Walking vs. riding

[lynn]

Ok, experts!

Since it's so bleeping hot here in FL I have taken up to riding my bike around the neighborhood instead of walking. Is this better, same or not as good as walking??

I enjoy the breeze in my face while I'm sweating and actually get more mileage out of myself!

Opinions??

 

[hensylee]

I dunno. I do know that you are still getting exercise and in the humidity of the area where you live, it's hotter than hot, so with the bike you will get home sooner and back into a.c.

 

[lynn]

LOL! That's a good point

 

[Cooker]

I am soooo jealous!! When I lived in Melbourne Beach I loved to ride my bike! (flat). Columbia is very hilly where I live and I am older and, well lets say not as lean as 25 years ago.

I am no fitness expert I know that comes as a shock I would think it depends on the intensity of your ride. You can "coast" along or pump the heck out of the pedals. Same with walking. You can stroll or really move out.

I think you will know if you are getting a work out.

On another note I have found a way to keep myself walking I walk 3 miles and I discovered that "Brewster's Ice-cream Shop" is 1.5 miles from the house!!! You know the rest of the story

 

[ALCapshaw2]

On another note I have found a way to keep myself walking I walk 3 miles and I discovered that "Brewster's Ice-cream Shop" is 1.5 miles from the house!!! You know the rest of the story

Cooker, You Crack Me Up ! ))

'AL'

 

[Philip B]

Walking & Riding

Walking & Riding

I'm not sure one is necessarily better than the other.

Walking is usually recommended following surgery over other forms of exercise due to issues associated with avoiding excessive stress on the sternum.

Speaking personally, I enjoyed walking post-op, but had a difficult time getting my heart rate into the target zone recommended by my cardiologist. It seems much easier to get my heart rate up by riding my bicycles.

I'm not any kind of exercise junkie, but I am a firm believer in the idea that people will have a much easier time sticking with exercise if they enjoy what they are doing. My cardiologist told me that he sees way to much repeat business because many of his patients begin exercise programs after OHS, lose interest, and quit.

A lot of the folks who cycle in my area are former runners and power walkers who have developed impact related joint issues. Cycling is easier on their hips and knees. The downside of cycling is that tendancy some of us have of not staying upright on the bicycle. You might fall while you're walking, but the chances of injury probably increase when you tumble off your cycle.

All this said, factor this in as the ramblings of an opinionated, non-expert.

-Philip

 

[MarkU]

In the heat I prefer riding over running. I usually ride fast enough to generate a breeze that keeps me cool. Plus, I can carry two or three bottles of Gatorade on the bike. The only problem is stopping at stop signs or stop lights and baking in the heat until I can get going again.
Mark

 

[67walkon]

Hi Lynn! Good question.

I confess to being an exercise junkie, or at least I was and hope to be again. Running in the heat gets your core temps up higher because you're not going as fast as you can on a bike. The same would be true of walking; at speeds of maybe 3 mph or so, you aren't generating much wind.

On a bike, even at recreational speeds, you're probably going around 10 mph or so. That generates pretty good air movement over your body.

As far as a cardiovascular workout, it just depends on how high you get your HR. Generally, at least for me, the perceived effort on a bike is a little less, but my HR doesn't get quite as high. But, I can't run any more because my back and knees don't like it, and I can ride a bike for a long, long time, so I think the bike is overall a better cardiovascular workout. And even when it is really, really hot down here, you don't feel it as much on the bike until you stop.

That's my 2 cents worth!

John

 

[SumoRunner]

It also depends on the bike. I used to have two bikes, a 10 speed and a 3 speed. The old 3 speed wouldn't allow me to shift into an easier gear on uphills. It also had fatter tires, so it took a lot more energy to move forward. On a hot day, I'd ride the 10 speed so I could get going faster and generate more cooling wind. On cooler days the 3 speed was better because it would work up a sweat faster.

 

[tprice54]

walk or ride

walk or ride

Hey, any workout, walk or ride, is a good one! There is an old rule of thumb that running vs. bike riding is a 1:4 ratio. That is 4 miles of running is about 16 miles on a bike, assuming the intensity (heart rate) is about equal. I never heard one for walking.