What is better: walking or running?

I walk briskly for an hour a day to help keep my weight down and my cardiovascular fitness. Why not run instead of walk, you ask? Well, with my back it’s still not 100%, even though the surgery was six years ago; coupled with very bad knees, walking was the logical choice!

However, I have always wondered: is walking or running better for cardio? The answer lies in how often, how hard, and how long you walk or run. Obviously, if we’re comparing a casual walk to a jog, you don’t get as much cardiovascular benefit from the walk.

A brisk walk, on the other hand, could have very good cardiovascular benefits. When you challenge your heart, lungs, and blood vessels, you slowly make them stronger. To get any cardiovascular benefit, you need to push yourself beyond the bare minimum.

Your target heart rate for any cardiovascular exercise to be effective is for men 226 subtract your age or for women 220 subtract your age x 50-75%. If you’re just starting to get fit, aim for 50% of your target heart rate, and only 75% if you’re in good shape.

Casual walking is a basic activity and does not provide the body with any of the benefits of vigorous exercise. Brisk walking is characterized by a feeling of some tension in the leg muscles, faster breathing, and light perspiration. Test your rhythm to see if you can talk or sing while you walk. If you can sing, you’re not walking fast enough.

To improve your health an exercise needs to strengthen your body. Enhanced strength or stamina can only be gained by pushing your body. When you’re walking briskly, monitor your heart rate and increase it to reach your target heart rate, which will give you a good cardio workout.

brisk walk vs. running is competitive in cardiovascular benefits. Calories burned can be another way to determine if an exercise offers cardiovascular benefits. A person who weighs 160 pounds has to walk 1 mile to burn 100 calories. The faster you walk, the more calories you burn.

If you run, you will burn more calories covering the same distance. The same person could run 1 mile and burn 136 calories. Clearly, running offers a greater cardiovascular benefit, but only if you can run. If brisk walking is convenient for you, brisk walking.

The cardiovascular benefit is derived from how you feel when you push yourself. The fitter you feel when you exercise, it’s a sure sign that the cardio work you’ve been putting in is starting to pay off. Also check your resting heart rate.

If it’s shorter than it was when you started your exercise routines, you’re once again receiving proof that your exercise is resulting in better cardiovascular fitness. Whether it’s walking or brisk running, its benefits are improved cardiovascular fitness and hopefully a longer, healthier life.

So be like me and walk an hour a day! His overall health, and his back, will thank you for years to come.