Let’s get straight to the point – which is better for fat loss?
If you were to run for 30 minutes, you would burn more calories than you would power walking for 30 minutes. But walking and running are both important for optimum fat loss. Here’s why.
The answer is: BOTH!
RUNNING IS REALLY GREAT BECAUSE:
1) It burns lots of calories
2) It increases your cardiovascular fitness which also increases your anaerobic threshold. This means that you can exercise longer and at a higher intensity in the “fat burning” zone and as a result, burn more fat.
POWER WALKING IS GREAT BECAUSE:
1) It burns FAT. Because it is a lower intensity exercise, your body uses glucose and fat to produce energy. Your body uses other energy sources (such as glycogen and creatine phosphate) to produce energy during higher intensity exercise.
2) It is less intense on your body and your joints so you can do this exercise for longer periods of time and more frequently.
One of my previous blog posts goes into detail about why low to moderate intensity cardio is actually very important for fat loss. Read more about it here.
Everyone is different and depending on your body type, certain types of cardio may benefit you differently. Check out our free Body Type Quiz that you can solve to find out your body type.
WANT TO KNOW YOUR BODY TYPE?
- Complete the quiz in 2 minutes
- It’S free
- You will get 3 nutrition and workout tips for your body type
I also have free workout and nutrition guidelines for each of the three main body types. In the guidelines I highlight the types of cardio you should be doing and how often. You can read up on the free guidelines here:
LEAN LEAGS PROGRAM
These types of workouts are also the basis for my Lean Legs Program, which contain workout and nutrition programs for each body type. Read more about my Lean Legs Program here.
It’s FREE
43 Responses
Just wondering would skipping have the same results as walking/running or will my legs bulk up?
Hi hun, no skipping won’t have the same results as walking / running sorry! xx
Hey Rachael! I work at a gym and we have elliptical machines there. Does that take the place of a power walk? My knee is slightly injured and a personal trainer recommended it as an alternate. What are your thoughts?
Hi A. The elliptical is good but won’t lean out your legs as good as walking will. It is definitely less impact and if you cannot walk, you could use it as an alternative. But once you’ve recovered, I would switch back to walking xx
Hi Rachael,
I used to run a lot (too much, really!), was doing much more damage to my body than good. I managed to stop this (found that difficult though, i think i was addicted!) and cut back to just a power walk most days, in the morning for about 25 – 30 mins.
I find I feel like I bulk up quickly, or I get quite muscly legs quickly when doing HIIT and also found this with running. I just felt bigger and heavier overall. I found the same thing when I started doing bikram yoga. I loved it, but it definitely made me feel larger.
So I decided to cut back to just the walking again but I really don’t feel like I am shifting any weight. I don’t have a great deal to lose, but at least 5kgs that seem to have crept on in the past few months. Should I try running again every couple of days? Would I see results if I continued walking but just increased the duration? I feel ok not having much muscle. I certainly prefer that my clothes nearly fit better without much muscle (not sure if this is because I seem to gain muscle and then clothes feel tight due to a different shape?)
Thanks,
Jayne
Hi Jayne, Rachael here. Sorry to hear that you are having these issues. I’m sure you already know, but having a bit of muscle will help you lose the 5kgs and quicker. But if you really don’t want to gain any muscle, then my advice would be to make sure you’re doing some form of high intensity exercise 4 times per week: this can include running, skipping, cycling, boxing, or HIIT if you would like to try it. And on the other days, try power walking and increase your duration. Good luck! xx
Hi Rachel! I have a mini trampoline for rebounding exercise. I am 5ft 90lbs…pretty small and skinny but with a pear shape, definitely! Does it help balance out my my shape? Im so happy i found your website! xoxo
Hi Barb, Rachael here. The best type of exercises for you to balance out your shape would be a combination of cardio (running/ walking is best) and weights (both HIIT weights and heavier weights). I don’t think trampolining would help much sorry :( xx
Hi Rachael! so maybe this is a silly question, but does cycling in a spinning bike (low intensity) have the same effect as power walking?
Thanks!
Hi Cristina, Rachael here. Unfortunately not really. Cycling at a low intensity doesn’t do a whole lot. You’d be MUCH better off walking x