is walking good enough for obese?

[musculArgirl2]

I'm still kind of confused on this hr thing. my max hr i believe is 220 - 36 which is 184. I've been i guess doing intervals because with the walking on incline it switches often to a different incline level. My ave hr is normally 143 when doing my treadmill program, max hr is usually in the 160's. it says for fat burning it should be 70% of my hr. Well 184 * .70 = 128.8?

[Boss Man]

Take such things with a pinch of Salt. Many people think Fat Burning Zones are not necessarily the be all and end all.

Look at it another way. You use more fuel when you drive faster, or for longer, compared to a short distance at a moderate pace, so would you use more calories and possibly burn more fat the longer you ran, or the faster you ran, the latter being compared to a moderate pace over a short distance.

Yes the fat burning zone is quoted as 60%-70% of MHR, but in reality, you could be running at 80% of MHR and it would solicit some effect logically, as your body wouldn't suddenly interpret the effect as undesirable for Fat loss and react in a totally different way.

After all the stamina zone is quoted as 70%-80% of MHR, so does that mean you must be achieving 70% of MHR, to improve Stamina and burn fat, or will 69% of MHR forbid any kind of stamina improvement at all, just fat loss?

I believe these things were originally stated as ball park principles to work with, regarding stamina, weight loss and muscle building, not set in stone principles related to those things, so don't worry about it, just keep doing what you're doing and keep your mindset solid, not affected by pernickety observations over guideline, exercise related heart-rate principles .

[musculArgirl2]

Look at it another way. You use more fuel when you drive faster, or for longer, compared to a short distance at a moderate pace, so would you use more calories and possibly burn more fat the longer you ran, or the faster you ran, the latter being compared to a moderate pace over a short distance.

I think this is a good comparison.

I believe these things were originally stated as ball park principles to work with, regarding stamina, weight loss and muscle building, not set in stone principles related to those things, so don't worry about it, just keep doing what you're doing and keep your mindset solid, not affected by pernickety observations over guideline, exercise related heart-rate principles .

True enough!

[jmvane15]

Yeah I would say that it is good.

[frednick]

Keep up the good work. Walking can be a very good exercise for losing weight for some of the reasons that others have mentioned. Easing into it is always a good idea but after some time raising the stakes a bit is necessary. Hill walking at a brisk pace and even level or uphill short sprinting really can get your heart going and engage the fat burning mechanism. Another idea is to get yourself a weight vest to go on your walks. You can do most anything with walking and when you get to one level you can always move it up another level of intensity or start the short sprints. Good luck

[Gym_Junkie]

The stats that Boss Man posted are pretty interesting...

Walking can be a great way to start off losing weight if you are obese. If it is too much to go for a jog, try walking at a reasonably fast pace. This will ensure more calorie loss. Also, make sure that after your exercise, you aren't "rewarding" yourself by eating all the calories you just burned!

Another great tip, it has been proven that if you do your exercise first thing in the morning before you eat, you will lose much more weight than if you waited until later on in the day.

If you are into any type of sports at all, its also a great way to lose weight. Sports such as tennis, soccer, basketball, or anything that involves a lot of footwork can help you lose a ton of weight while you are having competitive fun.

[dahulkinator]

Well it depends. You should assess your fitness level to determine your maximum heart rate. And you should exercise at least 3 times a week shooting for 70% of your max hr.

So if walking does this then great, but perhaps a walking/running combo would be more effective. Try running from one telephone pole to another, then resting (walking/super slow jog), then running between the next pair you are ready for.

http://fiending-fitness.blogspot.com/ could be helpful

[darko_1987]

hey, I was looking at walking as a cardio exercise too, I have found this website on how to burn calories quite helpful www.whatexerciseburnsthemostcalories.net It pretty much says how walking is the best way to go.. thank god cuz its easy hehe

[Bionix]

I used to think that walking was for sissies and old farts (I think I may be at least one of those now) but there is quite a bit to be said for walking, especially if you are obese, out of shape or recovering from surgery. For sure, I'm at least the latter two now. I was forced to start walking several times after surgery but I found that it always gave me a workout. There are many variables you can adjust when walking - distance, speed, hills, etc. that will keep it from becoming adaptive. Walking is especially good for the fitness newbie and the obese. Once you get into better shape or drop a few pounds, you can graduate to more strenuous activities. Your body will tell you when you're ready. Check out this brief article on walking http://fitnessandhealthworld.com/get-more-from-your-walking-workouts/

[musculArgirl2]

I think incline walking is the best option if you want to walk to lose weight or i suppose walking really fast. I hate walking really fast so incline walking and changing the inclines all the time while i walk and speeds seems to be working.

[jacal1]

Walking along with diet control is a good way to start so that you don't overdo it. It is low impact so that you are not putting too much pressure on your knees, easy to do every day so it's easy to stick with, and can give you early results. As others have suggested, after a little time it would be great to mix in something like swimming to change things up, but if you really stick to it and alternate speeds and distance, walking can give you some great results for a long while.
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