Walking isn't exercise- change my mind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so fixated on how other people get their exercise?

I had an injury/surgery and had to become a walker for a few months. I've gained weight! Still in better shape than all the walkers I see

I see we are still struggling with the idea that weight gain comes from a calorie surplus

And that generally speaking you have no idea how in shape somebody is based on their physical appearance.

Op here, yes controlling this is the best way to keep weight down. Thinking your getting any caloric burn benefit from walking is marginal at best. There is no cardio vascular benefit either. Women- Like my lovely wife who doesn't even need to lose 1 pound need to seek out a cardiovascular workout. ( 20 minutes daily of 80% /max heart rate) Whats the number 1 killer of women?? Heart disease! My rehab from surgery has mostly been done near the bike/walk trail some fit bikers out here, almost 0 fit walkers.

Walking works if your old, have other physical ailments, or maybe if you speed walk..other than that I will save my walking shoes for when I am well over 80 but only after I try swimming

The things you believe are not true.

Like I said in my open "the way most people walk" as in 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 miles or even more. This does not have any impactful calorie burn or cardio benefit. Sure fresh air helps but do something more challenging to have a caloric burn ( if that is a goal) and all of us need some cardio. The walking that I see people doing absolutely provides 0 cardio benefit. I may wear my heart rate monitor on my next walk just to see how hard I would need to work to get to 100.

You're still incorrect. You're adamant, but you're wrong. Being more adamant doesn't make you right. Walking absolutely has cardiovascular benefit. It improves circulation, it elevates the heart rate, and it is exercise.

You have some bug up your butt about high-impact exercise being the only "real" exercise, but you're wrong (and it's not hard to understand why you're recovering from an injury). A person who walks a 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 of a mile is getting cardiovascular benefits from the exercise vs a sedentary person.

[Anonymous]

When I was younger, I used to swim three times a week and occasionally go on a bike ride. I developed osteoporosis and my doctor ordered me to switch out some of my swimming for walking. You see, neither swimming nor cycling is weight-bearing, so neither will prevent osteoporosis, which is exceedingly common in short, Thin white or Asian women. Walking is weight-bearing. I wish I had done more of it earlier. If I had my bones would be in much better shape. Recent research, reported in the New York Times, shows that walking multiple times a week improves your basal metabolism more than HITT. Indeed, there is some evidence that HITT may damage your mitochondria. So, I would hardly recommend that those of you who are perimenopausal get some walking or Running in and start using weights and resistance bands if you don’t already.

[Anonymous]

I do walking as my primary exercise, but I do keep a moderate pace and decent distance, and add a little jogging (the last half mile). I'll cover 4.5 miles and 1400-1500 vertical ft in 65 minutes, 5 days a week. This combined with cleaning up my diet (not counting calories or skipping meals) led to 43 pounds of weight loss. My BMI is around 20 now. My muscle tone is generally good.

I usually manage a decent sweat with the speed and incline I use. I don't care what my heart rate is. Walking is great for people who don't enjoy other forms of exercise (that would be me). I will never join a gym.

Oh, and I am not 75 years old.

[Anonymous]

Walking isn’t strolling isn’t shuffling while leaning on a shopping cart.

Yes walking is exercise. Speed walking even more so.

[Anonymous]

I mean walking may not yield to lbs lost , but it is something!

[Anonymous]

I pity OP’s wife for having to listens to this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Inviting strangers to judge your wife with you isn't a sign of a good husband - change my mind.

You are an internet Rock Star!

[Anonymous]

Of course it's much better than being entirely sedentary! But it's like saying "drink water instead of soda" to someone who lives on fast food. It's not a bad advice, but there are significantly greater gains you can make if you also do some other things. Cardiovascular fitness has become the thing we think of as the low-hanging fruit for people who want to incorporate movement into their lives, but doing some kind of strength training is very important, particularly as you get older and especially for older women, in terms of preserving health and quality of life. Many people think of walking as something approachable and normal, and doing strength training as something that's niche/not for them. But it's great and it's for everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so fixated on how other people get their exercise?

I had an injury/surgery and had to become a walker for a few months. I've gained weight! Still in better shape than all the walkers I see

I see we are still struggling with the idea that weight gain comes from a calorie surplus

And that generally speaking you have no idea how in shape somebody is based on their physical appearance.

Op here, yes controlling this is the best way to keep weight down. Thinking your getting any caloric burn benefit from walking is marginal at best. There is no cardio vascular benefit either. Women- Like my lovely wife who doesn't even need to lose 1 pound need to seek out a cardiovascular workout. ( 20 minutes daily of 80% /max heart rate) Whats the number 1 killer of women?? Heart disease! My rehab from surgery has mostly been done near the bike/walk trail some fit bikers out here, almost 0 fit walkers.

Walking works if your old, have other physical ailments, or maybe if you speed walk..other than that I will save my walking shoes for when I am well over 80 but only after I try swimming

The things you believe are not true.

Like I said in my open "the way most people walk" as in 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 miles or even more. This does not have any impactful calorie burn or cardio benefit. Sure fresh air helps but do something more challenging to have a caloric burn ( if that is a goal) and all of us need some cardio. The walking that I see people doing absolutely provides 0 cardio benefit. I may wear my heart rate monitor on my next walk just to see how hard I would need to work to get to 100.

You're still incorrect. You're adamant, but you're wrong. Being more adamant doesn't make you right. Walking absolutely has cardiovascular benefit. It improves circulation, it elevates the heart rate, and it is exercise.

You have some bug up your butt about high-impact exercise being the only "real" exercise, but you're wrong (and it's not hard to understand why you're recovering from an injury). A person who walks a 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 of a mile is getting cardiovascular benefits from the exercise vs a sedentary person. [/quote

you have your own version of cardiovascular exercise. Circulation? I go by the American Heart Association. its 20 minutes daily while maintaining 80% of your maximum heart rate.
Walkers do not get to this level. Even speed walkers are probably in better shape so their heart rate stays lower. Maybe for some people walking qualifies as exercise but nobody should be banking on even getting the slightest cardiovascular benefits its nowhere near challenging enough. Don't believe me? wear a smartwatch and get your heart rate up for 20 minutes

[Anonymous]

The idea is to get people to just start moving around more. Taking a leisurely 30 minute stroll is still better for your health than lying on your couch watching TV and eating bon bons. You're probably not going to get someone who is doing that to start doing HIIT and heavy squats and deadlifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so fixated on how other people get their exercise?

I had an injury/surgery and had to become a walker for a few months. I've gained weight! Still in better shape than all the walkers I see

I see we are still struggling with the idea that weight gain comes from a calorie surplus

And that generally speaking you have no idea how in shape somebody is based on their physical appearance.

Op here, yes controlling this is the best way to keep weight down. Thinking your getting any caloric burn benefit from walking is marginal at best. There is no cardio vascular benefit either. Women- Like my lovely wife who doesn't even need to lose 1 pound need to seek out a cardiovascular workout. ( 20 minutes daily of 80% /max heart rate) Whats the number 1 killer of women?? Heart disease! My rehab from surgery has mostly been done near the bike/walk trail some fit bikers out here, almost 0 fit walkers.

Walking works if your old, have other physical ailments, or maybe if you speed walk..other than that I will save my walking shoes for when I am well over 80 but only after I try swimming

The things you believe are not true.

Like I said in my open "the way most people walk" as in 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 miles or even more. This does not have any impactful calorie burn or cardio benefit. Sure fresh air helps but do something more challenging to have a caloric burn ( if that is a goal) and all of us need some cardio. The walking that I see people doing absolutely provides 0 cardio benefit. I may wear my heart rate monitor on my next walk just to see how hard I would need to work to get to 100.

You're still incorrect. You're adamant, but you're wrong. Being more adamant doesn't make you right. Walking absolutely has cardiovascular benefit. It improves circulation, it elevates the heart rate, and it is exercise.

You have some bug up your butt about high-impact exercise being the only "real" exercise, but you're wrong (and it's not hard to understand why you're recovering from an injury). A person who walks a 20 minute mile pace on flat trails doing 2/3 of a mile is getting cardiovascular benefits from the exercise vs a sedentary person. [/quote

you have your own version of cardiovascular exercise. Circulation? I go by the American Heart Association. its 20 minutes daily while maintaining 80% of your maximum heart rate.
Walkers do not get to this level. Even speed walkers are probably in better shape so their heart rate stays lower. Maybe for some people walking qualifies as exercise but nobody should be banking on even getting the slightest cardiovascular benefits its nowhere near challenging enough. Don't believe me? wear a smartwatch and get your heart rate up for 20 minutes

You should google "vascular" before you demonstrate your ignorance saying that improved circulation is not a cardiovascular benefit. You're just embarrassing yourself with every post.

Your poor wife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's much better than being entirely sedentary! But it's like saying "drink water instead of soda" to someone who lives on fast food. It's not a bad advice, but there are significantly greater gains you can make if you also do some other things. Cardiovascular fitness has become the thing we think of as the low-hanging fruit for people who want to incorporate movement into their lives, but doing some kind of strength training is very important, particularly as you get older and especially for older women, in terms of preserving health and quality of life. Many people think of walking as something approachable and normal, and doing strength training as something that's niche/not for them. But it's great and it's for everyone!

No, it's like someone who eats only fast food switching from soda to water and you posting "Drinking water isn't good for you - change my mind".

OP's wife might smoke a pack a day, for all we know. Nobody's saying there's no way she could possibly be healthier. What we do know is that she walks, and that walking is, in fact, exercise. And OP is an idiot.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been a serious runner for 20 years and have generally thought of walking as unsatisfying personally (although I think any and all kind of movement is great for everyone and don’t judge walkers at all.) I’ve been laid up with some health issues for about 8 weeks though and have been walking almost exclusively for exercise. Interestingly I’ve dropped about 4 pounds. Obviously running is great cardio, but I think the effort of it makes me extra hungry, and I also tend to “reward” myself with calories after a long, hard run. My appetite seems to be much more even keeled when I’m only walking. Just an observation.

[Anonymous]

I started walking when the pandemic started and by walking I mean at a decent clip with an elevated heart rate. I checked last week and I averaged 3 miles per day from March 2020 to March 2021. It may not be a big deal to the triathletes and runners here but all that walking did a lot for my fitness level and my sanity.

[Anonymous]

This is not a debate about walking. This is some weird drama OP has with his wife that I don't even want to imagine.