Walking or Running?

Exercise is just an important thing for every human. It is what makes us fit and healthy, which ultimately leads to a longer life. When I go to the gym I tend to use the elliptical because running hurts my knees, but everyone says that walking at a fast pace is better for the body, but I am not 100% sold on that.

Walking is just as effective as running and even better than it. According to Mother Nature Network there are 5 ways in which walking is better than running. The first one they talk about it that when you are running it could stress out the immune system. This is because when one runs it burns fat and muscle tissue, which affects the immune system. The second reason is that running can damage your heart. The American Heart Association did a study on 60 Boston Marathon runners and recorded their cardiovascular activities before the race started and 20 minutes into the race. 60% of those runners had a protein called troponin that elevated. When troponin is elevated it could cause cardiovascular problems. Although no research has proven this, running may cause osteoarthritis. Avid runners typically get this problem because a lot of running causes pain to the joint cartilage and bones, which then leads to osteoarthritis. That also means that running can cause damage to cartilage. The final thing they talk about is that running in warm weather could lead to heat stroke. When one runs they use more energy rather than walking. When it is hot out this could lead to multiple organ dysfunction.

In a lot of articles that I researched about walking v. running it stated it depends on the reason one is exercising. New York Times talks about weight loss and that when it comes to loosing weight running is better. A scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California named Paul Williams did a study about weight loss over a six year interval. Source He found that the participants with a BMI (body mass index) over 28, which would mean that they were overweight, had a 90% weight loss when they ran rather than the people who walked. His conclusion was as stated “Running is more effective ran walking in preventing weight gain and achieve weight loss; both groups shed pounds, but the runners lost more.” The only problem with that study was that there was no control group. Some of those runners could have been really trying to loose weight and they tried dieting and exercise as a weight of loosing that weight.

From what I took away from this research is that walking is healthier for the body rather than running, but when it comes to weight loss running is better. As an elliptical user I wonder if running is better than the elliptical for weight loss. According to Built Lean using the intervals and the specific workouts that advanced elliptical offer, it is better for weight loss than the treadmill because it “forces you to work out of your comfort zone.” I’ll be heading to the elliptical next time I enter the gym, which hopefully will be soon.

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3 thoughts on “Walking or Running?

  1. Rachel Coblentz

    Instead of thinking of running better than walking or vice versa, I think it is more important to look at the situation. For example, I play lacrosse and a typical midfielder runs at least two miles during the game. This means we run A LOT during practice. Sprints after sprints. Obviously, I would prefer to walk these sprints instead of run them. But, we all know that wouldn’t be practical to help us during the games. On the other hand, I also don’t think it would be healthy for most 80 year olds to go out and run sprints. I agree that it should really depend on the situation.

  2. Kaitlin Anita Caminiti

    I found this article to be very thought-provoking. The fact that we have to choose between losing weight more efficiently and doing so the right way for our bodies is a difficult decision to make. Especially in today’s society, where the perfect body is so idolized and so desirable, people will do anything and everything they can in order to lose the weight. Most people are probably thinking that walking may be a healthier decision, but if running on the treadmill makes me lose the weight faster then I’ll risk dealing with the knee pain later. I do like how you put the option of using the elliptical in there though. It is kind of like a third variable and a happy medium, into losing those extra pounds, but causing no physical harm on your body.

  3. Kristen Lauren Mckenzie

    I believe that one is not better then the other nor should one replace another. I think that they are equally important for a healthy life. They are both important to live a longer life. As you mentioned in the blog post they are meant to do different things but you also said that you think walking is better, but I disagree. I think running is better because you burn calories faster and lose weight quicker. To me, I think that if you wanted to decide which was healthier for the body it would be what you are trying to do, weather it be lose weight and maintaining our body image. It really depends on the person.

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