IS Walking 5 miles good enough for a days cardio?

[Sickam0re]

i have summer school...and i decided to walk to my school instead of car....its 2.7 miles from my house..and 2.7 miles to get back home...which is about 5.4 miles..is this good enough for a day's cardio?..(im trying to lose fat) and i would usually come home and drink 2 bottles of water and cook me some baked chicken with carrots and lettuce

[BrachioMorph]

5 miles/day is an awesome distance. Google "10,000 steps" and you'll get a ton of hits saying how beneficial it is for overall health.

As for it counting as cardio in a strict workout program? I think no. Will you lose weight and have a ton of energy and feel great? Absolutely.

5.4 miles is, what, 5.3 miles more than most people walk in a day?

[Sickam0re]

im 5'9 254 lbs..and im planning on walking those 5 miles four times a week up until august 16th...im trying to lose some fat so i can fit enought to do HIIT..lastr night i tried HIIT..i was able to sprint for like 2 minutes..and i just gave up and walked back home when i was supposed to jog around the block..i really need to just take my time and walk it out..then foucus on HIIT later..is this a good thing?..im soo new to this workout.diet thing..im trying

[yomama2]

it counts if you can get there (2.7) in less than 45 minutes. 4 mph for 45 minutes would get you 3 miles, so you would have to be doing just slower than that. And that counts as low intensity steady state.

If it takes you an hour or more... no it really doesn't count. You're walking too slow.

Also, depending on if you store fat on your thighs or not, you might have to wear biker shorts or prepare for some major pain when you try walking with thigh-to-thigh rubbing after a week straight. It hurts like hell if you open a thigh wound and sweat into it. You'll be walking like a cowboy and have a bad disposition.

[LaxPro]

bla bla bla


walking over five miles is great, regardless of how long it takes you..

especially at your current weight, you should see some nice weightloss if you do it consistently and follow a proper diet.

[blueguitar322]

This January when I was 6'3" 260, I was too out of shape to do much besides walking. So, yeah, I'd go to the gym and walk for 45 minutes. Some weeks, I'd do it every day.

Eventually, I started getting to the point where walking just wouldn't cut it anymore. It was too easy. My heart rate stayed about 50-60% of max. But then, when I started running (still pretty slow) to maintain a 80% heart rate or so, I found that I could maintain it for almost as long as the walking!

So, in answer to your question...YES. When you're seriously overweight, walking is one of the best things you can do. Just carrying around that weight will cause your heart rate to bump up into much higher territories than a lean person who's jogging at twice the rate you're walking.

Not to mention - it gives you something (albeit small) that you can be successful in at the beginning. Without some form of early success, you'll never stand a chance in the long haul. Keep walking! Don't worry about HIIT now. I don't know anyone who says HIIT is required for weight loss early on - I think it's mostly advice given for those who are pretty lean and in decent shape already but want to lose that last bit of fat.

David (down 60lb since January)

[mpipes]

Yep, this walking will be GREAT for you, especially since it's broken up into two sessions, which means you spread that activity out a little more through the day... and that's a good thing!

Try to walk it as briskly as you can and you'll be good to go.

Make sure you have some good shoes and socks too so you don't get blisters.

[yomama2]

bla bla bla


walking over five miles is great, regardless of how long it takes you..

especially at your current weight, you should see some nice weightloss if you do it consistently and follow a proper diet.

what if it took him a week?

[souspartacus]

I agree that walking five miles a day is great. However, IMO classifying that as cardio is a little tricky. I have always thought of cardio as any activity that raises your heart rate to a certain percentage. Raising your heart rate will help increase the amount of fat you burn. Walking will burn calories and help you lose weight. Like I said, I don't know if I would classify walking five miles a day cardio. Just my opinion.

If you want to start running, don't worry about distance/speed but worry about time. Set goals to run nonstop for x amount of time. The only way to get better at running is to run.

Bottom line, do what you can. Something is far better then nothing.

[Eileen]

If you are not used to it, 5 miles is cardio. If you do it fast (ideally, 5mph or more) then it's cardio. However, if you do it all the time, it doesn't count.

Unfortunately, I walk a lot (I did 28km on Tuesday), so for me, 5 miles is just an average day, and I've also got to do some sweating and panting cardio as well.

[patelucr]

frist time i ever lost weight, and got back into health was by WALKING. People would ask, what you do, i say walk. Make sure to get a nice pair of walking shoes. peace.

[Sickam0re]

thank you guys for all the advice and help..now after reading these comments im more determined to walk

[CR Racer]

everyday at work i walk all day, i work 8 hour shifts with a hour lunch, i've never worn a step counter but someone who walks WAY less then me, i'd say half, walked 16000 steps at the store i work. thats CRAZY!!! i've worked there 3 years and still fat??? GEEZ

[mpipes]

Yep, I went from 325 to 225 in 9 months, walking 2 miles a day and strict nutrition. Of course I've been lifting weights 2 years so now I'm actually heavier, but still leaner and smaller.

[ronnie5150]

im 5'9 254 lbs..and im planning on walking those 5 miles four times a week up until august 16th...im trying to lose some fat so i can fit enought to do HIIT..lastr night i tried HIIT..i was able to sprint for like 2 minutes..and i just gave up and walked back home when i was supposed to jog around the block..i really need to just take my time and walk it out..then foucus on HIIT later..is this a good thing?..im soo new to this workout.diet thing..im trying

Hey My Friend,
I Just Want To Say That Walking Is Just As Good Or Better Than Jogging! Jan 1 2012 I Was 260pds @ 5'9" In A 40" Waist And Pushing A 2x Shirt.
My Blood Pressure Was @ Near Death Levels! I Asked My Dr What I Should Do To Lower My Blood Pressure And Lose Weight And He Simply Said "WALK"! I Then Asked What About Jogging Or Going To The Gym Etc And He Said JUST WALK!! So As Of Jan 1st 2013 I Am Now 175 And Im In A 32 Waist And A MED Shirt! I Did A Few Things Other Than Walk Like Cutting 90% Of My Carb Intake And Hardly Any Sugars Except For The Sugars In Fruits n Veggies. I Use Equal For My Coffee And No Breads Or Pasta "That Was The Hardest Thing To Cut Out",But Now All That Stuff Tastes Bad To Me Now!!
I Now Walk 5miles 2x's A Day! Each Walk Depending On My Mood Takes About An Hr n 10min Then Through Out The Day I Pick A Time When Im Doing Nothing And I Do Sit Ups With An Ab Roller! I Do All Dif Variations Legs up,Legs Down And Laying On Each Side For The Obliques! Each Set Is 70reps Middle,70Reps Laying On My Right Side Then Left, So Each Set Is 210 reps 3 Sets Total Of 630 reps! And Right After Each Set Of Sit Ups I Go To A Set Of Push Ups Any Where From 30-50 Reps! Goal In Hand Is To Do A tleast 100Push Ups!! Now When U 1st Start You Dont Do That Much Work Your Way Up To A Higher Level! You See It Works For Me Cause I Get Bored Fast So I Do The Situps n Push Ups Back To Back Like That Cause It Goes Faster! lol Then Every Day After All My Walking n Push Ups n Sit Ups I Have Dumbells And I Do An Assortment Of Exercises! You See The I Look At Is: All The Times During The Day I Sit Around With A Remote In My Hand I Could Be Doing Something Productive,And Most Of What I Do Is With The tv On Any Way!! I Walki 7 Days A Week!! Just Thought This Might Help!! Have A Good Day..

[McAngus]

Damn...I want to go walk now.

Seriously though, interesting thread. Glad to hear people found walking to be the key to improving health.

[CaffeineYAY]

I'd say 'brisk walking' or 'power walking' is good for 'cardio', but a slow paced walk would just be good for general health. Your cardiovascular endurance wont increase much if your heart rate doesn't increase during your walk.

[Compy386]

7 year thread too strong. Nerf plz.