Walking and Running vs. Everything Else

August 24th, 2009

I’ve had a lot of luck losing weight with running. Many people have. So when people ask my advice on getting fit, naturally I tell them to run.

This isn’t always a perfect suggestion. What is good for me might not be good for someone else. So in this article I will be comparing some of the more popular and effective exercises. While you never need to restrict yourself to one exercise it often makes sense to specialize. Each activity is different with its own pros and cons, so you can decide which one is right for you.

I decided to rank a selection of popular activities on the following criteria, and for the following reasons:

• Calories Per Hour: Free time is often limited so getting the most intensity from an exercise is important.
• Possibility of Injury: An injury can bring progress to a halt, especially for beginners.
• Convenience: Exercise is never easy, so it should at least be convenient.
• Expense: Although a smaller consideration for the affluent, Noprobo is about living – and exercising – resourcefully.

	Calories/Hour	Possibility of Injury	Convenience	Expense
Running	~600-1000	Medium to High	High	Medium to Low
Swimming	~400-800	Medium to Low	Medium	Medium to Low
Bicycling	~400-1000	Medium to High	High	Medium to High
High Intensity Sports	~400-800	High	Medium to Low	Low to High
Low Intensity Sports	~200-400	Low	Medium to Low	Low to High
Martial Arts	~600-900	Medium to High	Medium to Low	Medium
Walking/Hiking	~200-500	Low	High	Low

Of course, certain situations may allow for exceptions. For example, having a backyard pool may increase the convenience of swimming. The chart simply gives a macroscopic point of view.

Considering the highest-ranking activities in each of the criteria (highlighted in yellow), you can see which two are best overall:

1. Walking
2. Running

It’s no surprise these activities are so often recommended. They’re essentially the same exercise, giving you complete control over intensity and risk of injury.

But walking and running aren’t for everyone. Some people just prefer throwing and catching, getting into the water, or going fast on a bike. So when looking at setting up an exercise routine, consider personal preferences and other factors (social, geographic, cultural, et cetera.)

What do to if you don’t want to: Sometimes I encourage people to run, despite their objections to it. Why? Because nobody really likes to run at first. It’s unpleasant! Only after dedicating many hours to running can you discover the things about it that you enjoy. All exercises are unpleasant at first when you don’t have the right attire, equipment, experience, or fitness level to do them well. Suck it up and stick with it! It gets easier with time.

In the end, running and its lower intensity version, walking, rightly earn their reputation. In a simple comparison, they win out over other exercises, although it can still be hard to get started. If your personal situation demands another exercise, there are many to pick from, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Whatever you pick, stick with it and learn to love it!