Some recent newspaper reports have claimed that running is not as healthy for your body as walking, whilst others suggest that walking is as good as a run when it comes to reducing the risk of heart disease. So, how healthy is running for your body? Studies have found that both running and walking provide similar benefits for the body, such as lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, reducing the risk of diabetes and possibly lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. While there are limitations to the studies that have taken place, the moderate intensity of the exercises can really offer great benefits for your body and wellbeing.
There are some downfalls to this theory. To start with, the study compared the risks in association with the same amount of energy expenditure, from walking or running. Of course, running is an intense and vigorous exercise which means that runners use more energy than walkers. If you intend to burn the same amount of energy from walking, you’d need to cover more ground. Participants in the study comprised of over 33,000 runners and nearly 16,000 walkers. These people were aged between 18 and 80 years old and were asked to complete a questionnaire about their height, weight, medical background and lifestyle. Other risk factors were taken into account, such as alcohol consumption and smoking.
Researchers found that moderate exercise such as brisk walking helps to improve your wellbeing. While there are limitations, exercise such as this help to increase your metabolism, burn calories and increase your heart rate, which helps boost your circulatory system. Doctors and medical experts recommend regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle, so this could be a great way to boost your wellbeing and lower your risk of health concerns. It’s advised that adults get around 150 minutes of physical activity each week, or walking 10,000 steps a day, in order to stay fit.
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