What’s a better exercise - To walk or to run?

Running and walking are both great forms of exercise.  They both burn calories, they both improve your blood pressure and muscle mass, and they both give you the opportunity to do your exercise outdoors when its bright and sunny or to do your exercises indoors on your treadmill if it is raining or snowing.

But since running and walking are both good for you, how do you choose which one you should do?

The answer greatly depends on several factors: (1) the current level of fitness your body is in; (2) the goal you want to achieve; and (3) the amount of time you can allot for your exercise.

Your current fitness level is the biggest factor that will affect your decision to either walk or to run.  Walking is a lot more controlled than running.  It allows you to consciously monitor your steps and your strides.  Running on the other hand puts a lot of pressure on the knees the legs, and the feet.  Therefore, if you have any injuries on your knees, your ankles, or your legs in general, walking would be a lot better suited for you.  Furthermore, running puts a lot more strain on your heart and your lungs too.  It involves a lot more effort in a much shorter amount of time than walking that your respiratory system and your circulatory system should also be in good shape.  If you are just starting out, it would be a good idea to start out with walking to get yourself in the right fitness level and then work yourself up to where you can start running.

The goals you want to achieve will also play a big part when you choose whether to run or to walk as an exercise.  If your goal is to sculpt your legs, your buns, and your thighs, then running would be the better choice for you.  Running puts your body in a much better position to produce a better sculpted body than you would get from walking.  It also puts a lot more strain on your body forcing it develop more of your muscles and making your muscles a lot more firm.

When it comes to the number of calories burned though, walking and running are pretty much at the same level.  A 135 pound woman for example, can burn as much as 270 calories using walking as an exercise if she walks at the rate of 4mph for 40 minutes.  She can burn the same amount of calories using running as an exercise by running at a rate of 6 mph for a period of 20 minutes.

This leads to the time element.  If you have more time to spend on exercise then you can have the pleasure of choosing to walk rather than to run.  If you are constrained by other commitments however, then running will have to be your choice.  Just as the example above shows, if you choose to run, you will be able to burn the same amount of calories in half the time it would take you if you chose to walk.

This article is about work out exercises. For similar articles like this you can visit Fitness Classes Spain website.