart disease more than running. A study, which compared the data from 33,000 studies and over 15,000 walkers, found that for the same amount of energy used, walkers experienced greater health benefits than runners. Running was found to have reduced the risk of heart disease by 4.5% while walking reduced the risk by a whopping 9.3%. If that’s not enough to convince you to put your walking shoes on then this statistic may do the job…  

Taking a brisk, one-hour walk two times a week reduce your risk of developing heart disease by as much as 25%. 

Injury management  

Running is a high impact exercise so the risk of injury is substantially higher than going for a brisk walk. Running produces ground reaction forces approximately 2.5 times your body weight whereas walking produces 1.2. The pressure placed on joints is therefore substantially higher when running versus walking. If weight loss is the end goal, or you are looking to increase your fitness, walking is a more suitable starting point.  

Weight Loss  

Time to break some myths. The common assumption that strenuous exercise will melt away your fat and will lead to drastic weight loss is misled. While vigorous exercise will burn more calories, for those looking to drop some kilos and rekindle their love affair with exercising, diet changes are key. A recent study published by journal Obesity found that after a year of aerobic exercises for 45-minutes, five times a week, obese women lost 2% of their body weight. For women who combined diets with exercise, that jumped to 11%.  

For individuals who have been inactive for some time, having unrealistic goals is often a recipe for failure. Instead of pushing your body to its limits and attempting to run several times a week, start with a realistic goal of walking two to three times a week for a few months first.  

Body Fat  

Walking helps burn more body fat as opposed to running. This is because exercising at lower intensity pushes our bodies to tap into our fat reserves for fuel. As the intensity of your exercise increases from a brisk walk to a run, your body starts to tap into your body’s carbohydrate reserves as opposed to body fat. Those looking to lower their % of body fat, walking will burn more fat for fuel.