Walking vs. Running

People often want to know whether walking or running is a better form of exercise. Both provide wonderful benefits. No matter which one you choose you are going to lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of developing cancer and diabetes, improve the quality of your sleep, and increase your energy levels. That said, there are some major differences between the two.

Walking

One of the biggest benefits of walking is that it’s easy. Any able bodied person can walk. The ease of walking can help to maintain motivation. The less an activity seems like a hassle, the more likely you are to continue to do it, which is extremely important with exercise.
Walking is also a low impact activity. The entire time you are walking, at least one foot will be on the ground. The same is not true for running. When you run you send your body into the air and back down. For these reasons, walking is less likely to lead to injury and is a better choice for people who are overweight.

Running

Running gets the big one. You burn more calories when you run than you do when you walk. For a long time, people assumed that walking a mile and running a mile burn the same number of calories. Newton’s laws of physics told us that moving a certain mass a certain distance requires a set amount of energy to accomplish. The reason this doesn’t hold up for running and walking is that the two activities vary so much. Since running forces you to lift your entire body off the ground, you are not only exerting energy to move forward but also up. As a result, running burns more calories per minute and per mile. It also has a greater after burn effect, which is the amount of extra calories burned after you stop exercising.
If you’re looking for weight loss, running will be your best bet. Walking is good if you want to avoid injuries or get healthier without having to exert yourself as much. Which one is best for you will ultimately depend on your fitness goals.