What state are joints and legs in? Are you fit for the energy demand required by running or walking? Answering these questions is very important since starting a physical activity requires a high level of commitment to your well-being.

You also require a balanced diet, because both options involve greater energy expenditure, which results in eating more calories

On the other hand, what is best for a physically active person, with little time and who likes energy discharges, will not be suitable for a person with a sedentary life, who is overweight and who has been recommended by a doctor to exercise.

Is there one option better than another?

If you are considering doing some physical activity because you feel a few extra kilos or just to improve your health, but you do not have much time and you hate gyms, running and walking are excellent options, but you may have wondered what is better?

Whether one option is better than another is hard to say. Both have their benefits, especially at the cardiovascular level, but in terms of other aspects, if you do not run properly, injuries can occur; and if you walk without discipline there will be no beneficial effects.

If we run and walk the same distance, the calories burned are approximately 30% more running. Also, if you run at a high intensity, you can burn extra calories, due to an afterburn effect of the activity.

Now, running is a more intense activity than walking, therefore, more calories are burned per minute. In the case of walking, to burn the same number of calories per minute as running, you need to cover a greater distance.

To decide on one activity or the other you must take into account that:

• Running burns more calories per minute but you spend fewer minutes active.
• Walking burns fewer calories per minute but you spend more minutes active.

How do you burn more calories?

There is more than one factor that intervenes in the burning of calories, such as weight, age, physical condition, rhythm, the surface where the exercise is performed, among others. However, if you compare the distance, the factor that affects the most is the speed with which the exercise is done.

Is it better to run to burn more calories?

Running has several advantages since it is a complete exercise that involves movement and coordination of various parts of the body.

If practiced consistently, the muscles of the lower part can be toned. It also has an aerobic component that facilitates the burning of calories and therefore helps to lose weight.

It is often believed that if we run faster we will burn more calories, but this is false. As we get closer to our limit, we require to invest more effort, but this does not help us to increase the burning of calories.

Now, running is not an easy task, it has to be done correctly, otherwise, we could suffer from some arthritic process in the future.

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Some recommendations to run without injuring ourselves:

• Thus, the weight will be distributed gradually and will reduce the impact.

Avoid touching the ground with the leg extended, the knee should be flexed.

• We should not run very rigidly in the upper part of the body, this would increase the impact on our body. Our whole body must contribute to the movement so that the weight is distributed and we are in balance.

Slow but safe

A walk is not just a walk, it requires discipline so that it can have the same effect as running. It is necessary to walk with power, making use of all the muscles of the body and at a rhythm that makes us sweat.

This exercise is performed by rhythmically moving the arms, contracting the abdomen, keeping the chest raised, the body upright, and with the tip of the foot always slightly raised.

If you walk regularly and correctly, you can tone a large number of muscles, especially calves, thighs, and buttocks.

Learning to walk

To walk effectively and lose calories, we recommend the following:

• Walk with your head up, looking straight ahead and looking at least 20 meters ahead.
• Move your shoulders naturally and relaxed. The posture should not be rigid, it is also very important to keep your back straight.
• Swing your arms naturally. Move them rhythmically, one after the other, matching the footsteps.
• Breathe deeply and rhythmically, thus better oxygenating the body.
• If you squeeze your stomach and buttocks a little, generating a slight pressure, you can further strengthen these areas.
• One foot should be parallel to the other.  Wear comfortable and light shoes, so that taking the steps does not cost you more than necessary.