# Is walking exercise? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887 "2011-02-10T13:57:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/41 "2011-02-10T23:34:23Z")
> **[Walk your way to fitness](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261)** > > Walking can be an ideal low-impact exercise. Get the most from your walking routine. “Research shows that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging.” It doesnt have to be a stepping stone, its perfectly fine by itself. The benefits of more intense exercise tend to be oversold at times. Otara. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/42 "2011-02-11T00:27:43Z")
I don’t drive, so I walk a lot. My old job was a manual labor so I walked a lot there and also lifted boxes all day. Now unemployed, I go for a walk everyday. The other I went for a 14 mile walk. If I don’t go for my daily walk I get stir crazy and I have too much energy and have difficulty sleeping. Walking is definitely exercise. ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/43 "2011-02-11T00:46:57Z")
I hope it qualifies as exercise. I don’t enjoy swimming or such. Walking is my only exercise. My orthopaedist says swimming is the best exercise there is. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/44 "2011-02-11T01:04:23Z")
It sure as hell counts as exercise. I lost 20 lbs over two years just by walking to and from work. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is when you’re already thin. Now my doctor says I have to cut back because I need to gain weight. Imagine that. I used to think exercise had to be sweaty and painful, and that was what made me not want to do it. But now I know it doesn’t have to be that way. And now I can’t imagine life without walking everywhere. Of course, the amount and intensity matters. I have an overweight co-worker who actually brags whenever she parks her car four blocks down from the office for the sole purpose of getting some “exercise”. That’s like saying two tic tacs and a gulp of water is a meal. Yeah, she might be burning extra calories, but only three or four! If she really wanted a work out worthy of bragging, she’d leave her car at home and walk. She lives close enough where she could do this, but she chooses not to. ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/45 "2011-02-11T01:13:24Z")
I’ve got high blood pressure that’s really bad. I need to have an exercise program and walking will be it. Both my parents had high blood pressure, and I should know better to exercise, eat better and stay away from junk food. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/46 "2011-02-11T01:21:45Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > This is a huge pet peeve of mine. So many people are discouraged from a healthier exercise by the nagging feeling that any activity that isn’t actively a struggle is worthless and even shameful. > > Yes, elevating your heart rate and keeping it sustained for at least 25 minutes is better for your cardio-vascular system. But just because lower intensity exercise is less effective doesn’t mean it has no effect at all, and the person who walks every single day no matter what is going to be in better cardiovascular health than the person who works out intensely every other January. These things are related: when people feel like exercise has to be really, really difficult to be worth doing, they dread it and commit to it with a feeling of initial enthusiasm that is quickly replaced with dread. Once you are at that point, any excuse–an 80 hour work week, a bad cold, a sick pet, a sad friend–is a reason to quit. > > Furthermore, low-intensity exercise is just as effective (if not as efficient) at burning calories, and probably more effective at caloric restriction: longer exercise sessions mean less snack time, and someone who has gone all out for 20 minutes is more likely to feel “entitled” to the proverbial exercise muffin than someone who walked for an hour. I think part of the attitude that doesn’t consider things like walking, gardening, doing housework, walking up stairs at work, etc. as exercise is that if you don’t pay for it and have to go to a specific place for it, it doesn’t count. I’m a big proponent of “found” exercise - finding ways throughout your day to get more exercise without engaging in any particular exercise program. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/47 "2011-02-11T02:36:20Z")
I know the official answer is yes but my heart rate barely increases when I walk, so I have trouble convincing myself that I am beneffiting my health by doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/48 "2011-02-11T02:44:28Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I know the official answer is yes but my heart rate barely increases when I walk, so I have trouble convincing myself that I am beneffiting my health by doing it. Increasing heart rate is vastly overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/49 "2011-02-11T03:07:26Z")
My heartrate barely increases when I wander around slowly, so I pick up the pace. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/50 "2011-02-11T03:45:59Z")
Walking is exercise and it’s good in a lot of ways, but too many people rely on minor exercise to “think” they are losing weight. You don’t, well not much anyway. If you don’t change your diet, the most you’ll lose IF you’re lucky is 10 pounds. Probably less. Here’s the thing, if you don’t exercise for at least 65%-85% of your theoretical maximum for heart rate, you don’t get benefits for your heart. You must do this FIVE times per week. John Hopkins and Brown Uninversity both did studies that showed, less than this provided NO beneift at all. So the thing is if you don’t do that minimum you aren’t getting any heart benefit from it, and no weight loss from it. But here is the kicker, people who walk DO lose weight and feel better. So what is going on. Most likely this, people eat mindlessly. They eat while watching TV, at the computer and when they’re bored. If you’re out walking around you not likely to be eating. Kids who play sports after school aren’t getting that much additional exercise, but they’re not home in front of the TV or computer eating mindless and usually high calorie, non-filling foods. Furthermore, walking at a leisurely pace is a RELAXING thing. It brings the body’s stress levels way down and this is a major thing. Stress can rip your body apart. Without these stress levels the body feels better and actually heals faster and has better resistance to colds and such. I love to walk. In the summer I walk everywhere, simply because it’s really relaxing to walk home from the gym or wherever. I don’t fool myself into thinking the 2 mile walk is going to lose me any more weight or keep my heart fit, but it sure is nice and relaxing and gives me time to be alone with my thoughts. I recall last summer on a beautiful night out, I saw two young people walking arm in arm and each one had a cell phone talking to someone else. What a sad thing I thought, they should be enjoying each other, not letting phones rule their lives. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/51 "2011-02-11T04:32:49Z")
This thread is pertinent to my current interests. My sister wants to do a 36 mile hike through the Quantock Hills in May when I visit her in London. I can’t remember the last time I walked anywhere. I am the stereotypical couch potato. We’re not going to do the 36 miles in one day (probably more like 5) but I’m bound and determined to get to the point of being capable of doing it at all. This is my first week of “training” and it certainly feels like exercise to me. I’ll report back in May and let y’all know if there’s been any positive side-effects. ---
**Author:** ![Trubie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@Trubie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trubie)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/52 "2011-02-11T04:34:34Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > It’s better than nothing, certainly. However, it only works a certain, small set of muscles, and only so much. > > I got office jobs after college, and turned sedentary. I can walk for hours at an easy pace, but if I need to run I will become winded almost immediately. I’ve been working very slowly at getting various muscle groups more used to exercise else I tend to ache for days after an exercise session. > > It also does practically nothing for the upper body. > > I would recommend it for the sedentary person who wishes to start being active, but it’s not a huge calorie burner unless you’re walking very long distances. I agree with a lot of this. I used to be in better shape and was an avid gym goer. I noticed when I first started, I did the tread mill. I hate running and get winded so easily. I noticed on walking, I lost very little weight and pounds. Even running, didn’t really work on my arms and other upper body. I think one of the best exercises is the eliptical. I also wanted to note, walking seems to be the most fruitless exercise. I think your body gets used to it too fast. Like for example, if you’re doing an ab exercise, say you do 20 as a newbie. Those 20 will help you for a while, but eventually you’ll have to add more or you’ll plato (sp?), basically stay the same. With walking, I think you’ll go beyond plato and it will stop being effective. I think the body doesn’t register walking, even running, as exercise. You have to keep pushing it to make a great impact. Lastly, I have to walk a lot everyday. more than the average person, and I’m not in good shape. I’m always up and down stairs. So, I don’t think it does much for you. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/53 "2011-02-11T06:54:23Z")
> [@silk1976](#): > > For some, walking for 30 minutes is a challenge and thus can be considered moderate or vigorous exercise, but for others 30 minutes is barely a warm up, and is considered extremely light exercise. > > IMO, if someone says it is not exercise, their full thought is more akin to ‘yes, in a strict sense, it is exercise, but when I do it, the benefit realized is so miniscule that I’d be better off spending the time doing something more vigorous.’ At least, thats the fully developed thought I have when discussing walking as an exercise. Thank you for putting my thoughts into word better than I could do myself. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/54 "2011-02-11T09:16:12Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Prompted by a discussion in the mini-rants thread, I’m curious about people’s take on walking as exercise. I’m of the opinion (being an avid walker) that walking is indeed exercise, and not only exercise, but an excellent form of exercise for many people. It’s free (beyond a good pair of shoes), it’s convenient, it’s good for you in many ways, and most people can do it from whatever fitness level they’re starting at. > > The arguments against it is that it isn’t official exercise, and it doesn’t get your heart rate up enough unless you’re power walking. Since I live on a hill coming home from walks both ways, I beg to differ with that idea, too. > > What do all y’alls think? > > ETA: Forgot my other argument, that getting butts off couches is always a good thing. It improves memory, [says this study.](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/health/research/08fitness.html?src=me&ref=general) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/55 "2011-02-11T10:35:28Z")
I don’t drive, so all my travelling involves walking some of the way, and sometimes all the way (and back). I don’t do it often enough, though. Every second day I head to the shops and back, which is at the bottom of a hill (though usually only to buy things that counteract any gains). And a couple of weekends a month I try to have a day of long walks to the local parks, which can be a few miles journey (usually 5 - 8km or so, round trip). It seems to help keep me at a reasonable weight and health level. More than it would those who don’t do the same, at least. Most of the people I see out and about when I walk are of a similar or better fitness level than me, as they walk their dogs or ride bikes or whatever, so I figure it’s doing them good too. So though I don’t put quite the cardiac effort in I ought to, I think it’s exercise enough to be doing something beneficial. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/56 "2011-02-11T11:19:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > So though I don’t put quite the cardiac effort in I ought to, I think it’s exercise enough to be doing something beneficial. I agree. I once wore a pedometer at work each day (retail) for a week and discovered I was walking an average of 7kms a day at work. I don’t think it’s possible to walk those sort of distances and not derive any sort of health benefit from it. And yeah, the “Walking isn’t exercise” and “If you don’t feel the burn, you’re wasting your time” Gym-enthusiast crowd do a _lot_ of damage, IMHO, to efforts to encourage people to get up and do _something_ besides sitting on the couch watching TV whilst simultaneously engorging meat pies and full-strength soft drink. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/57 "2011-02-11T13:52:45Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Yes, walking is exercise. My understanding is that for some people, walking is a better exercise option than running because while it takes longer to get your heart rate up, it’s far less jarring on the knees. > > I like to walk. It gets the blood flowing, but I’m not in pain by the end of it. The data actually suggests that running [benefits](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/phys-ed-can-running-actually-help-your-knees/) your knees. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/58 "2011-02-11T14:17:19Z")
I used to be an enormous stress eater. Now I get a cup of coffee and take a walk. It makes my problems seem so much smaller. When I had the cast put on my broken wrist, the doctor told me that unless I was on a medical diet, to eat whatever I wanted and don’t worry about it. I took his advice and also went out walking every day, cast or no. When I went back two weeks later, he asked me how I lost seven pounds. I told him “I wasn’t really hungry, so I didn’t eat. And I went out walking every day.” He told me most people with a cast gain weight from not exercising. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/59 "2011-02-11T14:36:53Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > And yeah, the “Walking isn’t exercise” and “If you don’t feel the burn, you’re wasting your time” Gym-enthusiast crowd do a _lot_ of damage, IMHO, to efforts to encourage people to get up and do _something_ besides sitting on the couch watching TV whilst simultaneously engorging meat pies and full-strength soft drink. I agree, and I think that your comments underscore some subtle distinctions. I believe that a lot of people DO waste their time by “working out” at extremely low levels. That is, they go to the gym and yet do next to nothing – sauntering along the track, for example, as opposed to walking at a reasonably brisk pace. For some people, sauntering slowly may be all that they can do, but for most folks – even those who aren’t in great shape – it’s inefficient and won’t yield much by way of cardio benefits. Walking most certainly IS exercise, and it’s a good way for lifelong couch potatoes to get started. For most people, it’s not GREAT exercise, but it’s a good way to get started. Also, as with any kind of exercise, intensity levels do matter. Most folks can manage some brisk walking, and it will yield more benefits than a leisurely stroll. Power walking is even better, though it’s more difficult to sustain. With regard to “wasting time,” I draw a distinction between people who lollygag in the gym and those who incorporate walking into their daily routines. Exercise enthusiasts often complain about people who treat the gym as though it were a coffee shop or a social club – and rightfully so. After all, if you go to the gym and put in very little effort, then you’re being inefficient and you may even be interfering with other people’s workouts. Brisk walking doesn’t have to be inefficient though, especially over long distances. It might not be as effective as an hour of kickboxing, but it can yield substantial benefits nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887/60 "2011-02-11T16:16:28Z")
I don’t think efficiency is always a priority. I am a very inefficient exerciser. I do a leisurely hour on an exercise bike every day. I could probably get the same caloric burn if I went at a higher pace for 20 minutes. However, I can do a leisurely hour every single day no matter what: if I’ve missed five days out of the last 365, I’d be shocked. If my exercise routine were high-intensity, I’d hate every minute of it, and I’d probably let a 14 hour work day or a bad cold or a big meal or a major holiday or a million other things interfere, because I’d be looking for a good excuse. And I really don’t need the extra 40 minutes that badly. My leisurely hour is contemplative time, and I enjoy it. (And it’s not really 40 extra minutes, because I’d waste a lot time dreading and then recovering from a more intense routine) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-walking-exercise/570887.md?page=4)