Walking or Running? Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Exercise (Newsweek)

Posted: Dec 18, 2022 in In the News

This article originally appeared in Newsweek on 11/18/2022.

Walking or Running? Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Exercise

BY PANDORA DEWAN 

Whether you are running a marathon or walking your dog, staying active has countless benefits on your body and your brain.

Both running and walking have been shown to promote heart health, improve sleep, support your immune system, boost mood, and ultimately lead to a healthier, longer life.

However, while a jaunt and a jog are both classed as forms of cardiovascular exercise, anyone who has ever been on a run can confirm that the two are definitely not the same.

"The latest Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest to maintain health and incur the benefits of an active lifestyle adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise," John Ford, a certified exercise physiologist at JKF Fitness and Health, told Newsweek. "That equates to about 30 minutes a day, five days per week."

Both walking and running count towards this weekly recommendation, but the benefits of each will depend on your goals and fitness level.

Walking vs. Running for Weight Loss

Weight loss requires a calorie deficit. While not all calories are created equal, you will lose weight only if you burn more of them than you eat.

Timothy Olds, professor of health sciences at the University of South Australia, told Newsweek: "Fat is the main storage form of excess calories, so a person's fatness increases when they consume more calories than they use, and decreases when they use more calories than they consume."

When it comes to weight loss, running is a more time-efficient way to burn these excess calories.

"Energy expenditure increases the faster you walk or run," Olds said. "Competitive walkers, for example, are extremely fit athletes, comparable to marathon runners, but most people would not 'power walk' near that level."

The American Council on Exercise has estimated that, for a person weighing 160 pounds, running burns approximately 15.1 calories per minute, while walking burns only 8.7. That makes sense—running is faster, so you are covering more distance per minute. But how do running and walking compare when you are measuring distance?

 

Read the full article here.