What are the pros and cons of running versus walking?

Question

I enjoy going for long -- I mean, ten mile -- walks. Part of this is because I was training for the Susan B. Komen 3-Day Walk about a year ago, and I got into the habit of taking very long walks because of it.

However, some of my friends insist that I should start running, now that I've been walking on and off for a year. I hear all sorts of conflicting information about walking vs. running, so I figured I'd just ask here.

Assuming distance is constant (that is, that I'd walk or run, say, five or ten miles, regardless) and that time is not a factor (if it takes me two hours or four doesn't really matter to me), how do walking and running compare? That is, what are the pros and cons, health-and-fitness-wise, of walking vs. running?

Answer 1

The Old Science: "Walking Is Enough"

Let's frame the health question with some data from the American Heart Association:

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the 5 major risk factors (along with high blood pressure, abnormal values for blood lipids, smoking, and obesity) for cardiovascular disease.

The American Heart Association used to say (and the government agreed) that virtually anything would satisfy the bare minimum for avoiding that "sedentary lifestyle":

[The benefits of exercise] will generally occur by engaging in at least 30 minutes of modest activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Modest activity is defined as any activity that is similar in intensity to brisk walking at a rate of about 3 to 4 miles per hour.

That 30 minutes was even considered cumulative across the day:

It has been shown that repeated intermittent or shorter bouts of activity (such as 10 minutes) that include occupational and recreational activity or the tasks of daily living have similar cardiovascular and other health benefits if performed at the moderate intensity level with an accumulated duration of at least 30 minutes per day.

It's relevant to note:

People who already meet these standards will receive additional benefits from more vigorous activity.

The CDC breaks down the "more vigorous activity" required to achieve those "additional benefits":

• 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) each week of vigrous-intensity aerobic activity
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.

The Corrected Science: "Walking Is Almost Never Enough"

The recommendation above "has been revised by the scientists who first developed" it!

The old advice was adopted by the World Health Organization and the US and UK governments. Now it appears that while it was technically correct, it failed as policy.

Until now, government recommendations have suggested that people can achieve a minimum level of fitness through their normal daily routines. But amid fears that the lightest of activities such as dusting and the stroll to the car are being counted as exercise, a new study by the public health experts behind the formula concludes adults need to add jogging and twice-weekly weight training sessions if they want to cut their risk of heart disease and obesity.

Source: The Guardian, specifically Polly Curtis, health correspondent, on 17 August 2007.

Why did it fail as policy? Because, as the BBC shows, people thought that what they were doing was plenty exercise. Surprise! It wasn't:

In a survey of nearly 1,200 people, around half of men and three quarters of women thought moderate exercise conferred the greatest health benefits.

...

"It's extremely worrying that British adults now believe that a brief stroll and a bit of gardening is enough to make them fit and healthy," said Dr Gary O'Donovan, lead author.

"Brisk walking offers some health benefits, but jogging, running and other vigorous activities offer maximal protection from disease."

Conclusion: Walking OK - Running and Lifting Awesome

• Walking at a moderate or slow pace are better than nothing, but almost never count as moderate exercise
• Walking briskly for a good while every day will provide the bare minimum of recommended activity.
• Doing more will get the good stuff. Jogging, playing sports, and lifting heavy things will provide the health benefits we're after: increased mood and energy, avoiding heart disease and osteoporosis.

One reason we misunderstand scientists is that we only listen to half of what they say. The studies show that brisk walking provides the minimum necessary exercise if done for 150 minutes a week, and again, that is minimum time. Interpreting that to say that moderate walking 2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes is enough is factually incorrect. We misunderstand scientists because they are using very particular language, and people normally use vague language. In this case, the scientists are trying to be more clear: the bare minimum is the bare minimum, and for any real health benefits, we'd all better get to work.

Answer 2

Running is harder on your body that walking. This is a pro. It can also, if not addressed correctly, turn into a con.

Running will push your muscles, tendons, joints, lungs and heart more than walking will. When you run, your feet will hit the ground harder, your muscles will contract faster and with more force, your lungs will need to supply more air, and your heart will need to distribute blood faster.

Basically, your entire body will be working harder - which is a good thing! It will force your body to adapt and improve to meet the new challenge.

However, if you've never run before, or haven't run in a long time, there is a danger of overdoing things, especially if you 'jump in the deep end.' Start off slow - maybe 1 mile at a time at an easy pace, and see how it feels. Don't just try to run 3 miles a day during the first week - your body won't be ready for such a drastic change.

Make sure you have good shoes, make sure your technique is decent. Otherwise overuse injuries will inevitably happen. If you ever have pain that is not normal soreness, take a break. Don't try to fight an injury - this is counterproductive.

Overall, I would say running is a great and logical next step after walking. Like I mentioned before, it will improve the fitness of all the parts of your body, more than walking will. BUT, remember to be smart about it, and listen to your body. Ease into it, and you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I came across this article today on calories burned when walking versus running the same distance. The important points are that you burn 5 calories for every liter of oxygen you consume while exercising, and running requires you to take in more oxygen because it increases your heart rate more. That is, although you're moving the same amount of weight over the same distance whether you walk or run, when you run you

actually jump from one foot to the other. Each jump raises our center of gravity when we take off, and lowers it when we land, since we bend the knee to absorb the shock. This continual rise and fall of our weight requires a tremendous amount of Newtonian force (fighting gravity) on both takeoff and landing.

As such, running generally burns more calories than walking. However, the author also did an experiment to see whether this holds true at higher speeds, and found that (at least for her personally) at speeds faster than 12 minutes a mile, walking actually burned more calories than running. I'm not quite sure why that is, but the explanation she gives is

walking at very fast speeds forces your body to move in ways it wasn't designed to move. This creates a great deal of internal "friction" and inefficiency, which boosts heart rate, oxygen consumption, and calorie burn.

Answer 4

Let's look at this from a sustainability standpoint.

• I think we can assume you really like walking if you are walking 10 miles. There are not many people who enjoy running ten miles.
• Runners get injured a lot. (1992 Nov;14(5):320-35.Running injuries. A review of the epidemiological literature.) Walkers don't.
• Running requires a more extensive wardrobe than walking.
• Although increasing speed increases cardiovascular endurance, speed does not affect improvements in blood lipid profile (JAMA. 1991;266(23):3295-3299. doi: 10.1001/jama.1991.03470230053030).
• If you run 10 miles, you will probably find it hard to do anything else for the rest of the day. Walking 10 miles will leave you with more energy.

If it isn't broken, why fix it?

Answer 5

I agree with parkker007, but would like to add that when running you should ideally try to run on grass/ soft ground rather than concrete because otherwise (long term) it messes up your knees and hips etc. (To my knowledge, walking on concrete is fine, so if you live somewhere with no grass.. walk to grass and then run?!)

Also, go for an easy five-minute-odd jog before you start stretching, then do some dynamic stretches BEFORE you go on your "run", and then afterwards, go on a five-minute-odd warm-down jog and stretch again (this time, static stretching is OK--see Thomas Kurz), and if your legs still really hurt afterwards, run some very cold water in the bath and sit in it for five minutes.

Keep the pace steady to build up fitness or do fartlek training ( http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/training-centre/training-advice/fartlek-training/ ) to build up stamina. Drink lots of water afterwards, and taking a bottle of orange squash or something with you (with a pinch of salt- sounds disgusting but you can't taste it) is a good idea.

Above-linked-to London Marathon site is tres very useful, if you're curious about anything else :)

Also may I say good for you going on such long walks/ considering running :)

Answer 6

I would choose whichever I see myself doing more consistently. If I'm going to be defeated running, by all means walk.

And now I'm going to put in my two cents of what you should be doing... swimming! Swimming is low impact, burns calories like it's nobody's business, and makes you look oh-so-cool when you're kicking it at the lake with your friends. Your joints and body will thank you. Swimming will also work your abs.

Answer 7

Pros and Cons in what context? It's hard to compare the two without knowing what you're trying to accomplish.

As others have noted, running will burn more calories: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22446673

This is a rather narrow view, however, for determining which is better. If weight management were my main goal, I would focus on my eating habits and walk to stay active. One of the cons of running is the glucose dependency that can lead to excess carbohydrate consumption (Maffetone).

An additional con of running is the increased risk of injury. There's a much smaller risk of injury while walking. This combined with the lower stress on the body will allow you to walk every day (even multiple times a day).

For me, the pros of running are that it's fun and it's the best way to train for races. :-)

Answer 8

both are great sources of cardio. It all comes down to your goals. with that being said. Both sources of cardio tap into the Oxidative system because they are both low power and long duration exercises. which is 1 of your 3 energy systems that we use when interacting in certain activities? The oxidative system is estimated to burn 10 calories per min. This system uses a lot more oxygen and uses more fats as fuel.

Hope all this makes sense.