Running burns more calories. So why am I walking? Because at 350 pounds, every running step could put up to 1,000 pounds of force on my knees.
Calories: running wins, but not by as much as you think
Per minute, running wins easily, because you cover more ground. Per mile, running still burns more, but nowhere near double.
And the heavier you are, the more every mile burns, walking included. When I started doing deliveries at over 400 pounds, I needed a shopping cart to lean on just to get through a store. Now I can shop for an hour pushing a cart full of groceries with no problems. At my size, a mile walked is real work.
One surprise: walk fast enough (around 5 mph) and walking actually costs more energy than jogging. That’s why your body naturally switches to a jog around that speed.
The health results surprised me
A large study compared 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers. When both groups burned the same amount of energy, the walkers came out the same or ahead:
Blood pressure: runners −4.2%, walkers −7.2%
Cholesterol: runners −4.3%, walkers −7.0%
Diabetes: runners −12.1%, walkers −12.3%
Heart disease: runners −4.5%, walkers −9.3%
To get healthy, you don’t need to run. You just need to move, and keep moving.
The impact problem
Walking: about 1 to 1.5 times your body weight per step. At 350 lbs, that’s 350 to 525 pounds.
Running: about 2 to 2.9 times your body weight per step. At 350 lbs, that’s 700 to over 1,000 pounds.
Multiply that by thousands of steps per mile and the difference adds up fast, especially on your knees.
My plan
Now: walking, about 10,000 steps a day, plus the gym six days a week. My delivery route helps a lot.
Under 300 lbs: start running, slowly, then build up to a 5K, a 5-mile run, and eventually a 10-mile or half marathon.
For Kokoro: a 9:30 mile in boots. I’ve done plenty of trail walking in boots out west, so the boots won’t be the hard part.
The real answer
The best one is the one you’ll actually go out and do. And remember: most weight loss comes from what you eat. You can’t outrun a bad diet, and you sure as hell can’t outwalk one.
Team walk or team run?
Tell me in the YouTube comments. Then come follow the climb.
[NEWSLETTER BLOCK or “Follow the Journey” button]
Sources
Walking vs. running study, Williams & Thompson 2013 (ScienceDaily summary): https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130404170225.htm
Ground reaction forces in walking and running: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2782094/
Walking vs. running calories (ScienceAlert): https://www.sciencealert.com/does-walking-to-work-burn-the-same-calories-as-running-heres-the-science
Not medical advice. If you have joint problems, talk to your doctor before you start running.
