Does Walking Really Count As Cardio?
Walking is an easy way to add physical activity to your day, and it also benefits your mental health. I’m one of many who’s incorporated daily walks into my routine during the pandemic, and it’s improved my life so much that I’m not planning on stopping. But is walking good enough for your body to be considered cardio exercise?
The answer is complicated. Walking is considered cardio in some ways: it burns calories, raises your heart rate, and counts toward the weekly exercise program we should all be doing. But on the other hand, it won’t improve your cardio fitness in the same way as running or high-intensity aerobics. If you want to improve your endurance, you need to do more than just walking.
How Walking Burns More Calories Than Running.
Running burns more calories per unit of time than walking, but when it comes to distance, both methods are about the same.
It’s generally believed that you burn about 100 calories per mile, whether you run or walk, but the actual number of calories burned varies depending on your body size (larger people burn more calories) and the speed of your running or walking. Walking burns slightly fewer calories per mile. This calculator shows that a 150-pound person will burn 108 calories walking a mile at 3 mph (about 5.8 km/h), or 104 calories running at 6 mph (about 9 km/h). Some calculators give lower estimates for walking.
The difference lies in the number of calories burned per hour (not calories per mile): for a 150-pound person, walking burns 324 calories per hour, while running burns 627. The faster you run, the more calories you burn. So, if you walk or run to burn calories, running will burn about twice as many calories in a given time. But if you prefer walking and have the time, both options are fine.
Walking is no substitute for “intense” cardio exercise.
Each exercise intensity level has its own benefits. Walking, in my opinion, is a very light cardio workout, jogging is a moderate-intensity exercise, and high-intensity cardio is something like sprinting or long-distance running. All of these are beneficial, although depending on your goals, you may not need to do all of them.
For example, if you want to run fast, you’ll need a lot of moderate-intensity cardio (slow jogging) and some high-intensity workouts (speed training); if you want to improve your endurance, as measured by metrics like VO2 max , you’ll definitely need to work at the same intensity.
On the other hand, if you just want to add some movement to your life and aren’t concerned with how much better you move, then low-intensity exercise like walking may be enough.
According to recommendations from leading health organizations (including the CDC, WHO, and the American Heart Association), we should all get at least 150 minutes of “moderate” exercise or 75 minutes of “vigorous” exercise per week. You can combine different types of exercise, and every minute of vigorous exercise counts double.
So, where does walking fit into this recommendation? Walking is considered moderate exercise, and I ‘ll explain how that’s defined in more detail later . But if you need a rule of thumb to compare with heart rate, the American Heart Association defines moderate exercise as that which brings your heart rate between 50 and 70% of your maximum, and vigorous exercise as that which brings your heart rate between 70 and 85% of your maximum. (This assumes you know your true maximum .) Walking is generally considered moderate exercise, so you’ll need to do it twice as long—in minutes—as if you were choosing a more intense cardio workout. This aligns with our calorie calculations.
Walking doesn’t have to mean a gentle stroll.
The difference between walking and running is mechanics: if you always keep at least one foot on the ground, you’re walking. If your gait includes a slight bounce as you shift from foot to foot, you’re running. (Jogging is simply slow running.)
It’s often easier to maintain a higher intensity (and a higher heart rate) when running than when walking, but this isn’t always the case. If you’re climbing a mountain, your heart rate can easily move into the “intense” zone. And if you’re a more experienced runner, you can transition to a slow jog while maintaining your heart rate in the “moderate” range.
When planning your workouts, consider intensity: if you’re unsure of your heart rate, measure it. You can use a fitness tracker like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, but you can also simply place two fingers on your neck and count your heart rate. If your maximum heart rate is 200 and you count 150 beats per minute, you’ve reached 75% of your maximum heart rate.
Walking may raise your heart rate more than you thought—this is entirely possible if you’re a beginner or if your walks are on hilly terrain. If you’re looking for a more intense cardio workout, you can walk faster or choose a different form of exercise, such as cycling or dancing, that gets your heart rate up. However, simply taking a light stroll is perfectly acceptable if that’s your sole goal.