Walking Catches Up With Running

“Walking . . . is riding a wave of popularity that draws its strength from a rediscovery of walking’s . . . health-giving qualities.” So states the booklet Walking for Exercise and Pleasure, by the United States President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

An impressive list of physical benefits underlines that statement. Among them: improved oxygen consumption during exertion, lowered resting heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and increased efficiency of heart and lungs. Of course, this is not achieved by sauntering, strolling, or shuffling, the booklet points out, but by walking “brisk enough to make your heart beat faster and cause you to breathe more deeply.”

Surprisingly, brisk walking burns nearly as many calories as does running. When 24 healthy male students were tested on energy expenditure while walking, jogging, and running at varying speeds, the test established that “jogging a mile in 8 1/2 minutes burns only 26 calories more than walking a mile in 12 minutes.” Walking 5 miles per hour used up 124 calories per mile, while running 9 miles per hour burned only 40 calories more.

Other pluses for walking include the following: No outlay is needed for special equipment (save for a good pair of shoes), preconditioning is unnecessary, and walking is virtually injury free. You may agree with the booklet’s slogan: “Walking: The Slower, Surer Way to Fitness.”