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Some people are best motivated by measuring their walks in some way. For me, it's steps on my Fitbit. For my DH, it's time. My offspring and their spouses, all in their 40s and former runners, are walkers and measure their walks by distance, time, or time to cover a certain distance.
While out walking I see more people in that 40s age range walking rather than jogging. Years ago, it seemed like everyone was jogging.
Then there's the 92 year old man that I often see jogging on the trail. He's built like a distance runner so I imagine this is something he's done his whole life but I don't know how he's avoided blowing out his knees.
I reckon people exercise for a variety of reasons. My heart is in great shape, even at 76, so my main focus is keeping my leg muscles in shape. So I walk a few miles a day and average going up 8 flights of stairs a day.
I also walk because I enjoy it. Jogging doesn't do anything for me any more. Don't need to burn off calories. When I was on active duty I jogged four miles a day, every day. Those days are long gone. Lakeside trail walking also allows me to really enjoy the scenery and greet passers-by.
Walking is such a great but highly underrated part of a healthy lifestyle! I personally love walking wherever and whenever possible. In fact, a big part of the reason why I bought a house in Philadelphia is due to the city's walkability. Each morning, I walk approximately 1.2 miles downhill to my local train station, ride to the office, accumulate steps throughout the day, and walk the same 1.2 miles uphill. This ensures that I usually have at least 10,000 steps completed ahead of exercising. I'll usually either go to the gym or run about 7-8 miles on average. My average step count in 2023 was 17,199 for a reason.
As mentioned earlier, I decided to buy a house in the city with walkability as a consideration. I plan on never moving to the suburbs or an area that requires car ownership because of how soulless and unwalkable the vast majority of suburbs are. I grew up in the city, but my mom moved me to the suburbs as a teen. Once I rented my first place in the city near my college campus, all of the walking I did helped me lose 104 pounds.
I love walking. Indeed, I have started every year since 2019 with a "First Day Walk" which most states sponsor in their state parks (link). I should walk more often and mix them with jogging but, oh well.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twinkletwinkle22
We walk almost every day around our neighborhood and once a week take longer hike in hilly park near us.
In summer it's hot here in Charlotte NC so we head to mountains whenever possible and walk/hike daily
I'm a believer walking is very good for us.
Recently read report that medical study says walking faster is better than slower so have convinced my husband we need to pick up our pace. I hate jogging but walking fast is not a problem.
Some years ago I read a report saying the exact opposite, not an uncommon occurrence with some subjects.
I do know that in physics, work is defined as moving mass through a distance so walking slow or fast through the same distance requires the same amount of work, adding time to the equation it becomes a measurement of power. I don't know which is more important to the benefits of exercise.
Some years ago I read a report saying the exact opposite, not an uncommon occurrence with some subjects.
I do know that in physics, work is defined as moving mass through a distance so walking slow or fast through the same distance requires the same amount of work, adding time to the equation it becomes a measurement of power. I don't know which is more important to the benefits of exercise.
Here is the story they were probably referring to:
:..In a new study, which looks at activity tracker data from 78,500 people, walking at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes a day led to a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, compared with walking a similar number of steps but at a slower pace. These results were recently published in two papers in the journals JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Neurology..."
Problem is I can't keep up "brisk" for as long as I walk - which was 9 miles today kind of a record for an ordinary day! . . . but IDK how to get "better" really. I had my mind on other stuff and simply didn't notice it was time to quit.
I use to mountain bike as a major part of my exercise routine but injuries to my back and neck have reduced that severely. Recently I added walking to my routine as both a way to stay in shape, keep the weight off and improve my mood. I started out at 3 miles and now up to 5-6 miles a day. I started at a 3.2 MPH pace and working my way to 4 mph, eventually with a goal of 5 mph.
I'm lucky I live in an area I can walk outdoors 12 months a year. I received an apple watch for Christmas and am enjoying tracking all the different functions it monitors. It gives me extra motivation to keep pushing myself.
My sneakers which were fine for gym days, are not really suited for walking, as they have wider heels. I've read more sneaker reviews than I'd like to admit though most of the info out there is geared towards runners not walkers.
Does anyone here know any forums specifically geared towards walkers and not runners? I'd love to get some ideas and have discussions with some serious fitness walkers.
NYT had a column on Jan. 4 entitled “8 fitness myths that drive experts crazy”
One is that walking alone is enough to keep a person fit as they age. Here’s the key point:
..“People can do daily activities with a minimal amount of cardiovascular fitness,” she said. “But when they don’t have the strength or the muscle power to do daily activities, that’s when they lose their independence.”
Complement walks with at least two 20-minute strength-training sessions every week…”
Btw, another myth they list is that running is bad for your knees.
I can't see how it wouldn't be bad. What other mammal routinely spends an hour or more at a time trotting or running at mid to top speed, on purpose? They may have bursts of running for hunting or self defense, but then it's back to a typical level of physical activity.
I only run if something is on fire.
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