Runner or Walker? Regardless…Moving is Moving

I am a runner and I really enjoy it. But that does not make me superior to walkers. Nor does that mean walkers are any less motivated than a runner. Most walkers I know simply prefer to walk. They have tried running and it is really hard and taxing on their bodies/joints. So rather than give up altogether, they find an alternative that works for them and still allows them to get in a good workout. Kudos to them for staying in motion.

I started with running but have done both for a variety of different events. One of the walking events being the 3-Day 60-Mile walk. You wanna talk about taxing on the body! Whew. Having done both, I can see the benefits to both.

Although I do prefer to run, let’s break this down for the ignorant runners that pooh pooh walkers.

All things being equal, you will burn more calories by running an hour than walking an hour. It is true that walking a mile will burn more calories than running a mile, although it takes longer to do so. 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.

How many calories you burn depends on a variety of factors such as fitness level, metabolism, weight and the intensity of the workout. Amount of calories burned from one person to the next can vary depending on their size.

As far as how intensity affects a workout, if you were walking briskly for one mile and your friend was jogging, you’d burn about the same number of calories if you walked for 15 minutes and he jogged for eight and a half minutes. And as far as a being better on the joints, walking is, without a doubt, the better exercise. It’s one of the safest exercises you can do and it provides great cardiovascular benefits without all of the stress that running puts on the body. The other plus about walking is that if you do the technique correctly and put as much effort into walking as you would running, you can get the same aerobic benefit. You are moving almost every part of your body.

With that being said, walking or running…you are still moving. It does not matter if you get passed by runners. It does not matter if you come in 1st or a 1001st. If you are putting forth the effort and you are happy with what you are doing, what anyone else says should not matter. You have to feel comfortable enough with yourself to shrug off the naysayers. You have to comfortable enough to say you are happy with your choice to walk and save your joints. You will be walking a lot longer than a runner who has some jacked up joints from all the years he/she has been running.