I'm a runner, but I think the snobbery around walking is completely ill informed. It's fantastic for your body.

I had a double mastectomy 2 weeks ago due to cancer, so running is out. But, I get 5 miles per day in walking, by going on several walks per day. While I don't get the same cardio effect as running, I do get many of the same benefits and don't risk muscle atrophy.

Anonymous wrote:You’re losing muscle so weight is going down.

I hate to say it, but this. I'm losing weight right now, but I'm eating a very high protein diet and lifting weights so that the weight is mostly fat. The risk if you don't mitigate muscles loss is that your metabolism is slowing down as you lose muscle.

Intense exercise stresses your body which raises cortisol in some people. This makes it harder to drop the weight. It also increases hunger. I've found yoga and lots of walking and hiking works best for me. Whenever I try to do more intense cardio, I gain weight, have sleep issues, and am always starving.

For me, intense cardio makes me super hungry, so I can see how you'd eat over the calories. Whereas longer slower burn doesn't make you as hungry. But I do the cardio also for heart health.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re losing muscle so weight is going down.

Oops-this is what I don’t think, not the earlier quote!!

Agree. Walking is zone 2 so it burns fat for 100% of the effort, not glycogen stores or anything else. Additionally, your muscles are what propels you in walking, but not fast twitch muscles.

Anonymous wrote:I've had good success with walking also. As the weather changes, can anyone advise if a treadmill is a reasonable indoor replacement or will there be decreased benefit?

(There must be some reduction or the thing wouldn't need a plug lol...)

You can get a great walking workout on a treadmill. If you’re not finding it as challenging as your outside walks, just up the pace and incline. I really enjoy treadmill walks while listening to audiobooks.

It could be because walking doesn’t spike your cortisol, which can cause a cascade of problems with insulin/ fat storage/sleep. Women with PCOS (bad insulin control) can gain weight when they train too hard.

I've had good success with walking also. As the weather changes, can anyone advise if a treadmill is a reasonable indoor replacement or will there be decreased benefit?

(There must be some reduction or the thing wouldn't need a plug lol...)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Echoing what everyone else is saying. Walking is the best! I don't get hungry, I don't get hurt, my cortisol levels don't spike, and I absolutely love it. The weight is falling off. I aim for 15-20k steps per day which honestly isn't even that hard once you're in the habit (and yes, I work and have kids).

How exactly are you walking 10 miles a day every day?

I posted at 12:48 my general approach to this. I take a 3.5-4.5 mile walk every morning, walk the dog 1/2 mile in the morning and 1/2 mile after dinner, do 1-2 miles after lunch, and do whatever else I can throughout the day to get in the steps. Most days it isn't 10 miles. Today so far I've done 8 and I'm about to do another 1/2 mile. It adds up if you do it throughout the day.

Anonymous wrote:You’re losing muscle so weight is going down.

Oops-this is what I don’t think, not the earlier quote!!

Anonymous wrote:Your not only healthier there is no surgery in your future .

See I don’t think this is true. Walking uses muscles too. You’re fat burning. Keep it up op!

I walk 2 to 3 miles a day, age 60+ lost 15 lbs since March, and losing is always very slow with me, thyroid issues. Things have kind of stopped now though. Still have 10 to go.

8 to 10k steps a day, sometimes more.

Your not only healthier there is no surgery in your future .

You’re losing muscle so weight is going down.

Walking is healthier for your body than running. It is much lower impact on your bones and joints.