When it is about burning fat, many people prefer slow walking and running on the treadmill. Some people enjoy long, slow-paced walks to shed extra pounds, while others believe only intense runs can melt fat effectively. What’s the truth?
Well, we will discuss how both walking and running on the treadmill affect fat loss, the science behind them, and tips to make either option work for you.
How Does Fat Loss Work?
You lose fat when your body burns more calories than you consume. Both walking and running help you create a calorie deficit, but the way they do it differs.
When you walk slowly, your body depends on fat as the main source of energy. It is a low-intensity exercise that allows you to get through longer sessions without exhausting.
On the flip side, running uses a higher percentage of carbohydrates for energy because of the intensity, but it burns far more total calories in less time.
So, while walking may burn a higher percentage of calories from fat, running can burn more overall calories in a shorter duration.
Slow Walk vs Running: Pros and Cons
If you are new to working out, you should know the pros and cons of both forms of cardio. Let’s discuss each of them here:
- Slow Walk
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly: Walking doesn’t put much stress on your joints, which makes it a perfect option for beginners, older adults, or those recovering from injuries.
- Sustainable: You can walk for an hour without feeling completely drained.
- Stress Relief: A steady-paced walk can be meditative, lowering stress and cortisol levels, which in turn helps with fat loss.
Cons:
- Time-consuming: Walking burns fewer calories per minute compared to running. You need longer sessions to see significant fat loss.
- Plateau Risk: Your body may adapt quickly, reducing calorie burn over time if you don’t increase intensity or duration.
- Running
Pros:
- High Calorie Burn: Running burns nearly double the calories of walking in the same time span.
- Improves Stamina: It strengthens your cardiovascular system and boosts endurance.
- Afterburn Effect: Intense runs can trigger EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), meaning you burn calories even after the workout.
Cons:
- Injury Risk: Running can affect your knees, shins, and ankles if your form isn’t right or if you overdo it.
- Not Sustainable for Everyone: Beginners or overweight individuals may find it tough to maintain regular running sessions.
Which Burns More Fat?
Since we have discussed that running burns more calories than walking, for fat loss, sustainability and consistency matter more than intensity. A daily 45-minute walk may deliver better results than high-intensity runs followed by days of rest due to fatigue or injury.
Choosing the Best: Interval Training
If you can’t choose one of them, why not mix both? Interval training combines short bursts of running with slow walking or jogging. This method:
- Burns calories quickly.
- Keeps your heart rate fluctuating, improving cardiovascular fitness.
- Keeps workouts interesting, reducing boredom.
Things to Focus on Apart from Treadmill
While treadmill workouts play a key role, fat loss depends on a mix of factors:
- Diet: No amount of walking or running can help if you overeat. Focus on balanced nutrition with adequate protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
- Strength Training: Adding weights helps preserve muscle mass, boosts metabolism, and enhances fat loss.
- Lifestyle: Sleep, stress management, and hydration are equally important.
Some people also rely on gym supplements to support their training, ensuring they meet protein and micronutrient needs when diet alone can’t help much completely. If you struggle to maintain consistency, these can favor you majorly.
Practical Tips for Treadmill Fat Loss
To make the most of your treadmill run or walk, you need to follow the right strategies:
- Choose What You Enjoy: If you hate running, stick to walking but increase duration and incline. If you love the adrenaline rush, running may be your enjoyable part.
- Track Progress: Use a treadmill tracker to log calories, distance, and heart rate.
- Dress Comfortably: The right footwear and a breathable gym t shirt can make a huge difference in your workout comfort and performance.
- Progress Gradually: Increase your intensity or time by 5–10% weekly to avoid plateaus and injuries.
Final Thoughts
Most often we get confused between walking or running on the treadmill for fat loss. So, it is majorly your choice and what you enjoy. Running is more time-efficient and burns more calories, but walking is sustainable, low-impact, and easier to stick with long-term.
The best strategy is consistency. You can follow whichever you can stick to in the long run. With this, you should go with strength training, a balanced diet, and a healthy lifestyle. This way you can get rid of the excess fat effectively.
Photo by Mike Cox on Unsplash ( Free for commercial use)
Image published on October 5, 2021
