Life is Motion. A key to good health is to be active on a daily basis. Walking and running are easy to do, need minimal equipment and can be done almost anywhere. But which is better for you? The answer is, “it depends”. It depends on your fitness level and your overall health. It also depends on which you enjoy doing. A good brisk walk can provide as much benefit as a run. If you haven’t done either in a while, it is probably best to start walking, then work-up to a run. It’s equally as important that you ramp up your time, speed and distance slowly.
Recent studies have shown that you need to walk twice as long to burn the same amount of calories as running. To burn 100 calories you can either run 9 minutes or walk 20 minutes.
To get a cardiovascular benefit from either a run or walk you must be in your Heart Rate Training Zone, and you should goal to be in this zone for at least 20 minutes on a daily. Your Heart Rate Training Zone is 50-85% of your Maximum Heart Rate which is 220 minus your age. Start in the low end of your Training Zone, and as you get in better shape, you can increase the percentage of time you spend in the higher range. You can determine your heart rate when exercising by feeling and counting your pulse, but the most accurate way to guarantee you are in your Heart Rate Training Zone is with an electronic Heart Rate Monitor. Basic Heart Rate Monitors are now inexpensive and easy to program. You can get fancier and purchase a heart rate monitor with GPS and other bells and whistles, but it is not necessary.
Are you worried about your knees? Studies have proven that runners do not have more knee arthritis than non-runners. When running, you hit the ground with a force of 8 times your body weight with each step, which is 3 times more force than walking. Since running strides are longer than walking, it takes fewer steps to cover the same distance. The net result is that over the course of a mile, you will put the same force on your knees whether you walk or run. If you have knee problems, please don’t run until you get the problem diagnosed, treated and resolved. Otherwise you’ll only make your knees worse.
Before you walk or run, you need to stretch. Dogs and cats are always stretching and you should too. Stretching prepares the body for activity and decreases the risk of injury. Never stretch to the point of pain, or bounce. Stop when you feel gentle tension in the muscle you are stretching.
So start moving today! Walk or Run- it’s your choice. If you are not sure if you are healthy enough to walk or run, or you have symptoms that are preventing you from doing the activities you want to do, please call us. We are here to get you find and fix the cause of your pain, so you can be healthy and enjoy a pain-free active lifestyle!
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact me:
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