After all, which is better: running or walking?

Running or walking is a favorite activity for many people: both are relaxing, help relieve stress, can represent improvements in physical performance and are still important for maintaining good health.

However, when choosing between similar exercises, most people may wonder which one is the most effective. Now, new studies show that the answer depends largely on your goals, as each type of exercise has its strengths.

If you, for example, want to lose weight, running is by far the best option. But if you want to escape heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol, you can count on walking. A survey conducted by the University of Berkeley and the Runners and Walkers Health Study was published last month, showing data from 15, 237 people who have a walking habit and 32, 215 people who usually run.

Participants were asked about their weight, waist circumference, diets and weekly exercise details when they joined the survey, and went through the same analyzes again six years later. Practically all fans of the race were much thinner than those who just walked; In addition, body mass and waist measurement were also better suited to their bodies than the measurements of those who just walked.

The main difference appeared in people over 55 years old: even decreasing the amount of exercise, they had smaller weight and waist circumference compared to people of the same age, with the habit of walking.

The reasons why running helps more in weight management compared to walking are unknown. Although it seems obvious that because it takes more effort, running consumes far more calories than walking, studies have also found that even with hours of walking and spending the same amount of calories, individuals who opted for walking lost less weight and maintained the circumference of the larger waist.

Running may decrease your appetite

Researchers believe the secret to this lies in appetite suppression, apparently caused by running. The researchers divided 19 athletes into two groups: one for walking and one for running. Everyone was directed to spend the same amount of calories on their workouts.

After a break, the athletes were released to a buffet, with the possibility of eating at ease. The researchers then realized that those who had walked consumed about 50 calories more than what they had burned on the treadmill. Meanwhile, runners on average consumed 200 calories less than the amount spent on the treadmill.

However, research from the Runners and Walkers Health Study has also shown that walking further decreases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, as well as helping to control cholesterol. While running decreased the risk of heart disease by only 4.5%, walking had a decrease of more than 9%.