Your coworker swears by her morning runs, and her “runner’s high.” Your neighbor, on the other hand, claims to get all the exercise she needs by walking—walking everywhere from work, to the store, and to the dry cleaner. So is one better than the other? The answer is a personal one. Both running and walking, when done on a regular basis, provide a full array of health benefits, including:
The key is determining which activity is best for you. The following sections highlight some of the areas to consider when choosing between running and walking as your primary form of exercise.
The first question many people ask when considering a new exercise is: How many calories does it burn? Mile for mile running and walking burn approximately the same number of calories. But minute for minute, the faster your speed, the more calories you burn, giving running the calorie-burning edge. So how does speed walking compare to slow running?
A study in the
Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
measured calorie expenditure in 15 young, healthy women, and found that walking at speeds equal to or greater than 5 miles per hour (12 minute miles) actually burned more calories than running at the same speeds. The catch is that walking at this pace is not easy; it’s actually easier for the body to run.
Calories burned per 30 minutes of running and walking on flat surfaces | Weight (in pounds) |
|---|
| 110 | 130 | 150 | 170 | 190 | 209 |
|---|
| Walking | 30 min/mile | 78 | 93 | 108 | 123 | 135 | 150 |
|---|
| 20 min/mile | 114 | 132 | 150 | 171 | 195 | 213 |
|---|
| 15 min/mile | 147 | 171 | 198 | 225 | 252 | 276 |
|---|
| Running | 11.5 min/mile | 204 | 240 | 276 | 315 | 351 | 387 |
|---|
| 9 min/mile | 291 | 342 | 393 | 447 | 498 | 549 |
|---|
| 8 min/mile | 324 | 375 | 426 | 480 | 531 | 582 |
|---|
| 7 min/mile | 366 | 417 | 468 | 522 | 573 | 624 |
|---|
There is a lower risk of injury with walking than running. One study, published in the
Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine
, looked at 867 regular runners and walkers and found that walkers were less likely to get injured than runners. But the risk of injury increases with increasing intensity and duration, if you’re not properly conditioned. To avoid injuries from running, a good rule of thumb is not to increase your mileage by more than 10% per week. Proper warm up and stretching will also reduce your risk of injury.
Walking can easily be spread out over the course of a day (ie, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes during lunch, and 10 minutes in the evening) and generally does not require special clothing other than good shoes. Running, on the other hand, requires a complete change of clothes and often a post-workout shower, so it makes more sense to do it over one block of time during the day.
People who haven’t exercised regularly in a long time may want to begin with walking and then progress to running. Additionally, people with orthopedic conditions or those who are more than 20% overweight should probably stick with walking since it’s lower impact than running. Unlike running, walking is also suitable—and beneficial—for people with certain medical conditions. A study in the
American Heart Journal
found that a progressive walking program decreased symptoms experienced by people with heart failure.
To get the most out of your workout, try adding strengthening and stretching exercises. Strength training the upper body and torso is important since they don’t get much of a workout during regular running or walking. But strength training your lower body is also important because it will enhance your walking and running performance and lower your risk of injury. Additionally, regular stretching—especially important before and after your workouts—will help loosen muscles and prevent injuries.
So, remember, if you have a doctor’s clearance to run or walk, choosing one over the other ultimately comes down to which activity you prefer. Mixing them up can also be a great way to add variety and flexibility to your exercise schedule.
