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

Can't find the 10k steps post but apparently that's all rubbish, made up by people to sell pedometers and get your steps up!

The gym instructor drew up a programme for me.

If I am not sure about anything, or want to know how to extend it, then I only have to ask.

Same as needing 2 litres of water a day. Told that by companies selling water bottles.

You can in VR though. Cadence sensor, a exercise bike or other machine, quest and the whole world is there.

Yes!

Most of my exercise is in VR. You stick to something better if you enjoy it. I and love VR.

It’s better for me as I absolutely fucking hate the gym! Not only that, it costs me £400 a year for the privilege of hating it!

There’s an article in the business paper here last week about weightlifters have a lower biological age. Walking is nice but everyone should lift weights. I love feeling healthy and strong, my new years resolution is weights twice a week not just once. A friends husband was helping set up something recently and just picked up 60kg in equipment and strolled off. I can’t aspire to that but it is wonderful to be able to do anything that comes up.

I prefer outside walk, but I am lucky to live in the area where it is nice, safe and the weather is ok majority of the year.

When I was stuck in a hotel in the middle of a US parking lot during heatwave, I felt that just the temperature shock between air-conditioned building and outside really wasn't healthy, and after a few attempts outside I went for the treadmill.

Yes, I think that walking 10,000 steps a day is a bit of a myth for most. That's basically four and a half miles for many. Probably an hour and a half minimum. Two hours for some. Who the hell has the time to walk that much a day? Plus we do get quite a bit of rain, cold days, slippy roads, ice, high winds etc in this country - so the weather will not always suit... And quite a lot of people don't live in an area where they can actively do a four and a half mile walk comfortably or easily.

I'm very fortunate to live near canal, river, woodlands, country lanes etc... I can walk up for two and a half miles before I even get to an A road, and there's lots of woodlands and paths around the farmers fields that they've allocated for people to walk along. And they have made pathways through elephant grass and crops. I walk around two - to two and a half miles a day.

If I lived in the town I grew up in that I moved from 13 years ago, there's no way I could do those walks every day. I would be walking around footpaths, alleyways, main roads, housing estates, industrial estates, shops etc... I used to have to drive around 6-7 miles to get to any decent amount of 'countryside' (where I could have walked for 2-3 miles and still been in the countryside.)

So as I said, I imagine most people would find walking 10,000 steps (four and a half miles or so) a day very difficult.

I actually find it a struggle occasionally even walking the distance I do, - when I'm busy doing other things or the weather's a bit dodgy. (I still do it but occasionally find it a struggle.) This past week has been a prime example. It's been below zero degrees here for a week, and the roads and paths are slippy! So it's been a challenge!

Walking is excellent exercise - as is swimming. (I do this too.) But I think going to the gym maybe two to three times a week if you can is good as well.... I don't go though ... I genuinely can't be arsed. I find my walking and swimming is enough for me. (I go swimming 4 to 6 times a month and swim 20-30 lengths.)

10,000+ steps for me on an office day can be done with

15-20 minute walk to the station
20 minute loop at lunch time.
15-20 minute walk back home.

It's about an hour's walking tops.

At home on working days I get that pootling about with the dog on a walk for 40 minutes and a bit of pottering about the house making dinner etc.

I do a lot more but a lot of people could build some walking it in to the day when you break it down.

My gym is open 24/7 and it suits me to go at 4am. I wouldn't be so inclined to go running on the streets at 4am.

Nah, I think anything that you are happy doing is the best way. I prefer the gym, I definitely stay in better shape at the gym plus I like hard workouts where I can go into a zone and I don’t get that by taking a walk.

Walking is good, but it's important to make sure some of your walking is fast enough to raise your heart rate. It's also a good idea to do some sort of weight training or something similar.

Of course, it's possible to do both without a gym. I do weights and power walk at the park while my kid plays. I'm always surprised at how extremely rare it is to see any other parents doing the same; people basically just sit on their phones the whole time. I know some people have mobility issues or already do a heavy gym workload at other times/do a job that is physically active anyway, but I'd be surprised if the above applied to 99% of the other park parents. Oh well, their choice.

I manage to get 10k in in about 80 exercise minutes on my watch, but that includes a lot of trotting about the office

I’ve just finished my morning gym session & I definitely wouldn’t have been inclined to spend the past hour exercising outside.

You can walk 5 miles in 80 mins?

It takes me an hour to walk 3, perhaps a touch less if I go as fast as I can

I work full time and have a toddler so can't do this anymore during the week. I can only manage a brisk walk during lunch time and at home workouts. I have a low BMI though so only do this to improve my mental health. It's great to get outside!

LushLemonTart, every day I tell myself I'm going to do some body weight stuff and stretching whilst watching tv during the evening but can never muster the enthusiasm! i know what I need to do but I have no desire for life right now and cant see it getting any better any time soon. Its so much easier to sit on the chair watching TV cuddled up with the dog than something productive and useful.

Gyms are a hotbed of germs.

15 mins/mile is pretty fast walking. I do that if I'm on a power walk outside - people would be pinning themselves to the walls to get out of my way if I did that in the office!

Whereas I've looked outside and would really, really love to go for a run across the fields in this cold and frosty weather - much better than the mud fest of the last few weeks.

If I went to the gym I'd have to scrape off the car, drive on icy roads etc.

As others have said, doing what makes you happy is the best thing.

I don't think 10000 steps is 5 miles. I generally walk about 1000 steps per 10 minutes and when I do parkrun which is 5km I chalk up about 8000-9000 depending how far I need to walk from the car park.

In regards to the general debate, a mixture is the best. I despair on threads when seriously unfit people ask how they can make time for the gym and what classes to do, when they could so much more easily improve their health by starting with a 30 mins brisk walk every day.
However weights are good and as my DM has severe osteoporosis and I can see the limiting effects of it, I try to include some weights. I also do classes and parkrun because I enjoy them.

I think so. A walk in nature is just the best medicine.

Run and walk steps will be different.
If you're running 5K you can throw out the 10k steps goal - you've done good exercise for that day.

10k steps = 5 miles is a ball park figure - it will depend on your height, which makes sense. A very short person walking hard for 4 miles will have the same benefit has a taller person walking hard for 5 miles. Ish!

@pumpkinpillow I get 10k steps in walking about 3.5 miles a day so not sure where you've got 5 miles from!

1000 steps = about 10 minutes of walking