Walk or run, here’s how to choose: the decision must be based on one’s individual condition. Walking is ideal for those who want to lose weight and are not used to aerobic workouts, but who over time could run after adequate preparation, while avoiding the typical injuries of beginners. Running is great for getting back into shape, but it’s also a high-impact exercise that’s more difficult to tackle if you’re not trained enough than low-impact activities like walking. In addition, running over time can lead to overuse injuries, such as stress fractures and strains. In these cases, a long and beautiful walk is even better than running: it can be done for longer and has much lower risks. However, if you decide to run, there are precautions that can avoid the possibility of getting hurt as much as possible: for example, you must not increase the distance too quickly, never forget to warm up before starting the activity, as well as to do stretching when finished.
Cardio training, many benefits: walking and running are in any case so-called “cardio” aerobic activities, that is, they subject the cardio-circulatory and respiratory systems to a particular stress. Practicing one or the other of the two activities has in any case benefits, albeit to a different extent: weight loss, increased resistance, improvement of the immune system, strengthening of the circulatory system and heart and, last but certainly not least, the extension of life expectancy.
Walk or run, how many calories you burn: the benefits exist both for a good walk and for running, even if the latter allows you to burn almost double the calories compared to the former for the same duration of the workout. If the goal is to lose weight, considering that you have to burn around 3,500 calories to lose half a kilo, running could be the winning choice over walking. If you are not trained enough, you can start by walking and then gradually increasing the pace over time. To get more effective results from walking, you can try increasing your speed for two minutes and slowing down for the next few minutes, then speeding up again. To recover a great body, the ideal would be to get at least an hour a day for a beneficial walk, capable of burning fat and entertaining the mind.
To relieve anxiety and stress: we must not overlook the benefits that cardio exercises can also give to mental health. It seems, in fact, that training for only half an hour a day three times a week is ideal for warding off anxiety and depression, giving a positive boost to mood and self-esteem. To benefit from this state of grace you don’t even need to walk or run for half an hour consecutively, but you just need to do it even ten minutes at a time, as long as it is done within the same day. Regardless of what you decide to do, the ideal way to keep fit, recover the lost line and ensure (almost) iron health is to dedicate at least an hour and a half a week to cardio exercises.
The right pace to lose weight: to regain the lost shape or to reach an even better one, a run three times a week according to the experts is great for burning fat without risking injuries, alternating the run with some pedaling, a nice walk or even a bit of swimming. Walking is a much gentler practice and therefore can be done more often, up to six times a week, perhaps adding intervals with exercises or intensifying the pace and, where possible, including a path with some climbs to get the maximum result.
Walking on a slope: for a quick remise en forme it is necessary to increase the number of calories burned and therefore walking on a slope, although more tiring, is certainly a valid stratagem. If you are lucky enough to live in a hilly area, outdoor walks surrounded by nature are perfect; if instead we are forced to the urban reality of metropolis in the flat areas, we can resort to the treadmill where we will gradually increase the inclination as the training proceeds and physical resistance increases.
Differences between walking and running: always thinking about the form to recover, we take into account that a brisk walk, usually between 5 and 6.5 km per hour, increases the heartbeat and allows you to burn more calories than when walking calmly at the usual pace, but obviously it burns less than when running. Practicing jogging, that is, a light run, can be an excellent middle ground, while when you reach the speed of 7 or 8 km per hour we speak of real running. The smart advice? In order not to get bored, it is better to change your itinerary and perhaps accompany your activity with music: losing weight can and must also be fun.