When trying to lose weight, do you go for running or walking exercises? Well, this is one of the biggest debates in the fitness arena that most people are caught up in. But which of the two is the best when it comes to losing weight? The answer is neither of the two is better than either.
Despite the different levels of intensities, the health benefits are almost the same. But, the amount of weight that you shed within depends upon the exercises that you chose.
So, your weight loss goals and other factors key when making a choice. Here are some of the facts that you need to know before deciding to run or walk.
Fact #1: What Does Research Say?
There are many research works done on the impact of running and walking on weight loss. One of these research works was done on a large scale, where about 50,000 walkers and runners were observed. According to this study, all participants lost weight by walking. But the study found that running was more efficient in shedding off weight.
The study also showed that men lost more weight running than women. So, according to this study, walking would be ideal for starters. Walking helps the body to get conditioned for workouts. But if you want to lose weight fast, then running is the best choice as long if you do it safely.
Fact #2: Eating After Exercise
Another fact that will help you decide whether to run or walk is after exercise eating effect. Studies show that the level of appetite after exercise is different between walkers and runners. Researchers found different eating habits after a 60-minute workout. For a group that was walking, the appetite hormone after exercise was higher than runners. In fact, they would eat more calories than they had burnt during the exercise. On the other hand, runners were found to fewer calories than they had burnt. That’s another reason why running has a leg up on walking.
Fact #3: The After-Burn
The other fact you need to consider before deciding on whether to run or walk is the after-burn effect. This is the ability of the body to continue burning fat hours after the exercises. Various studies have shown high-intensity exercises have a longer after-burn effect. This is good for weight loss.
Running is more intensive than walking, and thus it has a longer after-burn effect. The higher intensity will vigorously increase your metabolic rate. This means more fat will be burnt after you are done with the exercise. This is one of the reasons why runners lose more weight than walkers for the same period.
Fact #4: Overall Health
When looking at the overall health, then walking becomes the best method to lose weight. Although the running helps you burn more calories, it also exposes the body to a lot of stress than walking that. That’s most people will have a problem with painful muscles and joints that would take very long to heal. Walking also can lower heart diseases more than running. Studies have also shown that walking can lower blood pressure. It also lowers cholesterol levels more than running. That’s another reason why you need to consider walking over running exercises.
If you’re planning to start a weight loss program, now you have the facts you need to decide whether it’s running or walking exercises. Both of them will help you shed off some pounds, and each has its pros and cons. But for overall health, walking has a leg up on running.