{"id":12708,"date":"2024-12-17T18:05:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T11:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12708"},"modified":"2024-12-17T18:05:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T11:05:12","slug":"is-walking-exercise-fit-bottomed-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12708","title":{"rendered":"Is Walking Exercise? &#8211; Fit Bottomed Girls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-316220 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/sp-ao.shortpixel.ai\/client\/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_687,h_458\/https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"687\" height=\"458\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-316220 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"687\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/shutterstock_2466950095-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">People ask me all the time all the time: \u201cIs <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2017\/11\/the-perks-of-leisure-walking\/\">walking<\/a> exercise?\u201d In fact, this debate has gotten quite heated lately on social media \u2014 ranging from doctors on famous podcasts saying \u201cdon\u2019t be silly walking isn\u2019t exercise\u201d and influencers screaming \u201cpeople who say walking isn\u2019t exercise are f*cking idiots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019ve watched this back and forth on the topic rage on, I get why this is still confusing for people.\u00a0Gosh, even the \u201cexperts\u201d can\u2019t seem to agree.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing \u2014 absolute statements are very common on social media because they draw attention and get likes and comments so people keep using them.<\/p>\n<p>But the problem is that these types of black and white statements completely lack context and individual nuance so they end up being unhelpful to the general population who just genuinely want to know if walking is enough for them to get the health and fitness benefits they are after.<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s talk about it.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Walking Exercise?<\/h2>\n<p>As with most things, it depends. In this case, it first depends on how you define \u201cexercise\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/exercise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"external\">Merriam-Webster<\/a> defines exercise as a \u201cbodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC1424733\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"external\">A 1985 Public Health Reports<\/a> paper proposed the following definitions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cPhysical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cExercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So yes, walking absolutely <em>can<\/em> be classified as exercise if you are using it to develop, improve, or maintain your physical fitness. This particularly applies to people who are otherwise sedentary or are just beginning their fitness journey.<\/p>\n<p>However, two caveats here:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>If you are otherwise active and fit, walking alone may not be enough to develop, improve, or maintain your physical fitness. Once your fitness reaches a certain threshold, your baseline minimum for what\u2019s needed to improve or maintain your fitness level will be higher and a leisurely stroll around your neighborhood might not provide a strong enough stimulus.<\/li>\n<li>Depending on what your goals are, walking alone may not be enough physical activity or exercise to reach your goals. For example, we know that walking alone isn\u2019t enough to combat bone density loss as we age.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Again, we need more context \u2014 not more click bait statements. So let\u2019s go deeper.<\/p>\n<h2>Does Your Walking Routine Fit Into the Physical Activity Guidelines?<\/h2>\n<p>When people ask me if walking counts as exercise, often what they really want to know is \u201cdoes walking count toward the minimum exercise recommendations?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, they are wondering \u201cis walking cardio or strength training?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s look at those.<\/p>\n<h3>How much physical activity is recommended?<\/h3>\n<p>In terms of cardiovascular exercise, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/odphp.health.gov\/our-work\/nutrition-physical-activity\/physical-activity-guidelines\/current-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"external\">the current guidelines published by the Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>, adults should aim for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At least<\/strong> 150 minutes per week of <strong>moderate-intensity<\/strong>, <u>or<\/u><\/li>\n<li><strong>At least<\/strong> 75 minutes per week of <strong>vigorous-intensity<\/strong> aerobic physical activity, <u>or<\/u><\/li>\n<li>An equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity throughout the week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to the aerobic exercise above, adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity using resistance or <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2019\/02\/just-say-no-to-lifting-in-running-shoes\/\">weights<\/a> involving all major muscle groups at least two days per week.<\/p>\n<h3>Is your walking routine enough to fulfill the strength training guidelines?<\/h3>\n<p>First, walking would not count toward the muscle-strengthening activity requirement unless you were completely sedentary. Since most of us are carrying our bodyweight around all day, it\u2019s doubtful that walking would be enough total body stimulus to be strengthening our muscles and bones.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the key to muscle and bone strengthening is progressive overload, meaning that your body adapts to certain loads and activities so overtime you need to increase the stimulus to create additional strengthening. That means that very quickly your body would need more load than its own weight to gain strength.<\/p>\n<p>Walking in and of itself is considered a weight-bearing exercise. Strength training exercises by definition are exercises that make your muscles and bones stronger. So in the beginning, walking can be enough stimulus to make your bones and muscles stronger but those benefits quickly plateau. In order to keep getting stronger, your muscles and bones need more stimulus \u2014 what we call progressive overload in exercise physiology.<\/p>\n<p>Research shows that the muscle-building benefits really come when we work our muscles to fatigue \u2014 meaning you can\u2019t lift another 1-2 repetitions. It\u2019s certainly possible to do that with bodyweight exercises like walking and unweighted squats but, as you get stronger, it\u2019s going to take a lot of repetitions and who\u2019s got the time for that?<\/p>\n<h3>Is your walking routine enough to fulfill the cardiovascular fitness guidelines?<\/h3>\n<p>Walking <em>may<\/em> qualify as cardiovascular exercise \u2026 if the intensity is high enough to meet the guidelines. As noted above, physical activities done at a moderate or vigorous intensity count toward meeting the cardiovascular guidelines.<\/p>\n<p><em>Brisk<\/em> walking typically falls into this category. This is important because a certain intensity is required in order to get the full heart health benefits like managing risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, and for blood glucose regulation and diabetes mellitus risk reduction.<\/p>\n<h3>Activity intensity matters for heart disease prevention<\/h3>\n<p>Intensity is a measure of how hard your body works during aerobic activity. There are several ways to measure intensity of activity and the two most common are (1) by your perceived exertion and (2) by heart rate.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by breaking down these two categories of cardiovascular exercise intensity in terms of perceived exertion.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity<\/strong> means you\u2019re working hard enough to breathe harder, raise your heart rate, and break a light sweat. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is the level of effort required for sitting on the couch and 10 is all-out effort, moderate-intensity activity is about a 5 or 6. Examples of moderate-intensity activities:\n<ul>\n<li>Brisk walking (2.5 miles per hour or faster)<\/li>\n<li>Recreational swimming<\/li>\n<li>Bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour on level terrain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity<\/strong> means you\u2019re breathing hard and fast, and your <a class=\" external\" https:=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><u>heart rate<\/u><\/a> is higher than with moderate activity. You won\u2019t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is the level of effort required for sitting on the couch and 10 is all-out effort, vigorous-intensity activity is about a 7 or 8. Examples of vigorous-intensity activities:\n<ul>\n<li>Jogging or running<\/li>\n<li>Swimming laps<\/li>\n<li>Vigorous dancing<\/li>\n<li>Bicycling faster than 10 miles per hour<\/li>\n<li>Jumping rope<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Find your target heart rate zone<\/h3>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s break it down in terms of heart rate.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/healthy-living\/fitness\/fitness-basics\/target-heart-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"external\">American Heart Association<\/a> generally recommends these heart rate targets:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Moderate exercise intensity: 50% to about 70% of your maximum heart rate.<\/li>\n<li>Vigorous exercise intensity: 70% to about 85% of your maximum heart rate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But I prefer the heart rate reserve (HRR) method for determining target heart rate zones because it takes into account your resting heart rate and therefore is more tailored to you.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Multiply your age by 0.7 and subtract the total from 208 to get your <strong>maximum heart rate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Determine your <strong>resting heart rate<\/strong> by taking your pulse when you first wake up in the morning to see how many times your heart beats each minute when you are completely at rest.<\/li>\n<li>Calculate your <strong>heart rate reserve<\/strong> (HRR) by subtracting your <strong>resting heart rate<\/strong> from your <strong>maximum heart rate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Multiply your<strong> HRR <\/strong>by your desired<strong> percentage of exercise intensity. <\/strong>Then,<strong> add your resting heart rate <\/strong>to get your <strong>target heart rate<\/strong> for that specific exercise intensity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For example, a 50-year-old woman has a resting heart rate of 70. She wants to exercise at moderate intensity, so that\u2019s the 50% to 70% zone. The HRR formula for her looks like this:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>208 \u2013 (50 x 0.7) = 173 (maximum heart rate)<\/li>\n<li>173 \u2013 70 (resting heart rate) = 103 (heart rate reserve)<\/li>\n<li>(103 \u00d7 50%) + 70 = 121 (minimum heart rate for target zone)<\/li>\n<li>(103 \u00d7 70%) + 70 = 142 (maximum heart rate for target zone)<\/li>\n<li>Her average heart rate during moderate-intensity exercise should be between 121-142.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Is walking alone enough for cardiovascular fitness?<\/h3>\n<p>Well, it certainly <em>can<\/em> be \u2014 <em>if<\/em> you are hitting the moderate- or vigorous-intensity targets above. Walking <strong>briskly<\/strong> for some of us <em>may<\/em> be intense enough to be in that 50% threshold, but we\u2019re not talking about a casual stroll to get us there.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, for some beginners or previously-sedentary people, walking absolutely can be a moderate-intensity activity. But over time, and with repetition you\u2019ll get fitter and your average heart rate will come down and you\u2019ll then need to work harder to get your heart rate into that target heart rate zone. This is a good thing. It shows that your heart and blood vessels are getting better at moving blood and oxygen through your system. It means your cardiovascular system is getting better at handling stress. You are becoming more resilient. That\u2019s the whole point of cardiovascular training \u2014 a certain level of stress gets easier to handle.<\/p>\n<p>But for someone like me who either runs and lifts heavy weights most days of the week, my morning 3-4 mile dog walk nets an average heart rate of 82-87 beats per minute \u2014 well below the 50% minimum heart rate target for moderate-intensity activity.<\/p>\n<p>If I walked hillier route and made my dogs walk faster, I <em>might<\/em> be able to get my heart rate up to a level that qualifies as moderate-intensity but I won\u2019t do that because my dogs are very sniffy and all that mental stimulation of exploring the world around them with their nose is critical for them to be happy so no flipping way am I going to drag them along and yank their leashes every time they stop to sniff just so I can get my heart rate up!<\/p>\n<h2>It\u2019s All About Context<\/h2>\n<p>My point is, it all comes down to where you start and what health benefits you\u2019re looking to gain.<\/p>\n<p>If heart health is a concern or if improving yours is a goal for you, make sure you\u2019re working your heart enough to create change. I\u2019ve worked with clients who are only walking and they wonder why their heart health numbers and key cardiovascular disease markers aren\u2019t improving. Then I look at their heart rate and it\u2019s because they aren\u2019t stressing the system enough to keep making gains.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, if bone health and bone density are key concerns for you, walking is a good start but it\u2019s not enough on its own to prevent bone loss as you age. If that\u2019s you, <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2024\/12\/podcast-episode-147-bone-health-osteoporosis-prevention-with-karin-weinstein\/\">listen to this podcast episode<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Higher Intensity Has Its Own Specific Benefits<\/h2>\n<p>The scientific research also points to a growing number of special benefits of including short but higher intensity work (like interval training) 1-2 times per week, specifically as it relates to managing anxiety and metabolic health.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, we now have data that higher intensity training can help preserve muscle, power output, and body composition for women while aging and through menopause.<\/p>\n<p>Ideally, for maximum cardiovascular fitness improvements, we\u2019d do a mix of low, moderate, and vigorous activity.<\/p>\n<h2>Exercise or Not, the Benefits of Walking Are Huge<\/h2>\n<p>So, walking is a physical activity than <em>can<\/em> qualify as exercise and help you achieve health benefits. And we have data to support that even light-intensity activity \u2014 like your casual mental health walk \u2014 has numerous mental health benefits. It can improve sleep quality, improve blood sugar regulation, help manage blood pressure, help you maintain a healthy body weight, and reduce all cause mortality (aka your risk for early death).<\/p>\n<p>The point of this post isn\u2019t to say walking is bad or worthless, walking regularly helps with all sorts of things. But for it to meet the exercise guidelines and prevent cardiovascular disease, you would need to be doing it in a way that makes it intense enough to develop, improve, or maintain your cardio fitness.<\/p>\n<p>Look, movement throughout the day in all forms has benefits. Cleaning the house, raking the yard, dancing around the kitchen while you make pancakes on a Tuesday night \u2014 all good! Movement doesn\u2019t need to be \u201cexercise\u201d to be helpful. We need BOTH.<\/p>\n<h2>The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re just starting out on your fitness journey, start by walking. That\u2019s perfect! Someday your fitness will improve to a point where you have to increase your walking speed or add incline to get your heart rate up high enough to keep getting cardiovascular benefits. At some point, your walks may stop being cardio and start being movement instead \u2014 for which there are still tons of benefits.<\/p>\n<p>If people would walk more, we\u2019d all be better off in terms of physical and mental health. But the guidelines are clear so I think it\u2019s irresponsible to tell people that casual-paced leisure walking is the same or a replacement for moderate- or vigorous-intensity cardio.<\/p>\n<p>Again, context matters.<\/p>\n<p>Walking isn\u2019t going to fix everything but a daily walk can be a key component in a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where do you fall in this great walking debate? <\/strong><em>\u2014Alison<\/em><\/p>\n<p>___________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><em><span>Alison Heilig is the Editor-in-Chief at FBG and Head Hypewoman at <a href=\"https:\/\/milestogoathletics.com\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Miles To Go Athletics<\/a>. She divides her time between running, lifting, hiking with her dogs, snuggling with her dogs, and supporting strong women in the world (and coaching up those who aspire to be). You can find and connect with her on IG <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/itsalisonheilig\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">@itsalisonheilig<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2024\/12\/is-walking-exercise\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People ask me all the time all the time: \u201cIs walking exercise?\u201d In fact, this debate has gotten quite heated lately on social media \u2014 ranging from doctors on famous podcasts saying \u201cdon\u2019t be silly walking isn\u2019t exercise\u201d and influencers screaming \u201cpeople who say walking isn\u2019t exercise are f*cking idiots.\u201d As I\u2019ve watched this back &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12708\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}