T-shirt: “If I’m mean, it’s because you’re stupid.”
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I walked today. I had done some research. It's a common theory that whether you walk or run doesn't matter, that it's the distance that matters, that since you're moving the same weight over the same distance, the same amount of energy, i. e. calories, is expended. Walking just takes longer, and doesn't have the same cardio advantages.
Of course not everyone agrees with this, there are arguments both ways. It's not an easy thing to measure. But I did find something interesting, with good arguments to support it, and I choose to believe it:
Walking quickly burns more calories over a mile than walking slowly.
Walking quickly burns more calories over a mile than running!
A 20-minute walking mile burns more calories than a ten-minute running/jogging mile.
The argument with walking slowly versus quickly is that more muscles are used when walking quickly, the body moves more. And with running versus walking quickly, entirely different sets of muscles are used. In one you are lofting and momentum helps move you, while in the other you are in continual contact with the ground, with little or no momentum. In running there are fewer steps per mile than in walking.
Makes sense to me.
So today I walked the same route as yesterday, but instead of taking an hour, I did it in 40 minutes. The first 3/4 of the loop went quickly, but my thighs were complaining on the last quarter. I plan to keep doing that until I can do the whole distance in 30 minutes with no problem, then I'll increase the distance.
(I stopped at a farm stand halfway through the loop and bought cucumbers, peaches (soft ones!), and blueberries. Carrying them may have been what killed the thighs. I do better when I can swing my arms and hips freely.)
When I got home, I found a message on the home phone from my doctor, which may detour this whole weight loss attack. Next post....
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