To think getting out for a walk is better for you than the gym?

[lostinthememory]

And this is a hill I'm willing to die on

Yes going to the gym is great, especially if you're lifting weights etc with a goal to building muscle mass. But for most of us, it's far better to get out and go for a nice brisk walk in the sunshine (or even the sleet, as I did yesterday!) and leaves you feeling much better

Better for mental health, yes probably! Better for physical health, not convinced , consistent weight training (done safely) will do more for your physical health than brisk walking.

But yes as PP mentioned do both if time permits, what’s to gain from the comparison? If you have to pick one it depends on what you’re prioritising.

If you can get your walking/run done in a lovely outdoor area then yes.

But if its an inner city full of rubbish and traffic then its depressing. Much better to be in a gym instead.

The current longest lived people never went near a gym. They didn't exist. What they did was walk, a lot, in the fresh air, often in upland areas, had a good diet, and did a lot of physical work gardening and in the house.

Much more enjoyable than running and lifting weights.

I much prefer running outside, the treadmill bores me to tears. I go to the gym for weight lifting primarily but I do sometimes need to do the odd treadmill session.

I don't really see the point in just walking/running on the treadmill when it's light and not raining but I imagine most people combine it with other gym equipment or alongside a class/weight lifting session.

I hate the entire concept of 'going for walks', especially when it's cold and wet and muddy.

For me the nice warm, clean gym where I can listen to podcasts, do a lovely Pilates class and measure [and smugly gloat over] my progress at cardio and resistance training is unbeatable.

I think the most important thing is to do what you enjoy and keeps you fit.

Depends what for.

For mental health, general wellbeing, yeah a brisk walk in nature is probably better.
Now, if you walk bang in the middle of the M25 or that your daily walk involves going down Rotherhithe Tunnel, I'd suggest you head straight to that gym and enquire about a membership, pronto.

And if your objective is to build mass and muscle, to outperform yourself and to have a instagram worthy bottom, I'd say that your walk in the park isn't going to take you far.

Personally, I'm chronically lazy, that's why I choose the walk over everything else. If I wasn't that lazy, I would walk AND go to the gym.

I get twitchy and irritable if I don't walk outside every day so I'm with you on that. Don't care about the weather, very rarely that bad once you're out. Ice grippers are a complete game changer though, snow and ice here for the last week, grippers mean I can walk normally. Also go to the gym as I need to improve my upper body strength but I walk there and back so I don't have to go on the boring treadmill!

I think for those into their serious exercise the gym is important.

But it does make me laugh when the middle aged women I work with drive to the gym at lunchtime (it's across the road) and then drive the short walk home and basically everywhere else.

I can't really see what they do in half an hour at the gym that would be better than going for a walk.

Importantly the habit of walking stays with you. I'm amazed that fairly young people are stunned when I say I'm walking somewhere that is all of a mile or so. They would always drive.

When my eldest was at pre school it was in the next village I walked there and back twice a day every day. We are fortunate to be connected by a tarmacked coastal path. I pushed the pram with the youngest along there while he walked or scootered in every form of weather.

I loved being able to do that over wrestling two small kids into a car and yet I never saw anyone else do it (and the vast majority were SAHMs). So much more relaxing and great for all of us.

No harassment in the gym, basically. I run outside with DH, but not by myself after too many lecherous or threatening comments from creepy men (I’m also in S London @MrsTerryPratchett).

I can also skip a hill at the gym if I’m feeling tired - you can’t do that where I live!

But I cant max out my deadlift on a walk.

YABU , especially with the 'most of us' pronouncement

And I say that as someone who enjoys regular walks/hikes and goes to the gym.

Not everyone has nice/safe places to walk
Not everyone has someone to walk with
Not everyone likes to walk alone if they don't have someone to walk with
Not everyone wants a dog to walk with
Not everyone enjoys walks, especially when it's cold/wet/icy/miserable, for any variety of reasons, including personal safety if in danger of breaking bones if they were to fall
Not everyone has the time a beneficial walk actually takes if they're looking to actually break a sweat and get some cardio results out of their exercise

Some people actually enjoy gym classes and having other people around them doing the same thing. It's social.

I can't really see what they do in half an hour at the gym that would be better than going for a walk.

I can do 2 circuits on the weight machines in 40 minutes that is necessary to maintain healthy muscles and bones in my premenopausal body. Imagine they're the same. It's a program. Walking alone won't build/maintain necessary muscle mass for many.

I carry a weighted backpack to walk to the gym two or three times a week. Early morning, love it when there are so few cars around. I'm unable to enjoy a walk if there is no 'point' to it for some odd reason.

But would you drive across the road to get there?

I am not saying there are no benefits to the gym. Just that it seems odd to me to want to improve your health and then drive everywhere. They must wait longer for the traffic lights to change than it would take to walk there.

What they did was walk, a lot, in the fresh air, often in upland areas, had a good diet, and did a lot of physical work gardening and in the house
Much more enjoyable than running and lifting weights.

..... in your opinion.

I mean - I don't enjoy lifting weights either, but I do understand that is subjective and some people do.

I have a friend who loves to swim for a mile up and down lanes in the baths - they tell me it really clears their head and gives them headspace. But I know lots of people who wouldn't go to a swimming baths if you paid them.

I have two other friends that do that bonkers wild swimming outdoors in freezing water. Not for me, but 'enjoyable' for them.

I have friends that love team sports - love the competitive side and love the camaraderie. I understand that, but for someone as unco-ordinated as me, it's not as enjoyable as other exercise I can do where no-one is dependent on me.

I know someone who is really into dance. Great exercise, and by far the most enjoyable in her opinion.

No one way of exercising and keeping fit or healthy is inherently 'better' than any other way. The best way for any individual is doing something they enjoy and that suits their lifestyle.

I think the key that most people miss is how you walk. 10,000 steps a day but ambling is good but not going to lose weight/tone, and certainly not a replacement for a gym workout. But if you are walking at a good pace (at least 4mph) where you are getting out of breath and you are completing those steps under 1hr/1hr 15 then you are going to lose weight and tone (or maintain if you are already your ideal weight).

I think Im right in saying that - correct me if Im wrong, but so many people think they walk the dog/walk the kids to school for an hour everyday but it doesnt make any difference, but I think its the way you are walking thats the issue.

As my only exercise, I do it daily, and I walk as fast as I can before it would be a run, and I keep it up for 10k. I dont go with others because I dont/can't talk and I dont want distractions. I listen to my audible and its bliss.
Keeps my weight low, keeps me toned, and its awesome for my mental health (i have struggles). For me, it definately replaces the gym and is better for me.

Yanbu

Twas ever thus

I can't understand (unless it's icy; it isn't here) why you'd go to the gym for a run
I'll start, no twattish motorists trying to kill you with their dangerous driving and shit parking - although it's only a matter of time before gyms cave and allow dickhead drivers to take their SUVs into bodypump class with them.

I hate both equally and find them very dull. Walking is okay if there's a purpose to it but just a walk for walk's sake is 😴 Gym is equally dull.

Walking and putting it in as you walk, running and getting a skipping rope and doing some skips are far cheaper than a gym membership.

I really hate it when people make sweeping generalisations about how everyone else has to like and benefit from the same thing that they personally enjoy. So YABU

I really hate it when people make sweeping generalisations about how everyone else has to like and benefit from the same thing that they personally enjoy. So YABU for that

Tbh the argument is not walking or gym. If you are doing either thing with a view to health, well being and possibly incorporating a social aspect, you're winning. No single way to skin that fitness cat.

The problem in our population is those who do almost no exercise. And walking is a great deal more accessible/cheap than the gym for most, so I'd always recommend walking as a first step. Won't necessarily cause the weight to fall off, but walking briskly gives you real time feedback on your weight loss progress (through diet) and gets that CV system pumping. And endorphins. And stuff from nature like phytochemicals and important microbes from mud that are of likely large importance in overall health.

@BBQPete exactly
Ask me to go for a walk with no purpose and I'm "absolutely not"
Ask me to go for a walk to jump in the river and swim and I'm grabbing my shoes

Depends on your definition of "better for you" surely?