Walking?
 

When it's nice out, I try to walk to this store a little ways away. I don't always buy anything, but if I do it's gum or water. I thought it was a longer walk (I DO have short legs lol) but it's only .9 and takes about 30 minutes. Is it even worth it, at that amount? There's no sidewalks around here, and I don't walk down to the Kroger because it's on a much too busy street. This place is a safe enough distance, and there's homes on either side of the road so we can walk through the grass since there's no street. It's the only place I really feel safe walking right now. I might head out to the schools track in the summer, though, and walk that.

But yeah. .9, worth it? Does that even burn any calories? Not sure what to write down so I usually don't write anything.

thanks.

That is 30 minutes of activity. Of course, it is worth it. I wouldn't add extra calories into my day if that is what you asking, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

Yes, it's worth it! I'm guessing it's .9 miles, right? That's only one-tenth of a mile shy of a whole mile; walk another 528 feet while you're in the store and you'll have walked a mile. I'm assuming that distance is the round trip? If not, then you're actually walking closer to two miles, which is definitely worth your effort.

There's a thread on here about how important it is to get exercise outside of a formal program of workouts. You're living up to that every time you choose to walk to the store instead of driving to one, every time you take stairs instead of an elevator, every time you park in the boonies and walk a longer way into the mall.

Definitely worth it. :)

Originally Posted by aimeebell:
That is 30 minutes of activity. Of course, it is worth it. I wouldn't add extra calories into my day if that is what you asking, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

Oh no, I stopped doing that forever ago. But I try to track my exercise, and track how many calories I've burned that day. I still don't eat the calories back, though. I just like to know.

See, on one hand I know 30 minutes of ANY kind of active activity is better than sitting around- but at the same time I feel guilty, like I could have done more today. Today is supposed to be my day off though...but it was just so nice and sunny out I had to take advantedge of it. :D

Originally Posted by Nola Celeste:
Yes, it's worth it! I'm guessing it's .9 miles, right? That's only one-tenth of a mile shy of a whole mile; walk another 528 feet while you're in the store and you'll have walked a mile. I'm assuming that distance is the round trip? If not, then you're actually walking closer to two miles, which is definitely worth your effort.

There's a thread on here about how important it is to get exercise outside of a formal program of workouts. You're living up to that every time you choose to walk to the store instead of driving to one, every time you take stairs instead of an elevator, every time you park in the boonies and walk a longer way into the mall.

Definitely worth it. :)

Oh, yes .9mi, sorry I completely forgot the "mi" part. When we get to the store, we usually walk around it a bit- it's a very, very tiny store, so there's not much walking we can do in it. But we usually hang out and rest for a couple minutes and then get headed back.

What's the name of the thread? I think I'd like to join it. My fingers don't swell when I walk anymore, and even if I huff and puff a little, it's nowhere near what it used to be. I want to start walking more often. I definitely don't get enough exercise.

Why not walk PAST the store? Keep going a bit, and it'll add distance. Also, 30 minutes to walk 9/10 of a mile is a very slow pace. You could definitely walk faster and burn more calories.

Heck, walk it twice a day if you want to. There are plenty of ways to make that 9/10 of a mile go a lot further.

Originally Posted by LisaP916:
Why not walk PAST the store? Keep going a bit, and it'll add distance. Also, 30 minutes to walk 9/10 of a mile is a very slow pace. You could definitely walk faster and burn more calories.

Heck, walk it twice a day if you want to. There are plenty of ways to make that 9/10 of a mile go a lot further.

That's a good idea, walking twice. I might try that.

As for the walking slow, well, I have a lot of good excuses for that. Short legs, primarily. It's hard for me to walk very fast. I walk with my 5'' something sister, and she actually has to walk slower because I'm huffing and puffing and she's already six feet ahead of me lol.

I feel like I push myself enough right now- I know it's not very good, but I do get better and better every time. My fingers not swelling anymore and making me stop to ice them is a good enough boost of encouragement this time around. Maybe my next achievement will be picking up the pace a little.

It's totally worth it. In fact, if feel that you're pushing yourself to do that much, than it's the place you have to start. When you feel up to it, do it twice in a day, or do it a little faster.

I had a bit of the same argument with myself recently. I'd been walk at lunchtime with a friend, a hair over a mile in about 20 minutes, really only once or twice a week, since the weather has been so miserable here. Then I got on a treadmill and was walking at about the same pace and checked the heart rate monitor and my pulse wasn't even up to 65% of my max. So I had the same thought, is it worth it. But I decided that anything was better than nothing, and there's always room for improvement. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

@zoodoo613, exactly. I'm sure my heart rate wasn't that high up, either, which was why I wondered if it was even worth it at all. But you're right, I guess, there's always room for improvement.

Incidentally, are the heart rate monitors one exercise equipment very accurate? When I bike, the first time I check it usually says 70 something, but then as I get further in it will read 100-something. I'm not really sure what a good target heart rate for someone like me is.

Is that counting both there and back, or just the distance to the store?

It all counts. That's 30 minutes of being active (as opposed to just sitting around the house). You get out, you feel better after walking. It's a win/win!

Some exercise is better than no exercise! It's definitely worth it. Gotta start somewhere. Right?

Originally Posted by Kaonashi:
Is that counting both there and back, or just the distance to the store?

It all counts. That's 30 minutes of being active (as opposed to just sitting around the house). You get out, you feel better after walking. It's a win/win!

I used google maps...I think it's just counting the distance to the store.

And yeah, I slept in today, and felt groggy and dizzy and tired. That's part of the reason I went for a walk, and now I feel much better. Also going to bike indoors later this evening.

Well, that's almost 2 miles then. That's GOOD! :D

**** yeah it's worth it! any additional movement at all is worth it. ;)

The more you walk the faster you will get. People with short legs can get really fast!

It all counts, keep it up!

So, is it really 1.8 miles in 30 minutes? Like, 15 minutes there, lutz around for a couple minutes and then 15 minutes back? If so, you are going at a good clip. That is 3.6 miles an hour for walking which is considered brisk and on grass? Even better timing as that is more resistance ton the walking. Now, if it is taking 30 minutes for .9 miles, that is slow, but it's a starting point and nothing to be ashamed of as you are pushing yourself and doing the best you can.

I have a question too about my job. I put away books in a library I only work 3 days a week for 2 or 4 hours at a time but I wonder how many if any calories are burned

Originally Posted by j0lamo01:
I have a question too about my job. I put away books in a library I only work 3 days a week for 2 or 4 hours at a time but I wonder how many if any calories are burned

Even if you knew how many calories you burned, that's not something I would personally track. That's the course of your normal day - it's not "exercise". Does that make sense?

I joked a couple of weeks ago at the office, when I was heaving around heavy file boxes, moving large vertical file cabinets, and setting up storage shelves, "I better be earning activity points for this!!!". I didn't actually calculate or count them though.

Originally Posted by j0lamo01:
I have a question too about my job. I put away books in a library I only work 3 days a week for 2 or 4 hours at a time but I wonder how many if any calories are burned

I consider any extra daily activities to be bonus calories on my BMR. I don't count them as exercise. You have to have a very physical job to make a huge difference in your BMR. You will burn extra calories, just not a huge amount, maybe like 60-80 extra calories per hour.