Sunday, September 11, 2011

Walking versus Running

Walking and running are both great forms of exercise. Running burns calories more efficiently, creates more impact on your joints, and covers more distance in less time. Walking doesn't burn calories as efficiently as running, but it is much less impact on your joints, making it less likely for injury.

I use to be a runner, but due to continual injuries, I started to enjoy walking much more. When I want to burn calories more efficiently I get to the gym and hop on the elliptical where I can work hard without causing a flare up!

Running isn't for everyone. If you love to run, great! If not, don't sweat it. Go for nice long walks around your neighborhood, on a bike trail, or other nature trails! While it may not burn calories in the fastest manner, you are still burning calories and doing something healthy for your heart.

I took Nora for a long walk around our neighborhood this morning. We walked and walked and walked, totaling 80 minutes! I burned about 300 calories, making my remaining 270 calories I needed to burn! Yay! So finally for the first time in a while I have met my 3500 calorie burn challenge! I may not have burned as many calories as I would have on the elliptical or if I had been running, but then again I probably would have stopped long before 80 minutes too! So here is to the endurance of walking, allowing me to make my goal by just stepping outside!

Here is a look at comparing calories burned when walking and running. Remember, how much you burn is related to the time, the pace, and your weight. In the example below we are using a time of 30 minutes.                      
Weight  (lbs)
Walking (3miles/hour)
Running (5miles/hour)
100
99 calories
192 calories
110
108 calories
211 calories
120
118 calories
230 calories
130
128 calories
249 calories
140
138 calories
268 calories
150
148 calories
288 calories
160
158 calories
307 calories
170
168 calories
326 calories
180
178 calories
345 calories
190
188 calories
365 calories
200
198 calories
384 calories

I got the calories burned from this online calculator: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc


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