[Optical Goddess]

hey

I'm sure this topic may have been covered before but please humor me...

I weight lift, and need to work on my cardio. I'm attracted to running because it is something that alludes me currently... I want to be able to do it....

What is better for weight loss? Is one better than the other? I would think running would be better because you are pushing yourself harder...

any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[Idealmuse]

I'm not a runner, only cause I can't yet... heh, but I think they are both good for weight loss as far as I've read. The key is to keep your heart rate elevated in a good zone either way.

You will burn more calories in a short time period with running though so if you have a good fitness base you might look at running or a couch to 5k program. If walking very briskly is enough to get your heart rate up start from there you'll be getting your cardio geared up for running.

[MangoKitty]

i do a mix between running and walking. run for 2 min. walk for 1 min. it lets me go for longer distances while keeping my heart rate up. at the moment i can go up to 2.2k this way.

[goinforthegold]

I started off walking b/c I couldn't run. I started working on running about 2 months ago b/c I was finding the walking just wasn't challenging me anymore and am up to doing 3 miles now. I'm not walking anymore except to just warm up/cool down. I haven't noticed any difference in the amount of weight I've been losing since starting to run. Though, I've noticed a major difference in the amount of muscle in my legs and I don't spend as much time running as I did walking. When I was walking I was going 10k's, now I'm running only 2-3 miles.

[Optical Goddess]

Thanks for the replies. Like someone mentioned, walking isn't that challenging for me as it used to be. for as fast as I need to walk to keep my heart rate up, I may as well run or jog. i like the idea of interval training between walking and running...now i just have to get outside and do it!