Jogging vs walking: Which exercise is better for weight loss?

Walking and running are more common ways to stay fit than going to the gym and using heavyweight equipment. There is also jogging, which has many health benefits, including weight management. While jogging and running are often used interchangeably as terms, the difference lies in the pace. Jogging is when an individual starts to move at slow and steady pace, usually at a speed above 6 km per hour. If you go faster than that, you are on a run. If the pace is less than this, it falls under the category of walking. Considering the speed, you may wonder if jogging is better than walking for weight loss. Read on to know!

Walking is known for boosting energy, and is considered to be good for overall health. It is also found to have positive effects on burning fat and reducing waist circumference in women with obesity, as per a 2014 study published in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry.

If you want to give yourself a little push, try jogging.

What is jogging?

Jogging is a form of cardiovascular activity where individual runs slowly but at a steady pace, says nutrition and fitness coach Kushal Singh. It is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Here are some of the benefits of jogging:

• If an individual burns extra calories via jogging and consumes lesser calories throughout the day, it can benefit with weight loss.
• Jogging is a great activity for people with medical conditions such as high cholesterol and asthma that limit their ability to do a high intensity training.
• Jogging helps relieve stress and anxiety by improving blood flow in the body, and improving the production of feel good hormone in the body called as endorphins.
• Jogging can help strengthen the core and lower body muscles if performed regularly.
• Jogging is a good activity for people with time crunch and who want to improve their stamina and endurance quickly.

Is jogging better than walking for weight loss?

When we talk about weight loss, it comes down burning calories. The expert says the heavier the individual, the more calories they burn via jogging or walking. On a rough average, it is possible to burn about 500 to 700 calories by jogging 10,000 steps. As for walking, it is relatively lesser than jogging. The average is about 350 to 500 calories.

Both these physical activities can contribute to weight loss as long as your caloric intake is less than caloric expenditure. The metric used to measure the energy is termed calories, explains Singh. Food items we consume have energy and we can calculate this by evaluating the quantity of food items we consume. If an individual has a food item worth 2000 calories in a day, it implies that caloric intake of that individual for the day is 2000. In order for the individual to lose weight, he or she has to burn more calories than what is consumed. So, if an individual completes 10,000 steps, one hour of exercise activity, it would be possible that the total caloric expenditure is more than 2000 for the day. It is the difference in calories that leads to weight loss.

Tips to jog and walk

Keep your medical condition in mind before taking up jogging or walking for weight loss. Here are some points to remember:

• Be it be for walk or jog, always start with slow pace while aiming to improve your fitness levels.
• Try to walk on plain surface instead of elevated surface. This is to reduce the impact on joints.
• Use appropriate running shoes to avoid any discomfort on the foot.
• Hydrate well before and after the activity. However, you may also keep sipping water in between the activity if you are thirsty.