Do you count walking as exercise?

[Anonymous]

I do, yes. I walk almost everywhere so walking = exercise. Just like when I go to the gym or a barre class, etc. Not as strenuous, of course, but it’s still movement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walking of any type burns calories....therefore it is exercise. Just like any other exercise, you can vary intensity.

Eating burns calories, through digestion. Is eating exercise?

[Anonymous]

Yes. When I’ve been in the best shape I’ve walked a lot (miles a day, briskly).

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on your goals. If your goal is to keep yourself moderately healthy, then walking a few miles a day will do that. If your goal is to build muscle mass or endurance or be able to run a marathon, walking will not do that. There are a lot of studies of centenarians around the world. They aren’t running marathons. But they usually are people that have consistently walked a lot through their lives, just in their ordinary course of living. I think QE2 was a big walker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont count incidental walking, like while shopping or anything throughout my day. A couple times per week, I go on an hour-long walk. I count this as a rest day, but I count the walk as exercise, if that makes sense.

This is the same for me. I walk an hour at a brisk pace on my 2 'rest' days. I just feel better when I get some movement every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walking of any type burns calories....therefore it is exercise. Just like any other exercise, you can vary intensity.

Eating burns calories, through digestion. Is eating exercise?

No. In order for it to be exercise, you would need to burn more calories with higher level of intensity. Obviously this would not be the case with eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want 1-3 miles per day. Should I count this as exercise?

If it’s brisk, sure. It’s good for you regardless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was fit no. It was recreational. Now that I’m out of shape it’s exercise.

+1. I am fit and exercise 6 days a week and it depends for me. I don't count the walking I do on a regular basis as exercise - that is, dropping my kids off to school, running errands, etc. But I do count the walking I do for the purpose of exercise as exercise. Some days, the only exercise I can get in is during my kids' activities so I'll walk briskly wherever I am, but it's definitely not my go-to exercise.

[Anonymous]

Walking can be exercise, if brisk. Walking at a leisurely pace is Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). Eating is also NEAT. You burn calories during NEAT.

[Anonymous]

It's absolutely exercise, but I tend to walk briskly and include hills. I can't run because of a foot injury. I also do planks and yoga.

[Anonymous]

Yes, of course. I also walk to get my groceries and to run other errands, so the return trip is weight bearing exercise.
To me, this is a very strange question. If I walk on a treadmill and do weights, some would count that as “exercise “, but the same walking on the sidewalk is somehow Not? There are different kinds of exercise and different kinds of exercise at different intensities may have different benefits, but walking absolutely counts as exercise.

[Anonymous]

I run twice a week. Anywhere between 3-8 miles each time. I power walk for 45 minutes on my non-running days. It is absolutely exercise. You do need to keep up a brisk pace so that your heartrate is up and you break a sweat.

[Anonymous]

Currently it’s my only form of exercise outside of pt. I try to get 10k steps a day. It’s not enough for me to feel really fit (that requires higher intensity and weights) but it’s good enough for half the week. I’d like to get back to cardio 3-4x; weights 2x and walking most days.

[Anonymous]

I do all low impact walking based workouts. I am for 3 miles a day. Some workouts include toning. My heart rate is fat burn or cardio throughout. I count it as excercise.

[Anonymous]

I count it as movement. It’s a win. We have 2 dogs so there is a lot of walking. I fit in other ‘exercise’- pelaton spin, a run, lifting- but on days I can’t squeeze more in I’m grateful for my walks.