5 Reasons Why Walking is the Best Cardio for Fat Loss - From a Former Distance Runner
My last half-marathon in 2014
If you’ve been grinding away at endless cardio sessions, and feeling frustrated by the lack of results on the scale or in the mirror, you're not alone. As a former competitive swimmer and runner for about 15 years, I’ve been there. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that more is better, but what if I told you there’s a simpler, gentler path that could lead to more effective fat loss and better health?
Walking
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Walking 〰️
Yes, walking might just be the answer you’ve been searching for!
It’s true, other forms of more intense cardio exercise, like running, do in fact burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. And it has been beaten into our heads for years that fat loss is all about calories in vs. calories out. So why would you want to spend your time taking a walk when you could run and burn more calories? It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes the best way forward is to take it easier on your body and let your body naturally do the hard work for you!
In this blog, we’ll walk through (no pun intended):
My origin as an endurance athlete
How to move on from the “more is better” mindset
5 reasons why walking is the best cardio choice for fat loss
Let’s dive into why this underrated form of cardio could be the key to unlocking your goals.
Where I Started as an Endurance Athlete
From around age 5 through 21, my fitness revolved around cardio and endurance. I swam competitively from 5 through my sophomore year of college, and ran cross country and track from middle school through high school. In off seasons of swimming, you could find me running miles around the Indiana country blocks for cross training. My younger brother took the same path with sports focusing on swimming and running, and my parents embraced running as well, training for multiple half-marathons. Pushing through hours of tough swim practices and running that extra mile was a great way to build resilience, work ethic, and grit as a kid. (To read all about my fitness journey, check out this blog post!)
However, endurance training became all I knew. All I knew about fitness was that you had to push your body to the max in every workout, day in and day out, or else did that even count as a workout? A workout really only counts if you were sweating, breathing heavy, and feeling like you really left it all out there at the end, right?
As I reached high school and college, the inevitable body image insecurities crept up on me as a female athlete. Sports and workouts were no longer just for the fun and competition; it was also a way to stay in shape and stay skinny. Growing up in the early 2000’s, I learned from media and observing diet culture that fitness was all about calories in versus calories out. Eat less calories + workout MORE and HARDER = stay skinny. What better way to burn more calories than to continue running for distance? More is better, so why not train for a half-marathon?
When I stopped swimming in college, I poured most of my fitness efforts in to training for half-marathons, among other endeavors like cross-fit and high intensity interval training (HIIT). Again, is it even a workout if you aren’t maxing out? Anything to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time.
But where did this lead me? While I achieved my goal of finishing the half-marathon in under 2 hours and was satisfied with what I thought was an “ideal” body image, my mind was always consumed with the poison of doing more, and my body was starved of the nutrition it needed to support long-term health. Overall I was mildly satisfied with my body. I felt skinny (sadly that was part of the motivation).
However, I wondered why I couldn’t see much core definition, and I was realizing that if I deviated from my diet or took a few days off from exercise, I would gain weight and look worse. Little did I know my endurance training and restrictive dieting was actually slowing my metabolism, so I always had to do MORE to get the same results. I was a hamster on a wheel, not getting anywhere.
Unfortunately, the athlete in me told me to just push a little harder - do a little more. On the other hand, overtraining with hours of cardio led to injuries that kept me from my workout routine for extended periods of time, and often resulted in a cycle of stress-eating and self-sabotage, only making the outcomes worse. Over the course of my running career, I sprained both MCLs in my knees twice, and suffered a number of other setbacks along the way.
In the middle of training for my second half marathon, my last MCL sprain led me to cancel my participation in the race. I felt worthless and didn’t know where to turn to keep burning the calories required to keep me from gaining body fat in my time off. I had lost my identity in fitness.
Changing the Mindset of “More is Better”
This last MCL injury was a turning point in my fitness journey, pushing me to change how I trained to avoid injury while staying fit. Over the next few years, I discovered the benefits of replacing long cardio sessions with resistance training to build muscle and boost metabolism, instead of falling into the 'do more, eat less' trap.
Endless cardio was putting a damper on my metabolism, even though I was burning a lot of calories during runs. Long endurance sessions signal the body to conserve energy first by becoming more efficient and burning calories slower, and second, by reducing muscle.
Through my journey, I learned that strength training is the most effective for fat loss, shaping the body, and INCREASING metabolism. This ultimately means you can do less and eat more. Resistance training sends the signal to your body to build muscle, and that muscle inherently burns more calories than other tissues, even while at rest. Muscle is metabolically “expensive,” which is why endurance athletes, while they may be lean, don’t necessarily have a lot of muscle.
But isn’t cardio still good for your health? Should you just drop all cardio all-together to get the best results? No, that’s not true. It just doesn’t always HAVE to be performed for long periods of medium-high intensity.
And that’s where walking comes in. Of all the options for cardio, I will go so far as to say walking is the best for fat loss, longevity, and overall healthier living.
This post is not meant to discourage endurance athletes. I focused my efforts on running and swimming for years, and they made me the person I am today. Endurance sports like distance running are extremely rewarding. But the hard truth is that there is life after being a competitive athlete, and at some point we need to focus on longevity. Those with endurance training goals have to understand it’s not going to be the best exercise choice for fat loss or physique goals in the long run.
It really all comes down to what your purpose is for exercise. Is it for achieving or maintaining a lean physique for the long term, building a strong metabolism, and having healthy joints for years to come? Or is it for seeing how far your body can take you and chasing time goals, beating the clock, and the rush of competition?
If your goal is to compete in a triathlon, obstacle course race, or run a marathon (or even a 5k for that matter), walking will not even get you close to that level of endurance. You need to train for your goals!
If your goal is to lose fat, and to look lean and sculpted for the rest of your life, then the synergistic combination of strength training and walking is the best path forward to get you there.
In case you aren’t convinced already, let me give you even more reasons to believe that walking is the way to go!
5 Reasons Why Walking is the Best Choice of Cardio for Fat Loss and Health
LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY
It’s EASY to do. It’s EASY to start.
No warm-up required! In fact, walking can be part of your warm-up for a lifting workout!
No need to change clothes! Go for a walk in what you’re already wearing! Unless maybe you’re in heels or a cocktail dress.
No need to shower after. It doesn’t have to be a sweat-fest.
For expecting moms—it’s an exercise you can continue through pregnancy, and can start incorporating again early post-partum (increasing incrementally).
It’s something you can start regardless of your level of fitness, age, or knowledge about exercise.
LOW RISK OF INJURY
Especially in the long term. Cardio such as running takes more skill, practice, and coaching to be able to run consistently with good form that will not cause injuries and wear and tear over time.
One of the main reasons people stop exercising is due to pain. I experienced this multiple times during my years of running!
On the other hand, it’s very unlikely that you will have much pain with walking! You can continue to walk for the long term and be more consistent rather than starting and stopping due to injuries.
You’re also not going to get sore from walking. Walking will actually help if you ARE sore from another workout. Getting some movement with a walk will help circulate lactic acid and speed recovery.
FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DAY
It’s easy to incorporate walks throughout your day, even at work. Take a 5-10 minute walk during a break. Walk during a Zoom meeting. Even if you can only get 5-10 minutes in, it makes a difference!
Think about things you normally do while sitting that you could potentially do while walking outside or on a treadmill.
On a treadmill, albeit at a slower pace, you can type, text, or answer emails. You can listen to and participate in a Zoom meeting.
Catch up on your favorite TV shows, podcast, audiobook, or scroll social media.
COMPLEMENTARY TO STRENGTH TRAINING
Walking is MUSCLE-SPARING. Walking will not lessen the valuable muscle building signal you achieve through strength training. This makes it the perfect complementary cardio exercise to your lifting routine.
On the other hand, endurance training competes with the muscle-building signal. Your body doesn’t know if it needs to use energy to build muscle, or if it’s better off conserving that energy for future bouts of endurance exercise. With consistent running, it’s no longer advantageous for your body to keep the metabolically expensive muscle you are building with lifting sessions.
Walking is an excellent form of active recovery for rest days. Just because it’s a rest day doesn’t mean you get a free pass to sit around all day. Stay active with some low intensity exercise.
BOOSTS MENTAL HEALTH
Getting out and going for even a short walk can be therapeutic, forcing your brain to switch gears and mentally slow down.
Walking can easily be a social activity, and a way to spend quality time with others. Take a walk with a friend, your significant other, or take your baby or toddler for a stroller ride.
Final Thoughts
Walking is truly the underrated hero of cardio exercises. It’s simple, accessible, and incredibly effective as a compliment to your strength training routine for fat loss and long-term health. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or looking for a sustainable way to stay active, walking offers a low-impact, enjoyable method to achieve your goals without the need for expensive equipment or complicated routines.
The benefits of walking go far beyond achieving a daily step-count goal, or burning calories. It’s a powerful tool for improving mental health, boosting metabolism, and enhancing overall well-being. Plus, it’s something you can easily fit into your daily routine, whether it’s your morning walk into work, a light stroll on the treadmill during a meeting, or an evening walk with the family.
If your long term goal is to achieve a lean, sculpted physique while feeling good, and maximizing longevity, you know now that a combination of strength-training and walking will bring you the best results. It’s time to put that knowledge to use! I challenge you to start today by aiming for just 20-30 minutes of walking each day. It doesn’t have to be intense—just get moving, and let the habit build from there. It doesn’t even have to be all at once. Break it up as needed throughout the day. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you start to see and feel the benefits.
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