Archive for the tag - burn

Does Running and Walking Burn the Same Amount of Calories?

January 24, 2014 By

Dear Davey,

I’ve always been told that it doesn’t matter if you walk a mile or run a mile. Regardless, you burn the same amount of calories. After all, a mile is a mile. Is that really true?

From,Jon

running-shoes-male_650x366Dear Jon,

Your question actually points to a very common misconception! Yes, a mile is always a mile. That doesn’t change. But the energy required to move your body across the distance varies depending on your speed.

In fact, there have been numerous studies on the topic including this paper from California State University. For the study, 15 male and 15 female college students were recruited. One day, participants ran a mile in 10 minutes. On another day, they walked a mile in just over 18 minutes. Afterwards, they sat quietly for 30 minutes.

The data was very clear. While walking burned 88.9 calories, running burned 112.5. Moreover, after running, participants continued to burn calories at a higher rate compared to walking. After the mile walk, 21.7 calories were burned. After the mile run, on the other hand, 46.1 calories were burned. In total, the run resulted in 43% more calories burned.

But wait there’s more.

The mile run took less time. And with our busy schedules, efficiency is certainly something to consider. If you want to get a lot of workout bang in a short amount of time, running definitely comes out on top.

The bottom line is that it takes more energy to move our bodies at high rates of speed. A more intense workout simply burns more calories. While walking is a great form of exercise - and certainly less likely to result in injury - it won’t result in the same calorie burn as a run.

Love,Davey

Filed Under: Ask Davey, Cardio, Research Tagged With: , , ,

Embrace the Burn.

May 28, 2013 By

keep-calm-and-feel-the-burn-2If you’ve ever pushed yourself hard at the gym, you’ve felt the burn.

Maybe you ran on the treadmill faster than you’ve ever run before. Or maybe you got two extra repetitions in on the bench press. The burn is like a fire swirling through your muscles - and it activates a nagging voice inside your head that tells you to stop.

I’m all about being in tune with your body and the messages that it gives you, but this isn’t your voice of inner wisdom. It’s a defense mechanism that activates automatically.

“You can’t go any further,” the voice warns.

“You can’t do another repetition,” it demands.

“You need to stop,” it orders.

That small but powerful voice sounds the alarm for one reason. Because it knows that if you continue, your body will need to change. Our bodies like being in a state of homeostasis. For the body to change it takes energy and resources - and your body, through millions of years of evolution, has become a very efficient machine. It wants what it easy and efficient.

But you don’t listen to that nagging voice, and you press on. You know that you can go higher, faster, stronger or harder - and that you can be more. After all, if you stay where you’re at, you’ll get more of what you already got. So you don’t just feel the burn, you embrace it. It’s your muscles firing. It’s your fat melting. It’s your body transforming.

When you feel the burn, it’s not a reason to stop. It’s a reason to give it your all and to redefine your limits.

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: , ,