The answer is complicated. Walking counts as cardio in some respects: it can burn calories, it gets your heart rate up, and it counts toward the exercise we should all be getting every week. But on the other hand, it’s not going to increase your cardio fitness in the same way as a run or an intense aerobics class would. If you want to improve your endurance, you’ll have to do more than just walk.
A rule of thumb is that you burn about 100 calories per mile whether you run it or walk it, but in truth calorie burn varies according to the size of your body (you burn more calories if you are larger) and how fast you run or walk. The calories per mile are slightly lower when you walk. This calculator estimates that a 150-pound person will burn 108 calories by walking a mile at 3 miles per hour, or 104 calories by running it at 6 miles per hour. Some calculators give a lower estimate for walking,
Walking can’t replace “vigorous” cardio
Each intensity level of exercise offers its own benefits. Walking is what I’d consider very easy cardio, jogging is more of a medium exercise, and high-intensity cardio would be something like sprinting or racing. All of these are good for you, although depending on your goals, you may not need to do all of them.
On the other hand, if you’re just trying to get some movement in your life and you don’t care about getting better at it, lower intensity exercise like walking may be enough.
So where does walking fall in that recommendation? Walking is moderate, and I have more here on how that's defined. But if you want a rule of thumb to compare it to heart rate, the American Heart Association defines moderate exercise as that in which your heart rate is between 50-70% of your max, and vigorous exercise as between 70-85% of your max. (That does assume you know your true max.) Walking will generally be in the moderate range, so you’ll have to do twice as much of it—counting in minutes—as if you chose to do more vigorous cardio. That matches up with our calorie calculations.
Walking doesn’t have to mean an easy stroll
It’s often easier to keep up a higher intensity (and a higher heart rate) by running than by walking, but that’s not always true. If you’re hiking up a mountain, your heart rate can easily get into the “vigorous” zone. And if you’re an efficient enough runner, you may be able to go for a slow jog while you keep your heart rate down in the “moderate” realm.
Maybe walking gets you a higher heart rate than you thought—not impossible if you’re a beginner or if your walks take you over hilly terrain. If you want a tougher cardio workout, you can walk faster, or you can choose a different type of exercise like cycling or dancing that gets your heart rate up higher. But it’s fine to go for an easy walk if that’s all you’re aiming for.
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