The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that most adults (who are able) get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. This recommendation comes out to 30 minutes, 5 days per week or however you can get it in to fit it in. For some people, the thought of exercise is intimidating or just plain unappealing and annoying. Part of this resentment stems from the fact that many people tend to associate exercise with activity so strenuous that it is overwhelming to even think about, let alone engage in it. We tend to have an all or nothing attitude. That is, if we exercise, some of us think that either we must go to the extreme in terms of intensity or duration or that we may as well not do anything at all. However, new research demonstrates that walking remains a simple, effective way to exercise. This is good news for those who do not enjoy running, but would like to reap the cardiovascular benefits of aerobic exercise. In a recent study, two researchers compared data from thousands of walkers to thousands of runners to determine how the activities stack up in terms of calories burned and impact on determinants of health including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Their findings indicated that for an equivalent amount of energy expended, walkers and runners experienced comparable risk reductions in hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. In other words, their results suggest that walking a mile or running a mile would result in similar health benefits. However, realize that you will have to walk for a longer amount of time to achieve this mile than you would running. So if you are getting 30 minutes of exercise in by walking one day and running the next, you will burn more calories during your session of running because you are covering more ground and expending more energy in this given amount of time. Thus, running or more vigorous exercise may be a more efficient way to exercise if you are short on time. While this study was not a clinical trial, which provides stronger evidence that one thing directly results from another (in this case, that the health outcomes result directly from performing one exercise over the other), the associations that were gleaned from their study suggest what we probably figured all along--that any way you can get moving, just do it! Additional benefits of walking: +It is an appropriate form of activity for all fitness levels +It can be incorporated into a variety of activities, making it seem like less of a "chore" (walking to classes/work, walking groceries into the house, walking the dog on the beach, and the list goes on) +It does not require any equipment +It can decrease stress levels So, don't be intimidated by the idea that you have to jog or run to get anything out of your workout. The idea is to get moving and keep moving. Ideally, you will want to challenge yourself and get a bit winded, but as a wise uncle of mine says "a little bit of something each day is better than nothing." Every bout of activity counts. Consistency is key with anything that you set out to do. Sooo, what are you waiting for??
2 Comments
Shani
4/14/2013 01:43:40 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I recently had a debate with some friends who seemed to think that walking was not a "real" exercise! I enjoy walking outdoors. It relaxes me and gets me in tune with the environment. I only wish our Michigan weather was more conducive. After reading this article, I will incorporate more running and step climbing into my walks for greater benefits, but like Edwin Starr's song-" I gotta keep on walking!"
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Alena
4/20/2013 01:00:14 pm
lol, love your comment! show your friends this blog post and see if they change/open their minds =)
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AuthorHello there, my name is Alena and I am a Registered Dietitian! This blog is a platform through which I can share my knowledge and perspectives on a variety of nutrition-related topics. Feel free to contribute by commenting. Archives
November 2021
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