Comment by aio2
3 days ago
Walking is definitely better than sitting down all day, but that shouldn't be the goal. Weight training and more intense cardio are more important.
3 days ago
Walking is definitely better than sitting down all day, but that shouldn't be the goal. Weight training and more intense cardio are more important.
I walk every morning and hit 80-80% of my max heart rate for parts of it. Walking can be quite good exercise, unless you live somewhere very flat. My V02 max continues to climb steadily 0.1/week like clockwork, and no running yet. Granted, it's got a ways to go, it's just barely above average, but still, walking is working.
If you’re walking at that intensity you are more accurately hiking.
That's a perspective I haven't heard before, though I see that Google somewhat agrees with that being a valid point of view. Though it does suggest higher speed with more intention is a distinction. In my mind, hiking is something I do on a trail. I walk around my neighborhood. This includes a couple of climbs of ~200 feet over the space of about four city blocks. Moderately steep, but entirely normal terrain for the area, and all on paved roads or sidewalks at ~3 mph. Never occurred to me to think of it as anything other than a good walk.
I walk for 1hr on a treadmill set to 4mph and 4deg incline. My heart rate gets up to 150 bpm by the end.
Used to run but was always getting sore knees. Now I walk and it’s very consistent.
Re-reading what I wrote, I meant to write 80-85%
The point is there are those for whom one of the only forms exercise within reach is walking but it isn't thought of as exercise. Not all people are able to do more intense cardio or lift weights. Regular walking can bootstrap the body toward other exercise.
Tai chi actually is another amazing tool - it is a dynamic calisthenics exercise that builds core strength, balance, and stretches connective tissue.
p.s. dancing to underground industrial techno for a few hours is a great way to do calisthenics