I've heard a lot about this lately....people walking a mile, or 2 miles, or 3 miles.
Its a good idea, really....walking is better than sitting around on the couch in the evening. But I just talked to 3 different people who have quit the program because they haven't been losing weight.
Apparently the original idea was targeted at people with heart problems, and walking a mile was supposed to help them 'correct' their heart problems. Of course, that is a load of crap. Losing weight, eating healthy, and raising your heart rate ABOVE 150bpm during cardio is going to help correct your heart problems. How many people here could get their heart rate up above 150bpm by walking? Even speed walking. I know I can't.
But of course, everyone wants the quick, easy fix to their weight/heart/health problems, so they walk a mile thinking it will help them. And when they can't lose weight, they quit out of frustration.
The quick, easy fix is HIIT. Period.
But try convincing people of that. Even MIIT would help more than walking a freakin' mile. Because walking is essentially LIIT, and one would have to walk almost 5 miles to equal the work I do in a little over 20 min on the stationary bike.
Now, I'm not slamming the fact that people get up and walk. I often do the same thing; walk instead of drive, stuff like that. Being active helps. But you're NOT supposed to walk a mile as your primary source of exercise. It is NOT real cardio, and NO it will not really help your heart in the long run. I can raise my heart rate to 120bpm watching a good hockey game.
Even my doctor said he is appalled by the amount of people who come to him for a checkup, and when they get concered over their heart problems, he asks them how much exercise they get. A LOT of people say, "Oh, I walk a mile every day, isn't that enough?"
/rant off.
Now, I really wanted to start another fitness thread to find out how Photon and a few others who started losing weight a few months ago are doing. And I can't find the old thread....soooo.