DISCLAIMER: I am not a physician, healthcare professional, or exercise trainer. Consult with these experts before beginning any fitness program.
72 year old marathoner and life time runner. I love to run, but encourage anyone looking for cardiovascular health or calorie reduction to stick to walking. Running for most isn't worth the increased chances of injury. Unless you really enjoy running, stick to walking.
When it comes to finding solutions and strategies in life, I find my research brings me to two final options--the hog option and the pig option. These labels come from the old and famous dictum that "pigs get fed while hogs get slaughtered." When I was researching radios for prepping, I found that ham radio was the hog option while CB radio was the pig option. With investing, I found that Warren Buffett value style investing was the hog option while the John Bogle index fund investing was the pig option. With the fitness thing, I find that slow jogging is the hog option while fast walking is the pig option.
Slow jogging burns more calories per minute than fast walking. This is because jogging causes a lot of bouncing like jumping rope. Slow jogging also exerts more stimulus on the cardiovascular system. The downside of jogging is the risk of injury. You have to burn more calories per minute with jogging because you probably won't be doing it for very long.
Fast walking is not as intense as slow jogging, but the reduced risk of injury makes walking the more sustainable option. In other words, the pig who walks is getting fed while the hog who jogs lies slaughtered on the couch with injuries. As someone who has done both jogging and walking, I believe walking is the better choice.
One of the problems people face when they choose the pig option is seeing some lucky hog living it up without getting slaughtered. This happens. I have settled for average returns as I have watched Warren Buffett make a killing. This regret is a false regret. I am not Warren Buffett. Most people who attempt to be like Buffett end up underperforming those index funds.
To be a well fed pig, you have to ignore the hogs. This is what I do when I see a runner in the neighborhood usually with a look of pain and misery on his or her face. I think this is needless suffering on their part, but they made their choice. I have made mine. I choose the pleasant walk. I have not regretted this choice.
