Hi all! When I look at everyone else's exercise regimen, cardio seems to involve several different forms for most people. I'm in kind of the unlucky position of not having the financial means to afford a gym membership until I go back to school in September and I can use my school's facilities. I am living in a city without a car as of yesterday and today alone I walked at least 7 miles simply by living a mile away from the nearest subway stop (and having a boyfriend across the city so I have to take the subway), going grocery shopping (the nearest grocery store is a mile away), and seeing how long it would take me to get to my internship (a mile and a half away). I walk briskly but due to a past ankle injury, it is hard for me to move too fast and impossible for me to run. The injury normally does not disrupt my life but would require surgery to correct according to my doctor and that is just something that I cannot do due to current circumstances (living alone in a city and 100% reliance on my feet as transportation).

I try to get in general kinesthetics like push ups, lunges, and squats in for at least a half an hour every other day on top of my walking and plan on going on more extended walks when I have more time on weekends. I am just concerned that by doing only one form of cardio, it's hurting me? Are my fears unfounded?

Walking is just fine and has many many health benefits. As you get fitter/lose weight, you'd find that you needed to walk faster or farther to burn the same amount of calories though. Just do what you can do, I know tons of people who lost ALL their weight just by walking daily

Walking is more than just fine I have a girl friend that walks every single day and I see her all over town, she has lost over the years at least 60# just by walking... She is also maintaining just by walking...

Here is an interesting article I just received in my e-mail this morning:
Fitness Facts You Should Know

Absolutely fine, but just be sure to progress - start walking longer, farther, and faster. Eventually you'll be jogging!

Walking is a fantastic exercise. Have you checked with a doctor about the ankle, though, as far as running goes? Or is it just too painful? I broke my ankle a couple of years ago and I thought I wouldn't be able to run because it does still swell up and hurt sometimes, but it seems to be working out fine. That could be, however, because I had surgery and had it put back together with metal. I hear that you're usually better off in that case because the ankle is kind of stronger than it was in the first place. If you hurt your ankle and it never got put back together or never healed correctly, then yes, running probably wouldn't work.

Anyway..it's something to think about. I just love running, so I like to push it on other people too! But walking is wonderful, and you don't have to worry about injuries and things like this black toenail issue I'm having now. That's seriously weird!

Thank you all for reassuring me!

LisaMarie- It actually really does hurt to run. My problem was that I broke my ankle towards the beginning of the school year and when I went to my school health center, they told me it was just a really bad sprain and told me to wrap it and gave me crutches. 5 months later when I went into my home doctor for a checkup, they noticed that the ankle was swollen compared to the other one and gave me an x-ray which showed that it had broken and grown back kind of off. While surgery can fix it, it's a matter of finding a time to get the surgery as like I said, right now I have to walk a mile to get anywhere and on campus, it's all hills and I'm on the 4th floor with no elevator. :\ I've tried running on it several times but it just hurts way too much. So does jump roping which used to be one of my favorite activities.

I would LOVE to be able to run, or even jog, because I have so much area now to do it in so that I wouldn't get bored. I just don't want to risk hurting myself more! And it was these horribly paved/cobble stoned sidewalks that I broke my ankle on the first time! :P

Eek! Don't run on that ankle! You poor thing! Breaking an ankle is serious business. I certainly don't want to ever do it again. And cobblestone is scary to run on -- the 10k I ran in March was partly on cobblestone and I hated that part of it.

I don't know what "charolastra" means, but wasn't that the little song they sang in the movie Y Tu Mama Tambien? Great movie.

I wouldn't try running on the ankle without first talking to the doctor, BUT...once you do get your weight down considerably, ask him about wrapping the ankle and doing LIGHT jogging. You don't HAVE to. As has been said, walking is plenty. But if you want to try it, check with your doctor and start out lightly and try bracing the ankle so you don't damage it further or take the chance on twisting it.

I had to run though. Walking took too long. I do enjoy lots of walking now though since I'm home. But with my previous work schedule, I didn't have time for it, and running could be done faster and burn the same calories. But I one bad knee and some arthritis in both of them. So I used knee supports and started light jogging and resting whenever my knees felt they needed it. I wouldn't run unless my knees felt up to it. I also started out using a back brace as I was in a car accident in '92 and have had back troubles since. Well since I've lost my weight, my bad knee doesn't give me any trouble. I have a bone out of place or something, and I can't be ON my knee because of that, not without significant padding, but the running no longer bothers my knees. I no longer need the supports OR the back brace. I haven't had a backache in YEARS.

LisaMarie - black toenails usually means too small of shoes.

Walking IMHO is the greatest fat burning exercise known to (wo)man!!

So simple and yet so effective over time.

Walking worked for me.

There is a man I know. Right when he was retiring he got diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. He was very anti-medication. His doc said it wasnt too late to try and control it with diet and exercise.

Every day he gets up and walks to town, has lunch with his buddies and walks home. Its been 15 years, he never misses a day (except Sunday - that is church day) and he is 76 and diabetes free. He lost 85 lbs, brought his cholesterol down from 280 to 167 and his bp from HIGH to low. No meds.

Of course, his regimen is not reasonable for those of us with school and jobs. It is 15 miles to town. One way. The man walks 30 miles a day, 6 days a week. He leaves home right after breakfast and gets home right before dinner.

...on the other hand, he is allowed to eat pie again.

Guess it keeps him out of his wife's hair. That would never work for me unless there were some good restrooms along the way.

My 90 yo FIL has diabetes. He lifts weights and walks a lot to keep his in control.

I've often wished someone would put a portapotty about 1.25 miles outta town here. I'm sure middle-aged women would walk a lot more