Walking or Running
One question that I get asked a lot at the gym is, which is best, walking or running? I have to say that the answer depends upon the circumstances of the individual.
For me, I end all of my workouts with a thirty minute walk on the treadmill and I find that it is enough for me, given that I am now in my sixties.
Below I have highlighted some of the advantages of walking and running, with my overall opinion. And please remember that if you want to exercise for weight loss, exercise will only help with about 15% of weight loss. However, diet will contribute 85% toward our attempts to lose weight.
Benefits of Walking
Walking is a great way to improve our health in so many ways. Walking will help us to reduce cortisol and therefore reduce stress. This in turn will help us to keep insulin low and therefore, it will help us to lose weight – if that is our goal. However, if you eat a sugary snack prior to walking, forget about everything I just said – but that’s another story!
Walking will help us to lower blood pressure – the silent killer amongst us senior citizens. It is a low-intensity/high oxygen form of activity and it is perfect for people aged fifty or over.
Benefits of Running
Running is the equivalent of walking except that it is high intensity/high oxygen and it has all of the benefits of walking, albeit the results can come a little quicker. However, be aware that running creates stress in the body and therefore it spikes cortisol – and high cortisol can interfere with weight loss. It is more likely that you will benefit from running around 24 hours after the run. You will still burn the calories and get some results, but remember the 85/15 rule as mentioned above and ask yourself, is it really worth the torture? Of course, if you’re a young and healthy individual, you can run as much as you like. But my focus here is on senior adults keeping fit and doing so in a healthy way.
H.I.T.
HIT stands for High Intensity Training and it is probably THE perfect form of exercise, as it combines both running and walking. As an example, you will walk for one minute, then sprint for ten seconds, then walk for one minute and then sprint for ten seconds. After that, you simply repeat the process.
It is now scientifically proven that high intensity training is far more beneficial to health and fitness, than jusr running for the same amount of time. If you can do HIT, you won’t go far wrong.
Which do I prefer?
For me, I prefer walking for a number of reasons.
1. I am ambitiously Lazy. 2. I don’t like going over on my ankles. 3. I don’t enjoy the inevitable joint pain that follows, in my knees and ankles. 4. I feel that running is a little bit too intense for my age and I would prefer my heart to keep beating! 5. If I’m walking outside, I can enjoy nature.
The Need for Rest
If you’re not rested, particularly because of sleep loss, it would be generally safe to still take a brisk walk. However, if you have hardly slept the night before, it can be quite dangerous to run or workout at high intensity! Many people have succumbed to heart attacks because they embarked on high intensity training, having hardly rested from the night before.
It goes without saying that you should speak to your doctor, prior to embarking upon an exercise regime.
What do the Experts Say?
Please see the video below to hear what Dr Berg thinks about the benefits of walking or running:
