Anonymous wrote:If your definition of exercise is a consistently elevated heart rate above 120, and losing weight, or changing one's body shape, then you need to redefine your concept of exercise.
Exercise has benefits beyond visibly changing body shape. Cardiac benefits exists even when you don't elevate the heart rate beyond 100 beats per minute. Mental health benefits happen immediately with any walk.
So it depends what you want to get out of exercising, OP. If you want to lose fat, gain muscle, and slim down, walking is generally not enough. If you seek to clear your head every day, walking is excellent. If you want a gentle exercise that works your muscles, joints and organs without jostling any, it's the one that's most accessible. My mother credits her daily hour-long walk for keeping her Multiple Sclerosis from putting her in a wheelchair. She can't swim because her muscles can seize up unpredictably and she nearly drowned on two occasions. Walking keeps her alive, literally.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A few caveats: not speed walks (4mph+), No weighted resistance.
The way most people walk it doesn't raise the heart rate enough. The wife's favorite analogy " walked a lot while shopping"----NOT Exercise, Walked for an hour at 20/min/mile- nope
A whole walking every day for a week won't even burn a pounds- worth of calories
I rarely see walkers that are fit
I do think its an ok form of exercise if your over 75 or have a physical impairment. Its ok as a way to loosen up the back after sitting or when your digesting dinner.
Have you really improved your fitness with just walking? Why not try something more challenging? Cycling, Swimming, even Hiking ( I say that is different than walking)
I know my fitness has suffered without all the walking I used to do pre pandemic. I used to walk an incredible amount in my neighborhood just as part of my day -- dropping kids off, going to the store, walking to work, etc. When on vacations, I had no trouble doing challenging hikes, etc., just based on the amount of walking I was doing as part of my day. I think the key is the amount done. I wasn't spending an hour grinding in the gym, but I was spreading my walking out all day long.
Anonymous wrote:your maintaining weight by controlling your diet. Walking is at best 300 calories an hour depending on your size. Cycling is more than double the caloric burnAnonymous wrote:I used to think the way you did, but then I started using my apple watch. A long walk (like 1+ hours) at a moderate pace burns a lot of calories, even if your heart rate doesn't go up that high. So I think walking is a great form of exercise to prevent and maintain weight loss. It's also great because it's low-impact and doesn't require an special equipment, so it's much more accessible to people in all stages of fitness. Biking, hiking, and swimming all require a lot of additional planning and access to equiptment and transportation.
Anonymous wrote:I prefer to run to get more bang for my miles, but it’s ridiculous to say that walking isn’t exercise. Of course it is.
Anonymous wrote:Walking burns more calories than sitting on the couch. It’s all about your frame of reference.
Anonymous wrote:A few caveats: not speed walks (4mph+), No weighted resistance.
The way most people walk it doesn't raise the heart rate enough. The wife's favorite analogy " walked a lot while shopping"----NOT Exercise, Walked for an hour at 20/min/mile- nope
A whole walking every day for a week won't even burn a pounds- worth of calories
I rarely see walkers that are fit
I do think its an ok form of exercise if your over 75 or have a physical impairment. Its ok as a way to loosen up the back after sitting or when your digesting dinner.
Have you really improved your fitness with just walking? Why not try something more challenging? Cycling, Swimming, even Hiking ( I say that is different than walking)
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
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
your maintaining weight by controlling your diet. Walking is at best 300 calories an hour depending on your size. Cycling is more than double the caloric burnAnonymous wrote:I used to think the way you did, but then I started using my apple watch. A long walk (like 1+ hours) at a moderate pace burns a lot of calories, even if your heart rate doesn't go up that high. So I think walking is a great form of exercise to prevent and maintain weight loss. It's also great because it's low-impact and doesn't require an special equipment, so it's much more accessible to people in all stages of fitness. Biking, hiking, and swimming all require a lot of additional planning and access to equiptment and transportation.