Walking or Running - What is Best?

Walking and running are two of the most accessible kinds of exercise - there are almost no barriers to entry with either activity.

You might be wondering if walking or running is better. The fact is, walking and jogging both have many benefits and so it’s not really possible to say one is superior to the other.

It’s probably more valuable to weigh up walking vs running in relation to your own personal goals and preferences. In this article, we’ll look at some of those considerations, then compare the two types of exercise.

Run vs walk: Thinking about your situation

If you’re trying to decide between taking up walking or running, think about your own situation. This might help with working out which is right for you.

• Current fitness level: If you exercise fairly regularly (e.g. you go cycling or swimming), then taking up running might feel more straightforward. If you’re less experienced with exercise, you might find it easier to begin with walking.
• Personal goals: People exercise for all manner of reasons. It could be to lose weight, for their mental health, or simply to get outdoors and explore. The choice between walking and jogging could be influenced by your goals.
• Injuries: Do you have any injuries? These might influence your choice.
• Health conditions: Some health conditions might make vigorous exercise like running a little more risky - particularly if you have heart disease. If you have an illness, speak with your doctor before taking up a new exercise.
• Where you live: Some places are a little better suited to walking or running (although most places are good for both). If you live in a mountainous region, for instance, walking might be easier to get into. If you live close to a park, then running might feel more accessible.
• What you’re most likely to stick with: Arguably this is the most important factor when comparing walking vs running. Some people simply find walking boring. Others find running unenjoyable. In either case, you’re far more likely to stick with an exercise you actually like doing!

Related: Introduction to low-impact training

Benefits of walking and running

Whether you take up walking or running, you can expect to see multiple benefits.

Improved heart health

Walking and jogging are both forms of cardiovascular exercise. Cardio increases your heart rate, breathing and the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Regular cardio is known to help prevent or delay the onset of a wide range of heart diseases, as well as other conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Dozens of scientific studies show that all forms of cardio exercise can reduce heart health risks.

Lose weight

It is well known that regular walking and running can help people lose weight. The more you walk or run, and the higher the intensity, the more calories you burn.

Live longer

There’s plenty of evidence that shows that people who do even small amounts of exercise per day (as little as 5-10 minutes) live longer, on average, than those who do no exercise.

Better mental health

Studies also show that regular physical activity of any kind can improve people’s mental health, reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, and boost self-esteem. At ASICS, that’s something we’ve always believed in. In fact, ‘ASICS’ stands for ‘Anima Sana In Corpore Sano’ - Latin for ‘a Sound Mind in a Sound Body’.

Social activity

Walking and jogging can both be done as social activities. They’re a great way to spend quality time with your partner, a friend or family member. They can also be a fantastic way to meet new people who are also looking to take up exercise.

Comparisons: is walking or running better?

Walking and jogging are both great forms of exercise. But there are some situations where one will win out over the other. Let’s compare walking vs running.

Walking vs running for weight loss

One of the most obvious differences between running and walking is calories burnt during exercise. Running is significantly higher in intensity, and so you will burn more calories in a session than you would walking.

To compare, we used NHS figures to find the average weight of a UK adult in 2021 (78kg) and used BUPA’s calorie calculator.

• 30 minutes walking would burn 137 calories
• 30 minutes running at 6mph would burn 382 calories

In this calculation, running burns almost three times as many calories as walking. Walking is still a great way of burning calories (which helps with losing weight), but running is a faster way of doing so.

Run vs walk for heart health

Regular walking and running are both excellent ways to reduce your risk of heart disease. One of the best comparisons of each exercise on heart health is a study in the US, looking at health outcomes for tens of thousands of runners and walkers.

Overall, the study found that running was slightly more effective at reducing people’s risk of heart disease compared to walking. However, walking was still shown to reduce people’s risk of heart disease.

Injury risk when walking or running

The human body has evolved to walk and run over long distances. Nevertheless, it’s clear that walking comes with a much lower risk of injury than running. One study in the US with over 5000 people found that walkers were 75% less likely to get injured than runners.

Meanwhile, a study in the UK of major sports injuries between 2012 and 2017, found there were 49 injuries related to walking, versus 301 for running (this figure only includes incidents when someone got treatment for an injury on the National Health Service).

One key reason that runners get injured more often than walkers is related to ground reaction force. When you walk at speed, force equivalent to 1-1.5 times your bodyweight passes through your feet, whereas when you run, the force is 2-2.9 times bodyweight (according to experiments). That extra stress from running makes injuries more likely.

Other reasons runners may be more prone to injuries include:

• Forgetting to warm up properly
• May be more likely to slip or fall when moving at speed
• Running with incorrect form

Combined walking and running: the best of both worlds?

In many ways, combining walking and jogging as part of your general exercise routine gives you the ‘best of both worlds’.

One of the top causes of running injuries is overuse - particularly among beginners. It’s fairly common for people to increase the amount they run too quickly, but then develop injuries. However, by alternating running with walking, you can still get your regular exercise in, but without putting so much stress on your joints and muscles.

If you’re a complete beginner to running, you might want to consider a Couch to 5K programme. This is a nine week schedule, where you exercise three days per week. To begin with, you alternate between walking and running, then gradually increase the amount of time you run, until you can jog for 30 minutes without stopping.

For more experienced runners, walking can be a great form of ‘active rest’. If you’re following a marathon training plan, for instance, it’s essential to have rest days between training sessions. Going on a walk during rest days allows you to keep your muscles activated, but without overexerting yourself.

Suggested: How to avoid overtraining

Choosing appropriate gear for walking or running

Whether you take up walking or running - or both - it’s valuable to wear appropriate shoes and clothes. This will make your exercise more comfortable, while also reducing injury risk. Here are some tips for choosing gear for walking and jogging.

Running gear tips

When you’re taking up running, all you really need to begin with are some running shoes and workout clothes. Here are some considerations when choosing yours:

• Where you’ll run: Will you mainly run on pavements or treadmills? Choose road running shoes. Will you mainly run on footpaths, tracks or trails? Choose trail running shoes.
• Weather conditions: When running in warmer weather, all you really need are lightweight, sweat-wicking sports clothes (shorts, t-shirts, and sports bras). But if you’re exercising in colder or wetter conditions, it’s worth owning running jackets, trousers or leggings.
• Essential accessories: There are many running accessories out there, but cushioned running socks, a hat and water bottles are some of the most useful.

Walking gear tips

If you’re walking casually, you don’t really need any special equipment - your regular clothes and comfortable shoes are often enough. But if you’re trying to increase the amount you do, consider the following:

• Walking location: Some kinds of walking - and particularly hill and mountain walking - require much more equipment. You’ll want ankle supporting boots, shoes with reliable grip, and all-weather clothing.
• Comfort under foot: If you’re walking for several miles, comfort is essential. If most of your walking is going to be on concrete, cushioned and flexible walking shoes for men and women are a great option. Trail shoes also provide extra grip if you’re walking on muddy paths.
• Layering and breathability: You won’t get as hot or sweaty walking as you do when running, but it’s still valuable to wear breathable, sweat-wicking hiking clothes. It’s often a good idea to choose gear that lets you layer, adding or removing tops depending on how you feel.

Achieving your goals with walking or running

Whatever your motivations for taking up walking or running, both activities are easy to get into, and can provide so many benefits. So, why not start today - and see where the journey takes you?