Is Walking Better Than Running for Weight Loss?
Getty Images / Patrik Giardino
Reviewed by Michele Stanten, ACE-GFI
Incorporating physical activity into your day-to-day routine is important for your overall health and well-being. In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of high-intensity, physical activity each week. Many people attempt to achieve these movement goals through walking or running—especially because you can do both activities almost anywhere and at no cost.
But if you’re adding this type of physical activity for weight loss, you may be wondering: Is walking a more practical approach to weight loss compared to running? The answer depends on a variety of factors. Each form of exercise has its advantages depending on the situation, explains Amie Dworecki, BS, MA, MBA, a running coach. What might be most ideal for you might be different for your partner or friend.
For example, running can help you burn more calories in a shorter time, yet walking has a significantly lower impact, which might be ideal for someone at an increased risk for injury. Here's what you need to know about each so you can make the choice that is right for you.
The Relationship Between Exercise and Weight Loss
When you look at weight loss through a numerical lens, it’s quite simple: You essentially have to burn more calories than you consume. At first glance, this is more easily attained through running since it burns more calories. A 140-pound person running a nine-minute mile will burn approximately 367 calories per 30 minutes of running, compared to about 167 calories for a 140-pound person walking briskly for the same period of time.
Your body burns a certain amount of energy each day, which we measure in calories. How many calories your body naturally burns depends on many factors, including your genetics, lean muscle mass, and physical activity level, Dworecki explains. The foods and beverages we consume also play a role.
“Weight tends to remain the same when we eat as many calories as we burn, however, consuming more calories than you expend can lead to weight gain,” she says. “Decreasing the extra calories you may be eating from food and beverages and increasing the calories you burn through physical exercise is the simplest way to lose weight.”
On average, you have to be at a deficit of a total of 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound, and walking and running can help you achieve this goal faster alongside proper nutrition. The golden rule is known as the 80/20 rule, which represents putting about 80% of your weight loss efforts toward diet and 20% toward exercise.
The Case for Walking
Walking is a low-impact activity, meaning that it places the least amount of pressure on your joints making it ideal for beginners, seniors, and those with existing injuries who can’t handle the high impact of running. It's much easier on the knees especially if you have certain conditions such as osteoarthritis or back or joint issues, notes Alicia Jones, national coach of Canada (NCCP), advanced sports nutrition, certified group fitness instructor, and personal training specialist.
One study compared weight changes and exercise levels of nearly 50,000 walkers and runners and found that walking led to weight loss in most individuals, especially female walkers. From a motivational standpoint, it’s also less intimidating to go for a walk for most people than it is to go for a run, making this a more practical activity that you’ll be enticed to perform on a regular basis.“You're more motivated to go out for a walk because it is less aggressive and exhausting on the body,” adds Jones.
Walking is also much easier to incorporate into your daily routine because you can pretty much walk anywhere. You also may not sweat as much during this activity because it’s lower intensity than running, and you can also do it in small bouts—such as on your lunch break, through town, or when parking farther away from a store.
The Case for Running
One of the biggest reasons running may be ideal for people striving to lose weight is the simple fact that it burns more calories in a shorter amount of time. Running a mile burns about 40% more calories than walking the same distance (walking at 3 mph, running at 6 mph), according to Dworecki.
Running also allows you to get into a high-intensity interval zone much quicker, increasing your body’s metabolism and ability to burn calories, says Jones. Also, once you’re finished running, your body takes longer to return to its pre-exercise state, something known as EPOC, which stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This process can continue for up to 48 hours after a vigorous workout like running.
“This effect means intense exercise like running can increase the calories you burn during your workout session and continue afterward,” says Dworecki. “You can also get the same effect from HIIT workouts, or high-intensity interval training, that combines running intervals with walking.” If you want to do HIIT while solely walking, that's also an option. Alternate moderate/brisk walking and fast/vigorous walking to increase calorie burn.
Comparing Calorie Burn: Walking vs. Running
Walking at various speeds burns between two and eight metabolic equivalents (MET)—or the amount of oxygen burned by breathing. Running, in comparison, burns between eight to 18 MET.
Although this sounds like a decent difference, many factors influence the amount of MET, including the distance walked or run as well as the pace. Below are the average calories burned per mile for a 160-pound person for walking and running.
Walking
2.0 mph: 91 calories
2.5 mph: 87 calories
3.0 mph: 85 calories
3.5 mph: 83 calories
4.0 mph: 91 calories
4.5 mph: 102 calories
5.0 mph: 116 calories
Running
5.0 mph: 116 calories
6.0 mph: 121 calories
7.0 mph: 119 calories
8.0 mph: 123 calories
9.0 mph: 121 calories
10.0 mph: 131 calories
You can find more results with our walking calorie calculator charts for different weights and speeds.
Factors to Consider
When considering which workout is better for weight loss, the first rule of thumb is to consider how your joints feel. If you feel like your joints can sustain the higher impact of running, then Jones recommends it as a faster solution to achieve weight loss.
“With running, you will be able to get into those higher-intensity interval training zones more efficiently and quickly; however, if you have joint issues that's not to say you cannot get into high-intensity interval training zones [with walking],” she says.
While running can yield faster weight loss, walking is a great exercise too, and has many benefits. It’s also better than not exercising at all. If walking is more enticing to you and something that you’re more likely to do, it’s simply a better weight-loss workout for you.
What’s doable for the majority of people may be a hybrid model that combines both walking and running. If you go this route, what matters most is consistency. As Dworecki puts it, the best exercise you can do to lose weight is the one you enjoy and that you’ll do on a regular basis. Jones agrees, adding that, if you're finding that you are not able to push yourself to do a higher intensity interval training zone, whether it's walking or running, then just go for a simple walk.
If calorie burn is your goal, you should consider your ability to sustain either activity. For example, running burns more calories per mile or minute, but if you can only run for 10 minutes you'll only burn 121 calories, compared to 364 calories if you can walk at a brisk pace (4mph) for an hour.
Related: We Tested the Best Walking Shoes—These 23 Will Keep You Comfortable All Day Long
Bottom Line
No matter which exercise you choose—walking or running—to help you achieve your weight-loss goals, know that you’re on the right track. Both have their own benefits and both may result in weight loss over time. It’s important to consider which type of exercise is best suited for you, your age, your health conditions, and your personal preference.
Related: We Tested the Best Running Shoes for All Types of Runners, Here Are the Top 15
Read the original article on Verywell Fitness.
