Question of the Week 23 July: Walk vs Jog

A friend forwarded this question on from an acquaintance of hers, and I thought it worth running through some of the thinking on walking vs. jogging, particularly for someone over 40, above their ideal weight, and not as active as they perhaps think they are…

From Carol –

…My daughter is home from college and has been nagging me for weeks now to get out and run with her in the mornings. She’s of course 20, a life-long runner, and extremely fit, putting in 27-30 mile weeks on average. I’ve had a very stressful year (death of a parent after an ugly cancer battle) and put on another 30 pounds, making me about 55 pounds over what I feel is my best weight.

I’ve been a walker in years past (about 3 miles five days per week) but not in the past year, though I’m playing golf (out of a cart) once every 10 days or so so getting a fair bit of exercise there. Otherwise I guess I’m considered sedentary given my desk job. My daughter is convinced that walking is basically of no benefit for weight loss or general health and that I have to run at some every day to regain my form, and it’s beginning to stress our relationship. I’m ready to get started but she’s rattled my confidence in my old walking routine…

Kudos, and Let’s Agree That Simply Getting Moving is Good

Carol, kudos to you for making the decision to get back in the walking game, and kudos to your daughter for wanting to help you along the way (even though she’s overlooking some of the proven benefits of walking).

And I’d bet the farm that your daughter would agree that, without even delving too far into the science, that simply getting moving (more than you are now) will be a very helpful action for you to take – whether that be walking, jogging, or actually running. And sorry, though I’m not currently an active golfer, having played a number of rounds out of a cart in years past, I don’t think that’s providing much at all in terms of true exercise benefit, though the sun exposure (with appropriate high-exposure skin precautions) is probably boosting your vitamin D!

Walking is Great Exercise and Has a Number of Health Benefits

Please reassure your daughter that walking has a number of proven health benefits demonstrated across widely varying age bands, and in fact, particularly for those of us in our fifth decades and beyond, offers these benefits without the baggage of running-induced injuries that often increase with age.

In addition, as you’re “getting back in the exercise groove” after a tough year and with a (recently) sedentary lifestyle, walking allows you to ramp up your exercise volumes with relative ease, with a reasonable goal of walking five of seven days per week (or more); thirty minutes per outing is good, an hour is even better.

What Does some Representative Research Suggest About Walking vs Running?

In this study, equivalent energy expenditures by moderate walking and running invoked similar risk reductions for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia; perhaps lesser so for coronary heart disease.

This study of men 64-65 looked the effects on health of walking (more than 2 hours/day, 1-2 hours/day, and < 30 min/day); the more they walked, the greater benefit (decreased mortality) was noted.

This study showed that moderate walking (8.6 miles/week) was very effective at improving glucose tolerance and nearly as effective as a much more aggressive (diet, moderate exercise, weight loss) approach in those at risk for T2DM.

This editorial in the American Journal of Cardiology made some interesting observations about the efficacy of running vs. walking, though appropriately discussed the much higher injury rates associated with running.

There’s a hoard of research supporting the premise that injury rates are higher among runners of all skill level levels and mileage/volume; for example see this, this, and this. And finally, some studies, such as this one, suggest that more aggressive (strenuous) jogging provides no all-cause mortality benefit over sedentary controls. (A topic for another day.)

Bottom Line: Lace Up Those Walking Shoes

Bottom line, resuming your walking program is a great idea, and will benefit you in a multitude of ways. (I’ve resumed a vigorous walking program myself this spring and summer, and have come to treasure my early morning/sunrise adventures in the countryside; I’d forgotten with what gusto birds sing as the sun comes up.) Perhaps your daughter might accompany you some days, as a complement to her running program, and allow some genuine ‘social networking’ before she heads back to school.

Don’t forget that your body composition is 80% or more what you eat, with exercise contributing 10% (more or less) to the equation.